South East

Title: The Midnight Channel – Just a Dream
Medium: Installation
School: All Saints Anglican School (Merrimac)

Artist Statement:
The Midnight Channel – Just a Dream invites viewers into the familiar comfort of a living room, a space where many unwind in front of the television. Its retro aesthetic and cartoon-like television evoke nostalgia, stirring memories of childhood evenings spent in imaginative escape. Nestled on the rug is a pet-sized creature: an embodiment of warmth, comfort and the sense of belonging that imagination can offer. Inside the television diorama, a dream-like world unfolds, populated by creatures inspired by the shadows children often mistake for monsters. Yet these figures are not threatening; instead, they gently watch over a sleeping child, offering a tender reinterpretation of fear. The ‘television show’ features a shadow puppet—a playful nod to childhood games like casting rabbits on bedroom walls. But its gaping maw and sharp teeth hint at the dual nature of imagination: a force capable of conjuring both comfort and unease.

Title: Polished Mythology
Medium: Painting
School: Coombabah State High School

Artist Statement:
The resolved work Polished Mythology focuses on a personal and contemporary context and explores how contemporary artists use media and explore environmental and social impacts of evolution and technological advancement in a materialistic world. The name Polished Mythology challenges the glossy narrative that electric vehicles are ‘clean,’ reflecting how society perceives EV’s as the desirable luxuries they are marketed as by businesses, often accepting the appearance of evolution without confronting the environmental impacts. This work also investigates the evolving materiality of contemporary art practices through intentional mixed media experimentation, using layered textures to enhance and communicate thematic depth. The use of a sleek silver electric car positioned as the focal point of the composition embodies societies obsession with technological progression and innovation, while the looming polluted skyline behind it acts as a visual metaphor for the frequently overlooked environmental cost of that advancement.

Title: Library of Memory
Medium: Painting
School: Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District School (Pimpama)

Artist Statement:
We all have memories inked into the pages of our brain. Some we treasure, and others we wish we could forget. Like books in a library, our mind stores and catalogues these memories and experiences for us to cherish. Library of Memory is a window into my library of life’s moments. The full bookshelves symbolise the stages of my life, with empty spaces for the memories I am yet to make. The dream-like library of my mind is nestled in the confines of a self-portrait, contrasting reality and nostalgia.

Title: Interdependence
Medium: Drawing
School: Coombabah State High School

Artist Statement:
Interdependence signifies the interconnectedness between human anatomy and societal constructs. I intended to convey this with a triptych that challenged my audience to rethink their disconnected perspective concerning biology and society by displaying the factual codependent relationship nature and humans have that societal constructs hinder. The precise yet expressive techniques and tonal depth the charcoal composed to create the interconnection anatomical realism has with natural elements in the wetlands represents an emotive contemporary context signifying the tension between the natural environment and humanity. This work is inspired by artists Tamara Dean and Heather Dewey-Hagborg, who both similarly aim to draw attention to social impacts through humanity, in either the complexity of human biology or the way humans are neither separate nor superior to nature but entangled which my work directly portrays. Through symbolism the audience can consider how connected humanity truly is with the natural world despite society’s own constructs.

Title: Behind the Doors
Medium: Balsa wood on wood ply
School: Somerset College (Mudgeeraba)

Artist Statement:
Sonder is the realisation that each passerby lives a life as intricate and vivid as one’s own. Behind the Doors engages this notion through the quiet intimacy of the house—an architectural extension of the self. The artwork aims to evoke themes of safety and seclusion; the 3-dimensional elements embodying the history and memories of houses. Behind the Doors looks to discuss the importance of a connection to place by comparing both a European and Australian style house, highlighting the different lives of those who live inside. It invites the audience to consider their own relationship with place and the role their home has played in shaping their identity, experiences and beliefs. Behind each door is a story, an insight into the lives of others. This work contemplates the value of our surroundings in developing our own personal identity, shedding light on the many stories that lie within domestic walls.

