Ideas behind the work … 
The holy trinity of 2020 (whilst stocks last!) explores the process of commodification and how it changes the way people interact with objects. Ceramic works depicting threats of war, the spreading of viruses, and ongoing oppression in an almost distastefully hyperbolic manner are juxtaposed with the accompanying merchandise of shirts and badges, which work like a reverse identikit portrait. The merchandise leads the viewer astray, reducing the ceramic works to frivolous aesthetics which have been cropped and decontextualised with no regard for their intended messages.

Starting points and influences … 
I found myself compelled into this theme after a visit to the NGV – the popularity of KAWS’s recent exhibition had elevated his works to the point where they had become a brand in and of themselves. Interested by the notion, I began to research commercialism within the art world. Artists like Ron English – whose gaudy critiques of contemporary culture have found themselves transposed into vinyl figures and toys – helped to not only determine the garish tone of my piece but its central concept. Artists like Clare Twomey were also a major influence, as I found her implication of the viewer within her works highly inspiring.

Sources of inspiration …

• I’m inspired by stories! Filmmakers like Gillispie, Baumbach, and Riley inspire me with their charming tales of people and their intricacies.
• Authors such as Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Haruki Marakami and Rosalie Ham, whose works span from melancholic to the humorous to delightful absurdism. Amidst the chaos of our actual world, I find delving into the chaos of their constructed ones a strange comfort. I hope to one day be able to tell stories as deftly as they do.
• Twitter, whose blatant vitriol I channelled into my ceramic works.

Materials and processes …
I crafted my ceramics out of stoneware clay as spontaneously as possible to avoid overcomplicating the intentionally crass, crude artworks. The works were individually fired and glazed, with each demonstrating a contrast between the matte underglaze and the glossy glazes. For the merchandise, I used Adobe Photoshop to draw each of the works, accentuating certain lines and features, after which I used a badgemaking machine and transfer paper to create shirts and badges

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work …
Scaling back the scope of my work was difficult. I found using current events as my subject matter particularly interesting. Usually, I research events thoroughly and try to sprinkle elements throughout the work, but for this project I sat back and let the works evolve with the situations at hand. It was a new way of working that I hadn’t really tried before.

Ideas behind the work … 
My work, Untitled (Clair de Lune), focuses on one’s inner world and the disparity between it and the reality of society’s gaze. It draws from my experiences as an autistic person, living in a world I don’t understand but long to connect with. The visual symbols represent feelings of hopelessness and desperation, self-hatred, and acceptance. I wanted to show people what it’s like to be on the outside looking in, the resentment and longing I feel towards a society that ignores my attempts to speak their language, and the freedom I feel when I let go of other’s perceptions of me. I wanted to overcome my lack of verbal communication skills through art.

Starting points and influences … 
Greek mythology and other allegorical works informed the starting points for my work. The imagery they deal with is often familiar and they speak on the intricacies of human nature. I was interested in ‘flipping’ their narratives and looking deeper into how a viewer’s perspective changes a character’s narrative.

Sources of inspiration …                     

• Yayoi Kusama. A fellow neurodivergent person, whose art swallows you whole and transports you into a specific moment in time.
• Studio Ghibli. They tell stories that are so rich and universally moving. I have always wanted to be an artist, but when I first watched Kiki’s Delivery Service when I was 10, I knew that I wanted to tell stories as they do.
• Philosophy and social activism. This world debases more people than it idolises, and it makes me so inexplicably angry. Not only do I want to start conversations with my art, I want to bring about meaningful change.

Materials and processes … 
Initially, I played around with both digital and traditional materials, using my experimentation with watercolours and inks to influence my use of line and colour in the final animation. For the final work, I used digital painting software Clip Studio Paint. I prefer it over any other software because it is affordable, intuitive, and has a library of user-created assets that can speed up your work process (essential for animation). I used a lot of 3D models as both anatomical and perspective references.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Ultimately, the development of my organisational skills throughout my work was immeasurable. As someone with ADHD, my time-management skills are poor and I get overwhelmed by long-term projects because I don’t know where to start. Eventually, after a couple of very high-tension weeks in early term 3, I discovered that the cure to my anxiety is to plan out my weeks bit-by-bit and then day-by-day. Being able to know where I was and what I still had to do allowed me to work well without being enveloped by burnout.

Ideas behind the work … 
Ocean is an expression of the shifting colours of the ocean and the feeling of being immersed in light when under the water. An ode to the simple 3-atom molecule that breathes life into our blue planet. I was inspired by the vast power and unpredictability of the surging oceans, spontaneity and a lack of control. In the natural world, chemistry and spontaneity coalesce in perfect harmony. The two apparent opposites are woven together in a complete tapestry, a relationship I explored in each of the woven patchwork squares.

Starting points and influences … 
Inspired by the relationship between science and art, and the beauty of the natural world, I was drawn to an exploration of the micro and macro aspects of our planet. This involved looking down microscopes at butterfly wings, collecting electron microphotographs and taking aerial photographs of landscape and ocean. I found myself continually returning to water, the lifeblood of our Earth.

Sources of inspiration … 
Henri Matisse’s boldly vibrant, gouache collages. I was particularly inspired by his process of collage or, as Matisse called it, ‘painting with scissors’. I chose to keep every scrap of paper from my collage works and Ocean evolved from an experimentation using the offcuts of my unit three work.

