Visual Arts
A body of work represents the body of knowledge, understanding and ability that a student has developed within their own artmaking practice. It represents an immersion in independent and autonomous artmaking. You can think of these works, with their complexity of concept and understanding of materials, their expressive force or their aesthetic refinement, as an artist’s exhibition – you are seeing a careful selection of works taken from hours of exploration, experimentation, mistakes, “not quite good enough” frustrations and critical reflection. Creativity in art is rarely a moment of insight; it is always an honest and exacting process of effort and commitment. We are enormously proud of the achievement of our students.
Visual Arts
A body of work represents the body of knowledge, understanding and ability that a student has developed within their own artmaking practice. It represents an immersion in independent and autonomous artmaking. You can think of these works, with their complexity of concept and understanding of materials, their expressive force or their aesthetic refinement, as an artist’s exhibition – you are seeing a careful selection of works taken from hours of exploration, experimentation, mistakes, “not quite good enough” frustrations and critical reflection. Creativity in art is rarely a moment of insight; it is always an honest and exacting process of effort and commitment. We are enormously proud of the achievement of our students.
Visual Arts
A body of work represents the body of knowledge, understanding and ability that a student has developed within their own artmaking practice. It represents an immersion in independent and autonomous artmaking. You can think of these works, with their complexity of concept and understanding of materials, their expressive force or their aesthetic refinement, as an artist’s exhibition – you are seeing a careful selection of works taken from hours of exploration, experimentation, mistakes, “not quite good enough” frustrations and critical reflection. Creativity in art is rarely a moment of insight; it is always an honest and exacting process of effort and commitment. We are enormously proud of the achievement of our students.
Visual Arts
A body of work represents the body of knowledge, understanding and ability that a student has developed within their own artmaking practice. It represents an immersion in independent and autonomous artmaking. You can think of these works, with their complexity of concept and understanding of materials, their expressive force or their aesthetic refinement, as an artist’s exhibition – you are seeing a careful selection of works taken from hours of exploration, experimentation, mistakes, “not quite good enough” frustrations and critical reflection. Creativity in art is rarely a moment of insight; it is always an honest and exacting process of effort and commitment. We are enormously proud of the achievement of our students.
Visual Arts
A body of work represents the body of knowledge, understanding and ability that a student has developed within their own artmaking practice. It represents an immersion in independent and autonomous artmaking. You can think of these works, with their complexity of concept and understanding of materials, their expressive force or their aesthetic refinement, as an artist’s exhibition – you are seeing a careful selection of works taken from hours of exploration, experimentation, mistakes, “not quite good enough” frustrations and critical reflection. Creativity in art is rarely a moment of insight; it is always an honest and exacting process of effort and commitment. We are enormously proud of the achievement of our students.
Visual Arts
Madison Baker Van Urk
Unknown Endeavour
Acrylic painting
My artwork has conceptually been inspired by Ai WeiWei’s ‘Odyssey’ and ‘Reformation’ as well as AES+F’s video film ‘The Feast of Trimalchio.’ As influenced by these artists and the events of COVID-19, my work communicates the increasing experience of refuge and journey into the unknown faced by individuals as a result of the disruption in the global climate and growth of class divisions.
The three individual panels represent the prevalent division between upper, middle and lower social classes despite travelling through the pandemic together. I have predominantly implemented characters from ‘The Feast of Trimalchio’ within the upper panel depicted indulging in sports and leisure suitable to wealthy upper-class lifestyles. This is juxtaposed with the middle panel, as influenced by AiWeiWei’s commentary on seeking refuge in attempts to relieve suffering. Many of the people are positioned apart from one another and hold banners while moving in ways that convey a state of discomfort. Although the dichotomy between the tragic nature and humorous elements of the passengers draw attention upon each individual’s struggle to connect with one another and resume regular life as intended amidst their current crisis. The bottom panel depicts an absence of life and therefore comments on the neglect of the most vulnerable during a time that is fueled by self-preservation.
Luca Beare
Blood Binds
Printmaking
My Body of Work is an exploration of the conflicting perspectives and relationships of the global conscience surrounding Serbia being of Serbian descent myself. Throughout the 20th century Serbia developed a widely accepted reputation of being the ‘villian’ reflected through pop culture and the media. However, this largely diverges from my perspective as I have come to understand it to be strongly family orientated valuing love, community and support. I have encapsulated this through portraying memories that inextricably connect me to my heritage.