Title: Distortion
Medium: Photography
School: King's Christian College (Reedy Creek)

Artist Statement:
Distortion responds to the focus of 'an attack on the idea of physical beauty brings happiness' influenced by Helen Hetkel's photography. This portrait photo is created by smudging aloe vera gel onto a clear frame and capturing the image of a distorted person. The context of this artwork shows the physical beauty standards being attacked as beauty standards today affect the way women view themselves and how their physical appearance affects levels of personal happiness.

Title: (Dis)connection
Medium: Painting
School: St Andrews Lutheran College (Tallebudgera)

Artist Statement:
Humans are deeply connected to nature, yet this connection is becoming increasingly detrimental, as humanity’s actions exploit and destabilise the very environment that sustains us. Dis(connection) mirrors the lives of sardines and humans—free in the ocean, captured and confined in a can—all connected by a single fishing net. The title itself highlights that while we are physically connected to nature, our exploitation and commodification of living beings creates a deeper, more damaging separation, which is reinforced with the contrasting solitary and crowded forms. The sardine becomes a symbol of balance disrupted by greed and capitalism, while the mirrored human scenes force viewers to see themselves within the cycle of exploitation and contemplate our shared fate. Through these visual juxtapositions, I hope to urge audiences to reflect on their own role in this fragile relationship, sparking conversation about our shared responsibility for the natural world.

Title: Summed Up
Medium: Discarded receipts and pins on canvas
School: All Saints Anglican School (Merrimac)

Artist Statement:
Overconsumption is a significant issue in today’s society. Summed Up serves as a stark reminder of modern consumer excess, exposing the pressure and manipulation exerted by corporations in pursuit of profit. Summed Up explores the mechanisms of overconsumption through the depiction of S.S. Kresge, founder of Kmart—one of Australia's largest retailers. While his portrait may be unfamiliar to many, it’s likely that most Australians have contributed to his legacy through their purchases. My experience of working at Kmart has given me direct insight into the relentless consumerism surrounding unnecessary goods, which led to the idea of using discarded receipts as the foundation of this artwork. The inclusion of pins symbolises manipulation, drawing from voodoo iconography to reflect how consumer behaviour is often shaped by external control. This visual metaphor underscores how overconsumption is not merely a personal choice, but a consequence of strategic influence and psychological pressure.

Title: Watching
Medium: Painting
School: Marymount College (Burleigh Waters)

Artist Statement:
The ever-growing sensation of being watched is present in many people’s lives. For some it is brief, for some it is constant. External pressure is a source of anxiety in my life, where I feel that every move I make is being watched, analysed and judged. The eyes are the window to the soul, but they can also hide the mysteries of the mind. They are simultaneously a symbol of benevolence and fear, because one thing humankind fears most is the unknown. So, if this person’s motive is unknown, what does their presence signify? Why are they watching? What is their next move?

Title: The Spin of Time
Medium: Painting
School: Varsity College

Artist Statement:
As the world keeps spinning and the future creeps closer, it's hard to keep up when your heart is stuck somewhere in the past. As the time feels as though its speeding up, there's a bittersweet pull between the comfort of nostalgia and childhood, and the fear and anxiety of the unknown of the future. The Spin of Time explores the feeling of the passage of time and how the feeling of not being able to keep up with adult responsibilities creeping up so fast, and how in that feeling we long for the past. My painting depicts a carousel spinning fast like my thoughts, with the silhouetted figure of me on the carousel. As part of the artwork, a music box plays carousel music. To be used to start slowly and gradually speeding up, showing the speeding up of time and change.

Title: Unwind
Medium: Film/electronic imaging
School: King's Christian College (Reedy Creek)

Artist Statement:
The 4 portraits in Unwind frame performances of repetitive actions, drawing parallels to self-destructive cycles and thought patterns, and responding to the focus of escaping these cycles through distraction. Recurring movement represents our need for constant stimulation to stop thinking, since thinking can lead to self-criticism, influencing our actions and thus our thoughts. A relentless cycle, a mental prison. One subject’s orange shirt catches the audience’s attention, contrasting the broken pattern of white shirts and highlighting what is bright or eye-catching elements, like positivity—can influence our focus and thoughts. The videos use choppy motion and glitch effects to craft a surreal, animated quality. Techniques like these prompt thought about how constant distraction and colourful stimulation are used to escape and to take our mind off the pain of how reality affects us.