Materials and processes … 
I began by painting A3 sheets of paper in acrylics, letting myself expressively and freely paint the ocean. These paintings were fueled by personal memories of the ocean such as kelp-forest-rockpools, crystal-clear aqua water washing over sand, deep dark blues that hide the ocean floor, and frothing, crashing waves. I then obliterated these paintings with small round holes, randomly hole-punching each work and cutting it into long strips. Weaving these scraps into individual tapestry squares, I revived the ocean memories from the original paintings, adding depth, movement, and light into each. I then sewed the nine individual squares together, I loved the way that each individual square flowed onto the next, creating regions of light and shade, depth and movement.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
One of the most challenging, yet also liberating, aspects of creating Ocean was the spontaneity and lack of control I had over the work. While painting my memories of the ocean and its many moods and shades I could never quite envisage how the final hole-punched, woven square would look. The double-sided nature of the works meant that each patchwork square held a surprise, an unseen and unintentional work. After weaving each square together, turning it over to unveil the other work that had been blindly created became one of my favourite elements of the process.

Ideas behind the work … 
People are cocoon weavers, whether they know it or not. Humans weave their own and each other’s cocoons. These cocoons can be both our safe place and our prison.

Starting points and influences … 
Metamorphosis and change → biological → butterflies → cocoons.
Life is impermanent and changes forms.
Interactions between humans and interaction in the natural world.
Individuals response to change can drive the metamorphosis of a society.

Sources of inspiration …

• David Bowie. He was constantly reinventing himself and exploring and having fun in the world. This person reminds me to dance with happiness.
• El Anastui. He was able to create something out of nothing on a grand scale. He inspired me to keep looking at the world -for opportunities, observations, learning. This person reminds me think.
• The NGV exhibition Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing lines. Basquiat inspired me in the way he unapologetically went forth to make art and social commentary, regardless of how messy. This person reminds me to push through.

Materials and processes … 
The work used both organic and synthetic materials which had all been gifted or recycled. Wool, bark, plastic, electrical cords, fake hair, hoop iron, easter egg wrappers, cardboard and pieces of plant all made their way into the weave in an impromptu manner. I followed the sequence for Saori Weaving; to the rhythm of hands, feet, beat; which could be altered for different effects. As the weaving continued, I became more confident, exploratory and experimental.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Learning a new skill (weaving) and the terminology was interesting. While my initial ideas and trials were saturated in colour, during Covid lockdown weaving with bright colour felt like a false vibrant cocoon so I opted for a muted colour palette instead to reflect the time.
It was time-consuming and required discipline to sit down to weave every night but it created rhythm to my life in isolation. One difficult aspect of Saori weaving is that the work in progress is wrapped away as it lengthens and you can’t see what you’ve done.

Ideas behind the work … 
Escapism is referred to as the tendency to seek distraction and ease from the unpleasant reality. Mindset of an escapist reflects this concept as an artwork set inside of individual’s mind.

The budgerigars are depicted with more ‘human-like’ features to forge a connection between the budgerigars and the audience. The incorporation of cats is intended to establish a predator and prey dynamic. The cats represent the concept of loneliness as they are blended into the background, in contrast with the budgies which are in the forefront of the composition. I aimed to capture the underlying feeling of loneliness beneath a romanticised façade; the abundant number of cats are meant to resemble how the environment is constructed by the person’s solitude. I find it very interesting how the concept of escapism can be both liberating yet constricting, hence I explored this idea by including polarizing objects and ideas.

Starting points and influences … 
The theme of escapism was inspired by moments when I wanted to relieve myself from stress and enjoy being alone with my thoughts for a temporary amount of time. I listed my personal form of escapism, then tried to establish a draft title for my work before creating the piece. Planning the title of my work first helped me to visualise what I wanted the final presentation to look like, and what mediums I wanted to experiment with.

Sources of inspiration …

• The architectural and interior design is heavily inspired by Massimo Colonna and M.C. Escher’s building structures and illusionary visuals.
• What influenced me to depict an escapist’s mind as an art museum is through Jandy Nelson’s 2014 novel I’ll Give you the Sun. The museum is a mental space inside the person’s mind where they compose paintings and drawings that reflect their underlying emotions.

Materials and processes … 
I find it very difficult to envision the architectural details of my setting, so I tried to create a digital collage with photos I have found online and merged them together to create a distorted M.C. Escher-inspired room. I used the image as a loose reference for Mindset of an escapist when creating the design of the room using graphite pencils. I tried not to pay attention too much on perspective and proportion since I wanted to exemplify the whimsical and distorted nature of the environment.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
I enjoy talking about whether or not my themes and potential concepts make sense with peers as it feels liberating to talk about them to people rather than keeping these ideas to myself. I’m grateful to have friends who are willing to listen and offer feedback regarding my ideas, and I am also thankful to have a teacher who has helped to me organise my thought process at the beginning of the year when I was still determining my theme. The most challenging part is changing my working schedule during lockdown and home-based learning. I had to restrict myself from experimenting with mediums that would be difficult to trial inside my home environment.

Ideas behind the work … 
For my works from the series The unguarded moment, I chose to focus on the lives of people behind closed doors. The series consists of four works – Man ironing, Study, Late night snack, and Tea time – that aim to depict the way individuals behave when they feel they’re not being watched, revealing their emotions, inner thoughts, feelings and ultimately their character. I constructed a set for each of my scenes – this consisted of the facade of the home with a large rectangular window and a back wall with an opening for a door. Lighting coming through the door helped to highlight a sense of darkness or coldness within the nature of the subject matter. This perpetuated the idea of the unguarded moment by exploring the duality between the way one presents themselves and the way they truly feel/ behave behind closed doors.

Starting points and influences … 
I was initially fascinated by the way people behave when they feel they are not being watched. Through films such as Rear Window, 1984, I was able to understand how framing (using a window) places more importance on the scene within and as such I was inspired to use this type of framing within my own work.

Sources of inspiration …

• Alfred Hitchcock, Rear window, 1984 and Vertigo, 1984
  Gregory Crewdson’s unique style that incorporates the use of ethereal lighting of blue and green hues.
• Laurie Simmons’ method of capturing feelings of entrapment and isolation within claustrophobic domestic settings.

