Shortlisted artworks from the following students:
Billy Osborne
Claire Badenoch
Georgina Dargin
Jamal Galanipoulos
Martha Moorhead
Qiulei Sun
Ruby Neilsen
Sierra Cooper
Sophia Davis
Teagan Galletly
Zach Osborne
Title: Joint Conflict Medium: Painting School: Coombabah State School
Artist Statement: Joint Conflict captures symbolic windows into the journey of twin’s strength in connectiveness and individuality. Being a twin, I intended to inquire into the physical and psychological research that surrounds multiple births and bring awareness to the power of such a connection. In contrast to the societal stereotypes placed upon twins, my work explores the personal journey of my brother and I as young emerging visual artists. The stylistic and expressive brush strokes emit a personal and contemporary context of real moments in time guiding audiences through a journey of personal discovery and creative growth of us as twins. A narrative is disclosed drawing validity through studies of the connectiveness of the twin conscious inspired in part by visual artists and twins, Lisa and Lori Lubbesmeyer. Through symbolism the audience can visually witness the disadvantages of separation on the creative spirit and the positive effects of being together.
Title: Tactile Conversation Medium: Sculpture School: All Saints Anglican School
Artist Statement: Tactile Conversation explores an intimate dialogue between human presence and an unnamed ceramic form—somewhat familiar but also not quite—urging viewers to contemplate the constraints which modern society has placed upon the natural world. The contrasting blood-red gloss, with its organic, bulbous suction-cap-like shapes suggests both an inviting tactility and a visceral offering to empathise with the helpless ‘creature’—its identity left to the imagination of its companion. The muffled womb-like sounds of a heartbeat that echoes from within the depths of this piece reinforces this sense of a living, breathing organism, creating an emotional relationship that connects with the guest sitter. It’s slumped positioning against the stool reflects nature’s forced conformity with the advancing world around it, and the additional adjacent stool symbolises the potential for interaction, a safe space where one might have a silent conversation with the outcasted creature.
Title: I think there I am (madjir) Medium: Installation School: Woodridge State High School
Artist Statement: The focus of my artwork is metamorphism of identity and how artists manipulate techniques to convey identity in a personal context. In I think therefore I am (madjir), I explore change and overwhelming sensations through bright colours and languages overlayed to create an overwhelming, uncomfortable feeling when the audience enters the space. The sound helps convey the loss or building of identity at a young age as a humming sound is drowned out by other noises, conveying how environments drown out your voice and identity. The vibrant, high contrast colours symbolise the clash of growing up without a sense of self, further overstimulating the audience and instilling disassociation. The sound overlay was enhanced as a form of confusion and overstimulation, with waves crashing to engulf the viewer, adding a sense of personalisation to the piece as the audience individually reacts and identifies with it.
Title: Nature’s Mirror Medium: Installation School: Saint Stephen’s College
Artist Statement: Nature’s Mirror is a mixed media installation crafted from wire mesh, papier-mâché, and laser-cut plants symbolising humanity's negative impact on the natural world. The seemingly still boulders float in a suspended state of time, with each uniquely formed white boulder representing new beginnings after all is lost. This installation invites the audience to investigate their reflection, realising the impact we've made on the rapid deterioration of forests due to land clearing. The combination of movement, light, and shadow captures the subject's essence, constructing a real-life observation. Plant life emerges and extends into the negative space, drawing the viewer’s eye to intricate foliage details. Some leaves are tinted with burnt sienna, suggesting rebirth from fire or the force used to clear landscapes. Nature’s Mirror reflects our image back with simplicity and truth, offering a confronting commentary on our relationship with nature and its impact on our future existence.
Title: All that glisters… Medium: Installation School: All Saints Anglican School
Artist Statement: All that glisters… promotes the idea that appearances can be deceptive. Concrete and plaster, typically seen as mundane, are manipulated to appear luxurious. Techniques used create different interpretations of materials, with gold leaf elevating the draped cloth to symbolise opulence. Modern technologies reconceptualise traditional vanitas still life art practices. The artwork alludes to Shakespeare’s quote, 'All that glisters is not gold,' highlighting themes of deception. Examining the sculpture's back, reveals the true nature of the work, emphasising the inherent message.