Expressed through my personal memories such as my family’s villa in Vrsac, my great aunt, Juca, cooking in my grandmother’s childhood home, my sister, Bella, my cousin, Nina and I sitting in the window of the same house and food which exemplifies the warmth and wholesomeness I associate with Serbian culture. These are then juxtaposed through the depiction of the military hospital my grandpa was conscripted into during World War II, a series of monuments to the tragedies in Yugoslavian history, a stylised representation of myself in the military uniform of the Serbian forces during the Yugoslavian Civil War (1991-2001) and the bombed buildings in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, from that same war. My conceptual practice culminates in the three street signs reading “Кућа Сиднеи” meaning “Home: Sydney”, “Срце: Србија” meaning “Heart: Serbia” and “Улица синдјелицева” translating into “Sindjeliceva Street” which is the street where my great grandparents, my grandfather and my mother lived and grew up in located in the heart of Belgrade. Each piece is then sown together personifying the bloodlines and bloodshed that unites this all and binds it to me.
Sasha Beech-Jones
Flying Too Close to the Sun
Photographic work, colour prints
My thinking behind this body of work developed over time. Although at the beginning I was interested in the resemblance of people to the animals around them. However over time, I thought more and more about current events and the idea that they are the result of society pushing its own boundaries too close to the edge in a number of ways and paying a price for that.
The shots were taken with a Sony 7ii Camera, in a friend’s basement with black fabric as a black drop and cloth used to dampen light. I explored the use of household items in the photography session including thin cotton, balls of wool, feathers all with various light levels. The works were colour edited using adobe photoshop and printed on thick art paper.
Charlotte Bell
In Light of Decay
Oil on canvas, textiles
In my body of work, the large scale portraits of fruit using oil paint, with layers of mould embroidered into the images, exploring the duality of the grotesque and beautiful. A vanitas quality is created through the dark background and omber lighting, drawing reference to baroque vanitas artworks. This aesthetic relationship weaves together elements of gluttony and indulgence to comment on humanity’s desire to preserve the inevitable. The idea of memento mori, the inevitability of death is encapsulated in the decay, that has historical prominence in its symbolism. The subversion of these ideals, echoing the styles of contemporary artist David La Chapelle and Kathleen Ryan , I introduced modern elements, prompting the questioning of both the excessiveness of modern life as well as futility which these indulgences distract from confronting.
Rebecca Chen
Requiem on a Quiet Night
Oil and acrylic paint on canvas
In an exploration of abandonment within the denigrated suburban landscape, my Body of Work ‘Requiem on Quiet Night’ seeks to reflect a sense of social unease in our current urban surroundings, where endless streetscapes lead into unknown destinations. By capturing the desolate environment of the metropolis, encompassed by the foreboding nature of rain and nightfall, I aim to confront the audience with their own sense of anxiety in their experiences of the world. Through careful consideration in representation and the study of artists' works Lindsey Kustusch and Mike Barr, I have utilised the medium of acrylic and oil paints to elucidate the melancholy atmosphere of the brooding night scenes, yet furthered by elements of glazing and gel mediums in creating texture and emphasis on the harsh conditions. In journeying through the series, the ambiguity of the common cityscape has come to establish a sense of uncertainty in the elusive surrounding which prevails in modern society.
Sophia Cotis
Warralong
Copper plate drypoint on paper
In my Body of Work, I explore my personal experience and journey to a Western Australian Indigenous community, Warralong. Although the experience drew my attention to the many beauties and complexities of Indigenous culture, it contrastingly exposed the anger of Indigenous cyclical poverty, the neglect of health and resource care and the extreme loss of authentic First Nation culture - all of which are embodied in my works. The memorable and significant relationships I shared with those within the community has allowed me to adopt a deepened sense of cultural sensitivity into my printworks.
Although my prints are heavily influenced by my primary photographs of landscapes and the community members of Warralong, the artist’s Mike Parr and Elisabeth Cummings have additionally created a stylistic influence for my works. I have attempted to mirror Parr’s heavily worked, bold, dark prints into my own to create emotional depth. Cummings’ abstract Australian outback drawings are also reflected in my body of work.