Materials and processes … 
After deciding on digital photography, I endeavoured to capture candid imagery of people through windows which led me to building a set. Initially I experimented with a set that was plain with a person and a window and some lighting. The final set consisted of the façade of the home with a large rectangular window and a back wall with an opening for a door.
I used props and costume to create character.
Using lighting and gels, I created emotion through the tonality and colour of each scene.
The final images were barely altered except for a few levels adjustments and desaturation of some of the blues in ‘late night snack’ in photoshop.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work …
COVID-19 placed significant restrictions on what I had intended to produce. I was still able to conduct most of my shoots, yet there were a few modifications to the people I used as my subjects. Over the course of the year I managed to stay up to date with my work, yet I was interested that towards the end this motivation lulled. Overall, I am still happy with the results.

Ideas behind the work … 
Coexistence represents the harmonious interaction and relationship between the industrial world and nature. The work communicates the capacity for them to coexist in tranquillity, as opposed to discord and destruction. It references an appreciation for nature’s inherent strength to expand and develop despite interruption and manipulation. The natural objects in the work seemingly inhabit and sink into the geometric ceramic forms.

Starting points and influences … 
I have always been interested in nature’s ability to adapt to circumstances and grow in habitats that have been constructed or manipulated by humans. As a mountain bike rider, I am often immersed in forest and greenery. I feel a deep connection with the natural environment as, not only does it provide the foundation of my sport but, it also demonstrates its power to adapt to its interaction with humans.

Sources of inspiration …

• Contemporary Japanese artist Mineo Mizuno (b. 1944). The ephemeral qualities of his sculptures and installations inspired me to create a work that reflected the ability of the organic world to respond to its immediate environment, forever changing.
• Situations where the natural world has passively reclaimed its territory after being interrupted by human intervention. For example, the ancient city of Angkor Wat or where a blade of grass has managed to grow through a slight crack in concrete.

Materials and processes … 
I used a stoneware earthenware clay body to produce a series of rectangular prisms for the basis of my geometric forms. To create the gentle interruptions, I pushed found stones and sticks into the clay. This gently distorted the shapes to suggest paths of expansion or places of inhabitation. I intended for the smooth and clean surfaces of the clay forms, and the neutral colour palette of glazes, to evoke the manufactured characteristics of industrial man-made objects. I sourced sticks, stones and moss, and paired each organic object with a clay form according to its scale. This created a sense of cohesion within each piece while maintaining the idea of two distinctly different ‘worlds’ within the final work.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work …  
I found working with both organic materials and clay to be a very interesting process. I had to work intuitively and learn the characteristics of my materials through experimentation. I had to choose my clay body type carefully, as I required one that would hold geometric form well and that had a high plasticity. It was also challenging to experiment with glazes in the timeframe as it was also dictated by the COVID-19 lockdown. I made many mistakes and successes along the way which helped to inform the glazing of my final work.

Ideas behind the work … 
Routine, repetition, reality.
Routine. The first part of my work is a representation of a charming and whimsical routine. It focuses on the beauty in the everyday, enabling viewers to appreciate each artwork as a special moment in the day.
Repetition. After several weeks in the COVID-19 pandemic, this routine began to lose its charm. It had become a monotonous and repetitive sequence of events. This intensity was visually represented in the second part of my work in a continuous, unchanging pattern.
Reality. The final part of my artwork is a reminder of the balance that once was. The arrangement of elements reflects the ever-changing nature of life. I manipulated the scale of images and used a clear sky in between the otherwise rigid pattern to symbolise this variety and sense of freedom.

Starting points and influences …
I was heavily influenced by Andy Warhol’s use of repetition and Julian Germain’s 2005 photographic book For Every Minute You Are Angry You Lose Sixty Seconds Of Happiness. The COVID-19 pandemic forced me to turn the focus onto myself and my relationship with my environment. I also studied street photography because I like to observe candid moments of the everyday. I experimented with this technique during one of the excursions to the NGV in early 2020.

Sources of inspiration …

• Films such as the opening sequence to Marriage Story and the repeated drug use montage used in Requiem for a Dream
• John Brack’s artworks
• Lyrics that reflect an artist’s personal experience like The Haircut by the Waifs

Materials and processes … 
I transferred white crayon onto a darker surface with baking paper. To do this, I cut the reference image and coloured in the back of the page with a white crayon, and then placed it on the canvas and traced the top. Using a grey lead transfer method, I created a guide for my paintings on the blank canvas.

I primarily produced my works using gouache as I liked its opaque qualities. Since its water-based, I could also remove mistakes easily and use varying opacity, moving back and forth between different monochromatic tones to create depth and texture. Canvas was an excellent choice because I was able to erase mistakes easily and not have to worry about ruining or breaking the surface.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
I may have bitten off more than I could chew because I spent almost every waking hour during lockdown working to complete the series. One of the most rewarding and interesting aspects was when I taught myself how to paint metal surfaces. I had to sit and re-evaluate the image and break it down into sections, slowly blending and alternating between shadows and highlights to create the illusion of a reflective surface.
It was also interesting working out how to express the claustrophobic and intense feelings of routine in lockdown visually. I experimented with repetition using stamps and studied how tension is used in artworks to evoke a sense of anxiety from the viewer.

Ideas behind the work … 
Based on the overarching theme of progression, Rust represents change through the visual repurposing of physical and mechanical objects into digital elements. These elements were combined through digital art compositing techniques to create a surreal and decrepit land/cityscape. The work highlights the gritty aesthetic and degraded nature of the man-made environment.
The work links to one of my conceptual directions of cause & effect through subjective visual storytelling, prompting the viewer to reflect over possible reasons for the state of our environment. The rust depicted represents the aged nature of our environment linking to another of my conceptual directions, evolution/time.