Title: Anger and Melancholy
Medium: Film/electronic imaging
School: Merrimac State High School

Artist Statement:
These works explore the instability of identity through duality, masking and inner contradiction. Anger and melancholy are never distinct from one another for me; they are always intertwined beneath the surface, as symbolised by the hand and split face. The collage textures that represent the hair reflect confusion about my self-image by having opposite extremes show chaos and beauty. The figure below the head reflects a deeper frustration: knowing that humans are made up of stardust, yet feeling insignificant, as if I am meant for more than what I currently do. The concealed side exposes the reality I live with—I never really know who I am. These pieces are meant to capture the search for identity when identity itself feels fragmented.

Title: Specimen A
Medium: Sculpture
School: Southport State High School

Artist Statement:
The Anatomy of a Broken Man explores the concept of toxic masculinity and how deeply society influences men's mental health through pop culture, body image and emotions, usually in a destructive way. The contemporary context influences my work, as social media becomes a vehicle to communicate toxic masculine views in the 21st century, influencing views on men and their own self esteem. Clay allowed me to create smooth, realistic sculptures while acrylic paint encapsulates the portrayal of stereotypical masculinity through the vibrant blue. Each sculpture uses blue to symbolise a man, while portraying a sense, being think, feel and see. The string represents people of society and how they tighten and strangle the thoughts, feeling and sight of a man, harming the way he sees and feels towards himself. My intention with this work is to show the audience how they can impact a man’s mental health.

Title: Still Swimming Back
Medium: Painting
School: Helensvale State High School

Artist Statement:
Our suburbs knit layered meanings unravelling nostalgic realms of stories, memories and emotions. Here the family unit—whether stable on its foundations or broken and rebuilt, impact our identity and connect us to each other. Our past or present constantly interact considers how personal and cultural histories sway one’s identity and perception of life, highlighting the contrast between reality and imagination. These memories sometimes clouded hiding undamaged memories intertwine to influence one's identity and the fond memories they possess.

Title: Interstitial Soul
Medium: Drawing
School: Miami State High School

Artist Statement:
Infrastructure is one of the most valuable assets to life, but it’s generally overlooked. Even in the lifeless and forgotten structures, months or years of planning and development have gone into their establishment. These silent frameworks, though often disregarded, are integral to the functioning of society. From bridges to roads, powerplants to water systems, each piece of infrastructure represents the efforts, labour and vision of countless individuals. Yet, as time passes, these once-crucial systems fall into decay or become obsolete, their significance fading from daily consciousness. My work seeks to highlight the intricate relationship between these structures and the lives they impact, drawing attention to the beauty and complexity within what is typically considered mundane. Interstitial Soul reframes the way we perceive infrastructure—not as a backdrop to life, but as a vital force that shapes our existence, our environment and our future.

Title: Is There a Difference?
Medium: Painting
School: Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District School (Pimpama)

Artist Statement:
Every day, we make a conscious effort to stray away from what makes us inherently human. Deforestation, consuming media, attending school. However, we have an insurmountable number of similarities we refuse to embrace, that of which connect us to our natural counterparts. Is There a Difference? questions how dissimilar we as a human species are from the rest of the world. It emphasises that when elements of each species are narrowed down, no matter the difference in size or colour, the essential features are the same. The eye itself provides a deep insight into the soul. Pupil, vast and black, surrounded by an array of colour. When zoomed in on the eye, you struggle to identify the human, emphasising that we are not separate from nature, we are animals just like the rest. Can you identify the human?

Title: Childhood Bliss
Medium: Painting
School: Helensvale State High School

Artist Statement:
How do the repercussions of age and its adversities change and transform over time? The childhood wonder acting as a shield—blinding the scraped knees, sunburn and every ache and pain which suddenly unwraps as time goes by. What is your most cherished childhood memory? Everybody has one. Childhood Bliss displays my younger brother Jordan and I engaging in one of our favourite activities painting each other’s faces.​