In producing my work I have used both etching needles and a small drill (Dremel) to draw my images of landscapes and people into a copper plate. The Dremel’s bold intensity creates unpredictable and irregular lines on the plate. I have experimented with the ways in which ink is layered and wiped.
Inas El-Ashiry
Medusa Myth
Photography, digital print on acrylic
“the quiet sense of something lost” – Tennyson
One photograph, a single image, has the ability to transport us from the virulent reality into our emotional imaginations. A mirror that transcends the lucidity of the natural world, yet eerily reflects its dark truths.
My photographs are not landscapes..But rather mindscapes.
Catherine Fassilis
View from my Window
Oil paintings on canvas and wood
In my Body of Work I have explored the complexities of the world while in quarantine and how our state of mind has been immensely impacted by the confinement and restrictions placed upon us. The motif of windows and doors throughout my artwork represents the imperative need for imagination during a time when memories of life before motivates us for life in the future. My series of paintings has both literal and metaphorical connotations as the paintings portray various landscapes that have significance in my own life, seen through a collection of colourful, childlike windows and balconies which hold a naive, innocent quality to them. This idea confronts the important issues facing our society today as the use of imagination has been challenged by the conformities seen across the world. My intention is to represent the ethereal sense and imaginative aspects of the world. The series represents a naive aesthetic but also a collective experience that individuals have with the allure of people's travels of the world. The discovery of new colours and landscapes which last a lifetime in my memory connects to my inspiration of Edouard Monet’s impressionist expressions of the world that encapsulates true beauty of a natural environment.
Bronte Gooch
Detritus
Pencil, pen, collage on paper
Growing up around the beach, I have always been fascinated by the ocean and surrounding landscapes. My work explores the relationships between humans and the environment and is influenced by my personal experiences of being in the ocean and travelling to different beach locations. Pollution, overfishing and over-industrialisation are prevalent issues which our natural landscapes are faced with as a result of human greed, carelessness, ignorance and lack of respect. This destruction will inevitably result in the decay of landscape and ecosystems as well as the human spirit.
My use of large scale drawings using pencil and pen has allowed me to experiment with the use of space, emptiness and intensity in creating this meaning.
Safiya Jadwat
Kaleidoscope
A series of photos, a book and a short film
A Kaleidoscope constantly generates changing patterns, much like my body of work as it shows a changing perspective of colour, shape, light and texture within our landscape. When looking through the eye piece of a kaleidoscope it moves together to form a unique mosaic of fragments. In my work each scene represents an aspect of our beautiful yet damaged landscape. It challenges the audience to focus on the consequences’ humans have had on the fragility of our environment, where the effect of our actions can have an everlasting impact. Through the twisting and turning of the Kaleidoscope, there is a sense of beauty, yet the resulting view is fractured and evolving.
Anna Kaljo
Who is God?
Painting
In an increasingly secular world, society looks to consumerism and popular culture for purpose and meaning. Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam is one of the pinnacles of Renaissance art, globally recognisable for its beauty, and has been appropriated in several different contexts. By taking strong influence from Andy Warhol, I use the repetition of the even more recognisable Coca Cola logo to reflect the oversaturation of consumerism within modern life. This effectively satirises the original painting, glorifying mass consumerism instead of Christian humanist values. The subsequent devaluing of Michelangelo’s work reflects the efforts to reject religion within our pessimistic postmodern context. The pixellation within the background reflects the increasing reliance of technology as well as the deconstruction of religion as an institution, contrasted by the meticulous effort of painting each square by hand.
The technical skill that Michelangelo displays within his work has become a meaningless effort due to the modern advancements in technology. The hundreds of hours spent on painting is rendered purposeless by modern day due to the creations of the camera and photoshop. This mirrors the lack of purpose in our modern context. The destabilisation of the nuclear family paired with a loss of meaning found through faith has produced a population which serves no other purpose than to work and buy. In a society that rejects and challenges traditional religious views, the real gods, corporations, take the place of the church, supplying a superficial and ever-fleeting sense of meaning.