Starting points and influences … 
My final artwork started as a concept sketch to test composition and subject matter (post potential directions). My goal was to combine my potential directions of surreal subject matter and visual repurposing. A process where I took photos of everyday objects and used them to inform/ create/ imply something new or different.

Sources of inspiration … 
Photographer Trey Ratcliff and his usage of long exposures to capture moments in time. His surreal and heightened aesthetic (achieved through his usage of HDR) influenced my overall style. Ratcliff’s photographic work A morning with a strange method of fishing, in addition to his numerous cityscape photographs, inspired my subject matter of a flooded landscape reminiscent of a cityscape.
Concept artist Imad Awan provided major influence for my aesthetic via his use of digital art and photo compositing techniques.

Materials and processes …
To create Rust I photographed physical objects against plain backgrounds using an iPhone SE. Image files were then imported into Photoshop and masked out using tools such as ‘Quick mask’ and ‘Pen tool’. To create the overall aesthetic, I utilised digital painting and custom texture brushes. I then used photo bashing techniques and photographs of objects with interesting textures, such as metal trays and concrete, to add texture to the image. Layered blend modes and photo manipulation techniques were also used to adjust lighting levels.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Finding unity between realism and the surreal nature of my subject matter proved difficult at first, however I overcame the issue by using it as a springboard for the development of a personal aesthetic.
I had minimal methods for achieving a consistent perspective and lighting while taking the initial photographs so achieving accurate perspective within my composition proved extremely difficult. To solve this, I used photo-manipulation techniques to alter lighting direction/intensity and warped photographic elements to digitally adjust their perspective.

Ideas behind the work … 
In my work, For he is a jolly good fellow, I focused on how loneliness can affect a person’s psyche and perceptions. I have left this work ambiguous as to whether there are people surrounding the subject through an exaggerated chiaroscuro effect that would rarely been seen in life. The figures lack of any significant relationship draws from my initial exploration proposal and raises a question: does loneliness truly mean having zero connection to people, or is it the depth of those dynamics that decide that? Some people who feel lonely may rarely interact with people, while others are surrounded by people but don’t feel connected.

Starting points and influences … 
When starting this artwork, I was heavily influenced by how I felt communicating to my friends during quarantine. Although I was regularly talking to them through social media, there was a feeling weighing over me: because I didn’t see my friends physically, I didn’t have the relationships I thought I had. Thus, my starting point was a projection of sorts onto an artwork, a way to expel my feelings of loneliness and desolation onto a physical medium and tie it into my studio process. I was tied to my painting in more ways than just creator and artwork, it was an extension of my mental state at the time.

Sources of inspiration …

• Art books, I have a small collection of books containing old masters’ processes and their thoughts while painting. Although I have a few containing their final paintings, the ones that truly inspire me are the ones that explore their thoughts and methodology.
• Literature inspires me where I can imagine the things written by the author and create my own visual interpretations of them, allowing me to better picture things when I paint them.

Materials and processes … 
I used oil paints on a hand stretched canvas primed with Gesso. I applied a range of colour hues to exaggerate parts of the face, such as cadmium red dark hue around his nose traversing to a mauver hue on his cheek. The cloudy violet, mauve, lilac and indigo were worked into his face as shades of pain, representing the pain of being alone. Purple has been associated with sorrow and destruction, the inevitability of existence and our human morality. So in each aspect of this artwork, undertones of mauve and lilac are present. I limited myself to a bland colour palette yet, by blending the colours with an alla prima technique and adding tones with dry brushstrokes I could create a large tonal variation. I applied gold leaf onto the candle to bring it further into the foreground and distinguish the textures from the rest of the artwork.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Interesting: The amount I relinquished control over the paint created this surprising effect of separating the textures and keeping painterly qualities in the artwork. As I developed this more, it became more present in the artwork; for example, the table has gestural strokes and organic shapes because I decided to use a palette knife instead of a brush.
Challenging: Trying not to overpaint and over scrutinise the artwork.  I used to go out of my way to over blend things, so it was challenging to leave the marks I would have once considered mistakes in this artwork.

Ideas behind the work … 
My painting We are all buzzing serves as a reminder to take moments to break out of the chaos we make of our modern day lives. Although technology allows us to connect around the world it can also lead to rapid overload of information through the wide-reaching spread of news, gossip and concerns. Through social media, we are invested in the documentation of our personal lives and absorbed in others, feeling pressure to achieve perceived success.
I chose to render a monumental fly, zooming in on its complex, aesthetically intriguing features, with interfering blocks to reflect our failure to appreciate purposeful, small moments in the present. While flies have very short life spans, they live at a vastly different pace to us with time perception that is proportional to their size. So, in the great scheme of things our lives are no longer than that of a fly. Thus a fly, is commonly represented in art to allude to life’s transience, a relevant subject to remind us be present with every moment.

Starting points and influences … 
As I wanted to focus on speed and movement, I was largely inspired by the Futurist movement of the early twentieth century. Giacomo Balla’s wispy layering and line work creates trails of movement in time, influencing me to capture speed and motion in a still image. Just as the Futurists were responding to the increase speed technology during the second industrialisation, I am challenging the speed of communication in todays’ society. I was also intrigued by Cubist artworks showing the same subject at different angles and viewpoints all at once. The resulting sense of distortion is something I tried to emulate in my own artwork.

Sources of inspiration … 
While making art I love to listen to music which relaxes me and allows to become absorbed in my art and freely express myself.
Nature is a significant source of inspiration as I have always been interested in the environment. I am also hoping to pursue study in environmental science. My fascination for life cycles of living things and their different perception inspired me to create this work. Taking a walk in the park allowed my mind to wonder, and encouraged the flow of ideas to create my art.