Title: Signed, Sealed Medium: Photograph and linocut School: St Hilda’s School
Artist Statement: Signed, Sealed is a reflection of the intricate overlap of social and personal identity. The piece employs rich cultural symbolism to explore feelings of deep-rooted dissonance. I explore how my Chinese heritage informs the way that others tend to perceive my identity, with my cultural background taking precedence over other aspects. The subject panders to the audiences’ prevailing perspectives on viewing minority identities. Yet, sealed behind the signature and the label attributed to her, the subject’s gaze follows the viewer—challenging them to see beyond the surface.
Title: Deco Insecta Medium: Assembled laser-cut wood panels, acrylic and spray paint School: Trinity Lutheran College
Artist Statement: Deco Insecta exhibits the cooperation of natural ecosystems and urban environments. The amalgamation of art deco and art nouveau styles represents these environments through their contrasting design elements. Art deco, with its sleek geometric forms and gold detailing, represents the urban environment. Art nouveau’s sinuous organic lines depict elements of nature, symbolising our ecosystems. The archway framing conceptualizes the piece as home decoration. The soft gradients of greens and purples, reminiscent of nouveau, blend with the gold details of deco. Deco Insecta unifies these contrasting styles, representing the homogenisation of urban and natural environments as society progresses.
Title: Cheap Medium: Installation School: All Saints Anglican School
Artist Statement: Cheap is an artwork dedicated to raising awareness of sweatshops and honouring the 800 victims of the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse. Through hand-stitched, sketched, and blank name tags, the piece reflects the fading memory of these lives, symbolising society's tendency to overlook such tragedies. Inspired by wabi-sabi and mottainai Japanese aesthetics, my work minimises waste while highlighting the urgent need for sustainable labour practices. The gradual transition in the tags serves as a reminder of the ongoing exploitation in fast fashion, urging us not to forget.
Title: Forget me nots Medium: Drawing and collage School: John Paul College
Artist Statement: What if media, trusted by masses for information, was exploiting and manipulating people to get views? My work aims to address the paradox of fame and criticism that media women have to face. Through charcoal portraiture, I aim to show the humanity of these women, combined with snippets of historic newspapers encouraging public critique and exploitation. The combination works to highlight the dichotomy between personal identity and public perception. I utilise hyper-realism for the most recognisability within my portraits, while the newspaper cutouts reflect the unrelenting, dehumanising nature of the media. Inspired by Nancy Spero and Clio Newton, my focus instead was to explore the impact of being in the media. Mental well-being is central to my work, showing how exploitation increases psychological distress. Through these visual contrasts, I engage audiences and create empathy, resulting in more respectful dialogue about lives behind the headlines.
Title: Angel Medium: Photograph and painting School: Trinity Lutheran College
Artist Statement: Similar to textual intervention in literary studies, my work Angel intervenes with the novel 'No Longer Human,' representing the protagonist’s identity struggle in a contemporary format. My works portray the character not as evil or broken, but trapped by internal conflict, shown through the clutched positioning of his hands. Inspired by biblically accurate angels with multiple wings, the many hands symbolise his struggle. His ambiguous expression reflects passivity, a victim of a deteriorating psyche, unable or unwilling to break free. Dramatic reds and high contrast convey intensity, forcing viewers to confront his incarceration and helplessness.
Title: T(win)ning Medium: Drawing School: Coombabah State School
Artist Statement: Identical twins are intriguing. This body of work acts as a portal into my personal context and experience of our identical twin connection. The discovery of the mental and physical benefits inherited by twins evidenced by a superior survival rate and mental stability in identical twins, fuelled my creative process. My fervent desire to ascertain this ‘superpower’ twins share is represented in this body of work. The audience is confronted and intrigued by the gaze of the twins. Societal identification of twins being represented as the same is normalised at times. Alluding to the symbolic representation of the one embryo as the kitsch ‘Kinder Surprise’ egg hatches revealing a symbolic spiritual awakening. The surprise contents of 2 heroic figures denote the power and strength of twin connectedness. The playful association of the mass-produced toy reiterates the rarity and joy in being a twin.