Audrey Kroon
Untitled
Oil paint on wooden canvases
Mental health is a growing concern in society today, affecting over one in four Australians in their lifetime. Depression and anxiety are debilitating and painful conditions that the majority of our modern society is not supportive of those who struggle with these psychological disorders.
My Body of Work is motivated by the mental health issues commonly experienced in community and are not addressed. These works are all self-portraits which depict feelings of depression, hopelessness, anxiety and loneliness. Loneliness is a central theme in this body of work. The constant sense of loneliness one experiences when struggling with depression is represented in my body of work through the isolation of the subject.
In my Body of Work, I have explored the difficulty of living with depression and the reflection of the pain experienced when trying to hide it through the blank facial expressions. By removing facial expressions, an emotional disconnection is evident. This allows the viewer to capture an understanding of the conflicting emotional pain and societal pressure to "be okay". The subject is alone, surrounded by a smoky haze which amplifies the overwhelming feelings of isolation and loneliness one experiences when dealing with depression.
The materials used in my work are oil paint on wooden canvases. I have been inspired to paint realistically with some surrealist aspects to create stronger ties to the conceptual purpose behind the Work, Frida Kahlo and Bryan Charnely have influenced me in this regard.
Charlotte Lawrence
The Enigmatic Poem of Power
Photomedia
My work attempts to articulate the powerful connection between women and music, showcasing the conflict between oppression and freedom. I have recognised this conflict within myself and found it difficult to express the energy that a melody can give me. When choosing my concept, I recognised that the politicisation of music can be a way of communicating hard truths, and eventually stumbled upon the Riot Grrrl movement which spoke to me as a loud, unexplainable power. I have based my photographs off this vitality, communicating the stories of individuals facing an oppressive society. I have edited my pictures in a way that makes them almost indiscernible to encourage questioning and interpretation for the audience.
I have carefully chosen materials such as poly-cotton canvas and gunmetal to portray a unique but flawed vision whilst also replicating the types of materials used in the Riot Grrrl Zines. In conducting interviews with women who have faced hardships, the concept that music has a freeing effect on the mind was inescapable. My aim is that people feel energy in these photographs. I drew inspiration from artists like Judy Chicago, who fought against the systematic oppression of women in the artworld and Bill Henson, who uses light in a strategic manner to evoke emotional connection. I have surrounded my artmaking process with women at the centre to give them a platform to voice their stories in an industry dominated by men. My work communicates music as a catalyst for freedom. My piece aims to show the dismantling of restrictive systems through the universal language of song.
Meg Litchfield
Under My Skin
Printmaking, film photography
“Under my skin” explores my fascination with the consuming habits that are often inescapable. People bite their nails when their nervous. People pace, they crack their necks, they pick at their skin. I aimed to capture the raw nature of these habits, creating an almost sinister effect as the audience is forced to observe what can occasionally repulse them. Through the expressive and velvety qualities of printmaking, I have been able to capture the abrasive and erratic qualities of such habits. This was further emphasised through the medium of photography, using long exposure film techniques.
Portia Love
Who am I? (Who are we?)
Photomedia
My Body of Work ‘Who am I? (Who are we? )’ explores the concept of ‘culture’ and it’s meaning from the perspective of adolescents across Sydney. Within my body of work I wanted to highlight the importance of ‘culture’ and the different effect that it has on the individual in developing their own personal identity whether they choose to embrace it or not. I chose to portray my pieces in my chosen medium of photomedia, to emphasise that culture isn’t just made of the physicality of the person or any materialistic aspects, but rather something that is embedded in the individual.
Accompanying my larger prints is a small book, which presents a series of photos, stories and personal anecdotes from the individuals in the book, as well as an array of group photos which aim to comment on the role different cultures present in our modern world, and the power in which they hold in shaping societies collective identity. I chose to add this collection of photos to the end of my book to represent how although we come from different backgrounds we still have the capability of learning from each other's cultures and in doing this we can build stronger relationships with one another.
I chose to explore this concept, because culture plays a major role in my life, providing guidance, morals and cultural awareness towards my own culture and the cultures of those around me. I believe that these features of culture, whether it be through ethnicity, nationality or beliefs are all pertinent in shaping who I've become as well as how I've grown up, and I hope this same sense of culture can be derived within the individuals throughout my body of work.