Materials and processes …
I chose to work with acrylic paint on canvas because of it’s boldness. I used a canvas stretched over a wooden frame as its flexibility provided more freedom while painting. Starting with a photograph of a fly, I made adjustments on photoshop to create a suitable reference photo. I then sketched out the fly on large paper to create a stencil for the canvas with correct proportions. From this point I began my painting process. Different brush shapes and sizes allowed for variation in the painting: bristly rough brushes allowed for expressive marks and a sense of chaos in contrast with the precise clean blocks.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Throughout my development process I kept stepping back from my painting, challenged by my desire to reflect my intended frenzied effect while also creating a sense of balance. Painting at a large scale was also out of my comfort zone and I had to remind myself to worry less about perfection, to loosen up and make expressive markings.

Ideas behind the work … 
Belonging represents a home where I felt comforted and like I belonged; a café I regularly visit. I always felt alienated in the country I was born because of my race. This insecurity went even as far as wanting to erase my Korean side.
Acceptance captures the moment I felt like I was accepted by my Korean side when I went to South Korea. I also felt distant from my Korean heritage because I was raised in Australia. I felt alone without a place to belong with people like me.

Starting points and influences … 
I wished to explore my identity by creating an artwork that appreciated my home. How is identity made? Could it be a home or place of belonging?

Sources of inspiration …

• A song called Seoul by RM. He mentions how boring his home is and wishes to adventure into the big world yet, he always comes back to experience the safety and comfort of his home.
• Gustav Klimt’s use of juxtaposed shapes in his artwork as they create a dream-like aesthetic.
• Jean-Michel Basquiat’s use of symbols and motifs.

Materials and processes … 
I used gouache on water colour paper. First layering a wash of watered-down gouache as a base over a pencil sketch. Slowly building up form with flat blocks of colour. Then adding darker and lighter tones with the dry brushing technique to create the illusion of form. I used a thin brush to add details of the face and background objects like windows and leaves.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
It was challenging trying to find motivation to start creating my paintings during lockdown. To motivate myself I would start painting while video calling my friend as she was doing her VCD folio work.

Ideas behind the work … 
Going Home depicts a progression of the migration journey experienced by boat refugees, from leaving Vietnam to arriving in Australia. To emphasise this journey and evoke a sense of sentimentality and poignancy, I created a route for viewers to follow which included symbolic elements:

• Reaching hands to highlight the solidarity and kinship found in the shared experience.
  Holding a family photograph communicates the intrinsic tie to loved ones despite distance. It also represents the driving force behind migration: to begin a new life for one’s family.
• Migratory animals, notably the flight pattern of birds and humpback whales, frame the illustration and express that the people are not alone in their journey.

Starting points and influences … 
The thematic concern of my work was the concept of home. I explored both personal and universal aspects and decided to combine both, as the idea of migration is an overlap. I spent much of my early years in Richmond, an area known for its vibrant Vietnamese community. Here, I also learnt about the 1970s Vietnamese refugee boat arrivals and wished to capture the plight of these immigrants. I also revisited an assignment I did for history in year 10 where I interviewed a family friend who was an asylum seeker from Cambodia.

Sources of inspiration …

• The Boat, 2015, an interactive graphic novel about escape after the Vietnam War on SBS (written by Nam Le, adapted by Matt Huynh). I was inspired by the storytelling element and the expressive illustration style of Huynh.
• Growing up Asian in Australia, 2008, an anthology of personal recounts collected and edited by Alice Pung. Although not all entries were about the process of migration, the shared experience of moving and building a home in a foreign country was a key idea that I kept in mind throughout my studio process.
• Victoria Vincent, illustrator and animator. I was inspired by her simplistic yet expressive and childlike style.

Materials and processes … 
Adobe Photoshop CC 2018, a Wacom drawing tablet, and 220gsm matte paper.
Scanning a thumbnail drawing, I uploaded the photograph onto Photoshop and created a rough sketch on a separate layer over it. After finalising the composition and repositioning drawn elements, I trialled different brush pre-sets with a focus on texture and began lining and colouring. During the process, I also printed trial prints and experimented with different paper and colour palettes. It was essentially a constantly evolving work with adjustments and changes.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
What I found most challenging during my studio process was motivation and artist-block especially during COVID-19 lockdown. However, I persevered with constant experimentation and trialling ideas. Finalising the composition and layout of the work was also challenging as I wished to incorporate a clear path of storytelling that flowed coherently. I enjoyed selecting meaningful symbolism and trialling different ways of connecting the drawn elements.
I found it interesting how much I grew alongside my process. While I was apprehensive at first, I felt I really connected with it as time passed and was driven to complete it as it became close to my heart.

Ideas behind the work … 
A harsh land features five mixed media works:

• My heart is about my identity as a young Indigenous woman in twenty-first century Australia, from the Djugun and Noongar tribes of Western Australia, and my struggle with navigating my Aboriginal culture from my hometown of Broome and my education in Melbourne.
• My chair symbolizes my education at boarding school in Melbourne.
• My nan. Grandmother, Nan Joan Nondong, is a well-respected Aboriginal elder in my community and was a part of the stolen generation. Still today her past is a puzzle as she doesn’t speak much of her life on the mission.
• The mission symbolizes the many missions that those from my extended family were sent to.
• My poppy is about the other side of my heritage and my Poppy Danny Ozies as he attends his first Aboriginal debutante ball in Perth.

Starting points and influences …
I was interested in expressing my identity and wanted to combine this with my interest in working with mixed media, textiles and eco printing using traditional methods.

Sources of inspiration …

• Indigenous artists who work with textiles and natural supplies to make baskets, screen prints etc.
• The beauty of the Australian landscape. Whether here in Melbourne with the bushland or back in Broome, the colours of the desert, earth and the sea.
• Strong Australian women – both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal who have taught me so much.