Isobel Morrissey
Invisible
Photomedia
My Body of Work, ‘Invisible’ is a photomedia series that explores the relationship between my own physical disability and technology. Through using a digital medium, to include images of myself with incorporations of my own doctor reports, an extremely personal composition is presented to the audience. The intimate atmosphere created by the nature of my work invites the viewer to acknowledge my experiences in overcoming disability related adversity through the power of today's technology. Inspired by both Laura Owens and Francis Bacon, I have made references to their unique style through the incorporation of exercise book writing lines as a motif representing education and learning throughout my body of work. I aim to intertwine the different learning experiences I have faced throughout my life, both positive and negative in my piece, an idea reflected through my colour scheme. Whilst creating my works I utilised the stylistic choice of incorporated computer glitches as literal symbolism for the figurative ‘glitches’ in my learning.
Donna Nalty
People are Animals
Ink, acrylic paint, watercolour, alcohol makers, and pencil on paper
If we stripped away our complex identity, labels and roles, we are all just animals and it is in our nature to depend and live with each other and these universal relationships can look either different or recognisable. I’ve always been interested in looking at humanity in a third perspective, as inspired by Nicole Eisenman who explores humanity's natural elements of eating, sleeping, and affection.
Through my work, I explored how nature can be in conflict with humanity’s invented complications, produced from the sophisticated world we invented. Intense emotions and toxic traits are in the details and in the absence of details; they present my experiences in the world. While tender and colourful experiences with my love life are also present, and symbolised in some animals. Through one-line drawings, I bound the characters and explore their energy either in ink or soft pencil. While transparent or opaque paint creates their natural and complicated traits impacting on themselves or each other in their environment. Drawing and painting demonstrates the layers in a relationship. The material practice asks: even if our natural or invented lines and paint blend in with each other, will we ever be fully completed as individuals?
Bibi O'Loghlin
Smile for the Camera
Photomedia
While creating Smile for the camera, I became many different people. I felt stifled as a housewife, and vulnerable as an oversexualised bombshell. I felt a gratifying sense of power as the gentleman, a feeling of comfort, and entitlement. The work thus became about myself as a young woman exploring and experiencing the different states of existence intrinsic to gender roles. I embodied these experiences in a period wherein male and female roles were steadfast and concrete- the 1950s, inspired by Cindy Sherman’s use of self-portraiture to showcase a variety of identities. Smile for the Camera explores my realisation throughout my artmaking practice that the power or lack thereof arising from adoption of a particular gender role is merely a result of costuming. Fundamentally, we are equally deserving of power beneath our costumes. But with a wig and a low cut dress, we can become sexual objects. With an apron, our identities can be reduced to domesticity. And by donning a suit and slicking back our hair, we can adopt a self-assuredness that empowers us above others. Smile for the Camera invites audiences to observe men and women performing, as well as the rare moments when these performances falter.
Hannah Quinn
Arid
Printmaking- dry point engraving
In my Body of Work, I have explored the environmental issue of drought on the Australian environment, particularly focusing on the effects on animals. I have personally experienced the harsh effects of drought by growing up in the country, seeing the pain it brings to the land, people and animals. Over the HSC course, I have explored different aspects of how droughts affect Australia; however, I found the most effective way to represent the deathly effects of a waterless environment was through focusing on animals and how their bodies deteriorate as a result. The environmental issue of drought is one of the most devastating issues the Australian environment experiences as it has destructive effects on all that inhabits the land that is being affected.In producing my work I have used printmaking to represent and explore the effects of drought. Printmaking has allowed me to produce greatly detailed artworks where I could focus on creating different textures and sizes of etching lines to develop an effective dry environmental setting in the Australian outback. Through the flexible qualities of printmaking, I have had the opportunity to use different shades of browns and black in my prints to further my conceptual ideas of drought.
Natalia Sanzari
The Uncanny Tales of Childhood Fears and Terrors
Lenticular printing with lens and photographic artbook
In my Body of Work I have explored the psychological experience that humans conform in through an early stage of childhood to adulthood. I have always been fascinated by the unconscious experience that humans experience when being face to face with the idea of fantasy and reality. Over the HSC course I have maintained a strong passion for the unconscious mind, especially through a younger context. Knowing what's real from reality is the most important component we don’t consider when facing our society today. My artmaking practice has been inspired by artists Yangi Miwa (feminism works) and Hosoe Eikoh (Japanese psycho thriller) who both display their works through the expressive form of photomedia. Their work has inspired my body of work to a large extent when rationalising the presentation of the idea I am conveying.