Materials and processes …
I used the process of eco printing which involves steaming eucalyptus leaves with a mordant (I used rusty objects). Leaves are then wrapped in parcels of watercolour paper and fabrics (line, cotton and silk) and steamed for several hours. The result is the leaves imprint onto the paper and textiles. I then used these as a base to sew into and collage with family images.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work …
I was a boarding student and for 4 months during lockdown I went back to Broome and had to talk to my teacher online as I worked through my potential directions and some media tests. When I did return to Melbourne, I was able to finally start creating my final works. It was interesting how my work evolved from my initial ideas into the final series, and when coming and going between Broome and Melbourne.

Ideas behind the work … 
Iso 2.0 focuses on the idea of how an intimate space such as a bedroom can reflect one’s internal state of mind. I chose to paint bedrooms as, during the time of isolation, we were forced to stay home and spent more time than usual in our bedrooms. The idea of a person’s bedroom space being highly individual to them aligns with the unique feelings and perspective they may have on lockdowns and COVID-19. The pairing of this space with the fluctuations of blue and pink hues captures the emotions and unique response to the situation.

Starting points and influences … 
I wanted to create something that could connect my friends and I during this time of isolation. The colour and bedroom angles I chose for each space were made through collating my friend’s response to a survey I sent out to them alongside the request for photos of their bedroom. The starting point for my exploration and final work was looking into how colour can be used to show perspective.

Sources of inspiration …

• Ekaterina Popova’s candid bedrooms and her use of exaggerated colours to capture the mood of a space. They are raw and real in what they portray.
• Grace Cossington Smith’s unique brush stroke in her interiors
• Websites such as Archdaily and Dzeen that capture architecture as an artform and highlight the beauty of well-designed spaces. This inspiration relates to my hopes for my future career path but also inspires me to create art that incorporates principles of architecture.

Materials and processes … 
I used oil paint, linseed oil and liquol as a medium for the paint. I applied gesso to 9 pieces of wood, traced out the bedrooms with a pencil, then applied multiple layers of paint to create the bedrooms.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Originally, I was unsure how the 9 paintings would look together as I hadn’t fully mapped out the colour variations for each and I was going with the flow. But once the 9 paintings were finished, I played around with the placement and found an order in which the appearance of the blue balanced everything out with the pink. The time pressure was also something I found to be a challenge and of course having to complete the work at home due to online learning.

Ideas behind the work … 
My artwork LifeSize 2 reflects the overwhelming awe that can be experienced when admiring a simple flower but isn’t retained or deeply felt, instead easily forgotten. It intends to draw viewer’s attention to this concept and encourage them to stop being consumed only by the large issues of life. This concept sprung from my personal journey of learning to cope with the seemingly constant disastrous state of the world and instead re-orienting myself to focus acutely on the minute but powerful occurrences around me.

Starting points and influences … 
In my initial study I explored the collision of Caravaggio’s dramatisation of violent scenes and creation of narrative using tenebrism, chiaroscuro and dramatic lighting with Norman Rockwell’s light and uplifting depiction of mundane, everyday scenes. I captured this collision in a work titled No use crying over spilt chicken, invoking a Baroque/Caravaggio inspired setting to portray an ordinary yet profound composition of a family gathered around a table as the chicken intended to be eaten for dinner falls from the plate. A small event that evoked frustration, laughter, stress and sadness.

Sources of inspiration …

• Artists from the renaissance and baroque era such as Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi. Their work is not only highly skilful but also involves a narrative and a story that resonates deeply with viewers and expands on purely an aesthetic purpose of artmaking.
• Philosophical books such as Sophie’s World, 1991, by Jostein Gaarder inspired me to engage with my surroundings and look critically at the world around me.
• Contemporary artists inspire me to expand my techniques and mediums to voice my concerns and ideas about contemporary society.

Materials and processes … 
Initially I captured reference pictures of my subjects to allow me to work from photographs in addition to from life as COVID-19 prevented me from regularly viewing my subjects in the flesh. I then began with simple charcoal sketches and worked with a coarse haired brush to blend and create the illusion of material and clothes. Advancing, I used gesso to cover the hands and face area as I had decided to paint on raw canvas to create a naturalistic effect that closely mimicked real life. This allowed me to achieve a highly pigmented depiction of the subject’s face and emotions, using oil colours to vividly depict their feelings. I decided to not spray the charcoal with fixative to reflect the impermanence of the small moments which I had captured.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
The concept behind my work enabled me to fully realise the power of everyday life and trivial occurrences, allowing me to shift my attention from uncontrollable variables in my life to small yet extraordinary moments. I was determined to convey my concept to viewers to help them to experience similar revelations. I put enormous pressure on myself to ensure that my work would be accessible and relatable to all.

Ideas behind the work … 
Creating Know your worth was a means of catharsis for me. It acts as an effigy that embodies my experiences, how I view the world and how I feel I’m perceived as if I’m on show for others. Seemingly suspended in nothingness, the figurine reflects my sense of vulnerability, disconnect from others and how I feel destined to observe and create through a different lens.

Starting points and influences … 
I wanted to honour myself and appreciate who I’ve become this year by questioning perspective, gaining self-esteem and self-worth. Knowing that I need to love myself as if I was in love with another person. Nurturing and forgiving myself for not meeting expectations through self-sacrifice. I’ve come to realise I’m a person that exists in spite of alopecia, sexuality, gender identity, body dysmorphia, mental health, self-esteem, ideals or superstitions. For better or for worse.

Sources of inspiration … 
There is beauty in everything, and I can draw inspiration from anywhere, whether from my own imagination, personal beliefs, or the realms we exist in.
Studying the Old Masters, contemporary artists and movements across periods and countries.
Film and vignettes including comedies, documentaries and anime
Music and music videos such as Shingo Tamagawa’s Puparia
Spirituality and our existence, existential questions and the cosmos. The people I know don’t feel real to me, yet the characters I create, do. The possibilities are endless. My philosophy is that anything that can be imagined can be realised in this universe.

Materials and processes … 
I examined myself in the mirror for reference and created a relatively rough concept as I didn’t want to limit the creative process and execution. I studied and learnt the traditional drawing, cross-hatching and colouring techniques of the Old Masters and contemporary Korean artist, Kim Jung Gi. I then transferred and honed skills, such as the layering of unconventional tones to enhance the skin colour, unusual perspective and unique proportions, using digital sculpture software and a Wacom tablet and stylus. I then had the 3D figurine professionally printed out of Polyethylene, Propylene and Glycerine.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
What I found most fascinating about creating this work, is what I discovered about myself and my capacity to grow and evolve. We are never truly stagnant, rather every experience shapes us and our psyche, no matter how dramatic or minor. We are all deserving of love despite our appearance or perceived flaws. The work and its process was intensely personal; I felt quite vulnerable at times but beautifully so. While some may view this as an objectification of myself, I find it to be liberating and honest.

Ideas behind the work …   

For Scape I explored how conventionality affects us as individuals and society as a whole. The cans and everyday objects are arranged to represent a cityscape. The ways they interact with each other symbolises the complex ways conventionality influences us within the metrics of society. The title Scape stems from the words can/ cityscape and to escape, unifying the idea of society and breaking free from conventions.

Starting points and influences … 
Scape was influenced by Keith Haring and the way he used simple shape and line to create his own visual language. I too wanted to create art with strong symbolism. Claes Oldenberg and his large-scale sculptures of everyday items also influenced me in wanting to explore them as subject matter. I was influenced by the lonely feeling.

Sources of inspiration …

• Artists: Andy Warhol, Reg Mombassa, Howard Arkley.
• Architecture and the way artistic elements are used to enhance buildings, for example, the Reitveld Schroeder house in Utrecht.
• Travelling allows me to gain new perspectives and diversify my ideas.

Materials and processes …  
Scape was started by creating a rough pencil drawing mock-up for this work. Tweaking composition and colour I traced the sketch onto a thick hot-pressed paper with pencil. I then overlined with a fine liner so that when applying coloured pencil there would be no grey-lead smudges. I used coloured pencils on paper to complete my reference drawing, starting by filling in my shapes and finishing with black pencil to outline. Once I was happy with my drawing, I used it as the basis for my final work.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
For Scape it was quite challenging to get the composition right for my final artwork. I had to spend a lot of time cutting out paper and arranging it on my pencil mock-up to create a layout I was happy with. I wasn’t used to producing large scale pencil works so it was quite new to me.

Ideas behind the work … 
For My sister’s paralysis, I explored the experience of sleep paralysis and how an person looks when under this alternate state (still mannequin) versus how they feel on the inside (cradled). I chose this theme, as my sister experiences sleep paralysis, and this has greatly affected her sleep. I created an installation in the shape of a body using plaster and bed sheets, and portraits of my sister on two pillowcases. The body and faces differ to create a sordid, emotional bedroom scene.

Starting points and influences … 
My sister influenced me to explore sleep paralysis as this was a common issue impacting her life. During lockdown, I was inspired to explore different household materials as I was unable to access large canvases from school. At first, I tried using fabric stiffener, to create a body shape, however after experimentation, it was evident that I needed a harder, more durable material, and therefore decided to use plaster.

Sources of inspiration …

• Artists on social media
• Galleries
• Faces/ people’s expressions

Materials and processes …   
For the bodies, I coated bed sheets in plaster and used 3 Dimensional processes to help create a durable, life size installation. I used 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 fine liners for my portraits, and placed these on regular cotton pillowcases.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
The most interesting aspect when creating my work was seeing my progression in drawing portraiture. When I initially began drawing my sisters face, I completed two drawings with the same measurements as what I wanted for my final. After development, when I completed my final drawings, I reflected on these two practice pieces and saw a great improvement in cross hatching, sizing and proportions and realism in the face.

Ideas behind the work … 
Reunion aims to tell a story about an auto rickshaw driver discovering his long-lost son in the passenger’s seat of his vehicle. The first-person perspective directly places the viewer into the driver’s world, as they experience a moment in his life. I am fascinated by how specific details in a character’s surroundings can communicate aspects of their personality. The Ganesh statue in the bottom right corner conveys that he is a religious and virtuous individual. I urge the observer to wonder about the world beyond what is shown, questioning how and why the two were separated, resulting in unique interpretations.

Starting points and influences … 
The first-person concept for my final piece emerged during the refinement stage of my Unit 4 Studio Arts folio. While making rough thumbnail sketches, I became interested by how it places the viewer in the shoes of another. I chose to explore the subject matter of storytelling. Themes of familial connection, growth, love and loss inspired the narrative of the piece itself, taking ideas from Garth Davis’ 2016 movie Lion which is a biography about a boy who was separated from his family in India.

Sources of inspiration …

• Manga and graphic novels like Mark Criley’s Brody’s Ghost and Tsutomu Nihei’s Blame!. I love their illustrations, how they use their settings to build an immersive world, and the details within each character design.
• The artistic movement of realism in its sense of relatability and familiarity. I find everyday life to be fascinating muse with a wide array of storytelling possibilities.
• Having an Indian background, the country’s unique way of life also inspires me, with its different modes of transport such as the autorickshaw.