Phoebe Sayers
The Moth of Sisyphus
My Body of Work, The Moth of Sisyphus explores the insects' disillusionment with the urbanised world. Magnifying the details of the creature through hyperrealism, I attempted to convey this discordant relationship through the starkly contrasting motif of light against the intricacy of the moth. As Sisyphus is constrained by the illusion of freedom, the house moth is limited by what is known as "transverse orientation", the instinctual phenomena of being drawn towards light as a directing force for its migration. Attempting to fly towards the moon, the moth finds itself caught in a labyrinth of artificial light, losing all sense of bearing. Thus, the moth finds no sense of being or purpose, removed from its natural landscape, unable to properly function.
Harriet Schmude
Last November
Photomedia on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper
The fires of 2019-2020 wrecked havoc across the southeast coast of Australia, destroying people’s homes, lifestyles and memories. These fires demolished my family home at Utungan in the Mid North Coast, on the 9th of November 2019. Through all this destruction, the regeneration of nature has provided the beauty Australia once had before all the chaos. I was inspired by the power of nature and the traumatic event that made history to photograph my family home aftermath to provide closure for myself and my family. The memories that were made in that beautiful house and on that farm have not been lost nor forgotten, I have instilled those memories in each photo taken as every blackened bark, rusted corrugated iron, object within the house that was recovered has released the moments that created a family’s history and the love they held for their home.
Kalea Turner
Forest of Deceit
Oil and watercolour paint, ink on paper
In my Body of Work I have explored a dark and mysterious perspective of the fantasy world. I have always been fascinated by the realm of fantasy enabling imagination to run streams of ideas to create a compelling world.Over the HSC course I have researched and explored various aspects of the strange and unusual to contribute to my work as a whole. Doing so to accomplish a fascinating world that displays its own uniqueness. My artmaking practice has been inspired by Candice Tripp, an artist who explores her ideas through such a dark fantasy world. Her strange works have inspired me to create my own unusual universe taking from mainly her use of character to suggest a story.
In producing my work I have used and explored various forms of materials such as oil and watercolour paints. My oil and watercolour practice has explored the ways in which I can protract the imaginative fantasy world into a dark atmosphere. My use of water colour has allowed me to use subtle but also intense rich blacks to create such an atmosphere. The atmospheric drawing and the figures I have chosen produce an unsettled feel to the work.
Georgie Ward
Ember
Relief printmaking, lino block,wood stencil and burning on paper
In my Body of Work I have explored the bushfires and the way they have devastated the Australian landscape. Over the HSC course I have explored detailed and refined printmaking and burn mark making, which communicate the Australian bushfires, an event familiar to all, which was one of the most prominent issues that our country faced during the course of 2020. My concepts and imagery turned towards connections between the devastation caused by fire and the devastation of COVID-19. This connection informs my work. My artmaking practice has been inspired by the works of Dianne Fogwell and her fine lino printing, as well as Ula Einstein; I was inspired by her delicate burn markings on paper.
In producing my work I have worked with large yet finely detailed lino carving techniques, layering of images, and burn markings on a variety of papers, including Japanese paper, mulberry paper and stonehenge.
Matilda Wenck
As You Are
Expressive Form Painting
In my Body of Work “As You Are” I explore the subtle intricacies of identity through water colour portraiture. Inspired by Cherry Hood’s hauntingly personal portraits of children and Pablo Picasso’s emotive rose and blue periods, my paintings depict a variety of teenage subjects as the central and sole focus of each image. Stylistically, my work creates a dichotomy between each individual’s physicality and their more abstract essence. Through harnessing the fluidity of a watercolour medium, my portraits unify these two contrasting elements to convey each subject's fuller identity to viewers. This choice in medium is not only that best suited to my artistic purpose, but also symbolic of the organic individuality in the human person. Through a watercolor medium and Cherry Hood’s own scaling up technique, I have captured these young individuals exactly as they are.