Materials and processes … 
I used colour pencil on cardboard to make Reunion. The natural brown colour of the cardboard suited the rustic aesthetic of an Indian setting. I had previously experimented with the materials in one of my Unit 3 potential directions and was impressed by how the soft and grainy texture of the colour pencil complimented the smooth cardboard surface. To vary tone and texture, I blended similar hues together and employed rendering techniques such as scumbling and back and forth stroke. One perspective was used to guide the viewer’s eye along the street and create a focal point.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
This piece required immense attention to detail. The street shops exemplify this the most as I decided to include the individual products each one sold such as drink bottles and chip packets. These elements would be so small that it was a challenge to achieve precise detail and I had to be careful not to puncture a hole into the soft surface of the cardboard. I took pictures of my own hands griping onto a glue stick and a piece of paper to serve as references when sketching the driver’s hands.

Ideas behind the work … 
Potts County. For my work I drew inspiration from was Jim Thompson’s book Pop. 1280, which follows the story of Potts County’s antagonist sheriff Nick Corey. Thompson uses an unreliable narration to undermine the audience’s expectation as the pleasant countryside on the surface gives way to an underbelly of violence, betrayal and sexual cruelty. His use of vivid imagery describing heinous of crimes shocked me. It was so outside my sheltered existence in lockdown that it moved me to explore this reaction in my painting. The individual mixed-media artworks forming a collective series and are displayed alongside one another in a salon style formation. I wanted to recreate the overwhelming influx of pandemic and bushfire information that we were all subjected to this year. Through the contrasting colours, subject matter and materials I have been able to recreate this information overload.

Starting points and influences …
As discussed above Potts County was directly influenced by Jim Thompson’s Pop. 1280. Being at home a lot and disconnected from my normal social outlets, I found myself reading a lot of literature and watching programs. I harnessed this boredom as inspiration to Potts County and many other finished artworks.

Sources of inspiration … 
Gareth Sansom’s overall aesthetic visual style greatly influenced my body of works. For Potts County, I was inspired by Sansom’s ability to tame his disorderly underpainting with the contrasting flat layers of colours in the foreground.
Davida Allen’s exaggerated figures directly influenced many of my mixed media works on paper. I like Allen’s ability to capture her subjects in an affectionate light whilst still maintaining her severe style. Like Allen, I painted the world around me by focusing on current themes that were personally affecting me.

Materials and processes … 
I started by using multiple layers of red oil paint with mineral turpentine onto a primed canvas. I then overpainted most of the red background with black and blue oil paint and a No.2 medium to a create a web of barbed angular lines. While the oil paint was still wet, I painted in with undiluted white oil paint to blend colours and create a rough impasto texture. I then built up further layers once touch-dry, by painting in with soft coloured oil paints to create curves representing an abstracted idyllic countryside landscape. My final layer consisted of a geometric red lined structure representing the blatant and calculated violence that becomes apparent as the novel progresses. Finally, I framed this with a Prussian blue, using No.3 medium to create a glossier finish, contrasting the flat matt colours of the painting.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work …
I found it interesting completing my folio at home. This gave me a lot of free time that I could spend in my studio painting, which greatly benefited my folio. The time allowed me to accumulate a collection of work that showed a progression of skill and resolution in my works. However, spending months at home was also detrimental as it limited my access to the tools and material needed in printmaking and photography. I had planned to explore these artforms in a greater depth but was unable to due to not having this equipment at home.

Ideas behind the work … 
My works Et donc, nous entrions la bataille and Elephantus submerged are made up of several items, including head pieces, gloves, and works that cover the body. The head pieces are like adorned balaclavas which have been intensely embellished with sequins and beading as well as tubular growths that resemble coral. The head coverings I explored isolation and hiding oneself during lock down, but also intense feelings of loneliness. In contrast, the body pieces functioned much like protective armour. The armour, though not at all practical in the battle sense, can be interpreted as a barrier to separate oneself from the challenges faced in 2020. These pieces were entirely knitted by me, and I explored the gendered connotations of knitting, as well as the difference between art and craft. By adorning the knitted works, I hoped to elevate them to art rather than just craft, as that is how knitting is usually perceived.

Starting points and influences … 
I am interested in how things work and are put together. My pieces were heavily influenced by Chicago-based American artist Nick Cave. His 2011 Soundsuits series explores texture and many artmaking techniques to create a textural experience. I was also influenced by my growing collection of cacti as I find their shape and pattern mesmerising, and I consider them to be an on land coral.

Sources of inspiration …

• Eccentric films, notably stop-motion, as the intense craft and skill is so impressive. My favourite is the 1988 film Alice by Jan Svankmajer.
• The details and textures of everyday. I’ve found that it’s only when you truly take in the details of your surroundings do that you can absorb the immense complexity and expanse of our world.
• I read a great deal of literature, and consequently have some rather bizarre dreams. Most of my dreams are non-sensical and seem ridiculous, but I find that they can inspire me.

Materials and processes …
The main process I used was knitting, using both double-pointed needles and circular needles to create the tubing. I used yarn from op shops as I like the idea that the yarn once belonged to someone else. I also sewed a great deal, using both machine and hand-sewing techniques. The application of sequins and beads was incredibly arduous, but during the lockdown period proved to be very cathartic.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work …
I was interested by adding different parts to my work and felt I could just keep adding and adding. My making process was quite organic and as such had no set finish line. The only reason I stopped, was that I had to study for my other subjects as well.

Ideas behind the work … 
Lament (from the series The Ineffable). I want to explore how we all have a unique approach to navigating life, yet we are forever connected to each other by the emotional landscape that we share. The Ineffable has been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, expressing how our worlds have recently been turned inside out. It also shows that our 2020 existence has been defined by our home lives and new-found connection to the natural landscapes around us.

Starting points and influences … 
These artworks began as a way to explore our society’s connection with nature but developed further to have a much deeper meaning. Lockdown and isolation greatly impacted my work. It encouraged me to reflect on people’s unique approaches to life and how they dealt with the emotional toll of the experience.

Sources of inspiration …

• Kyle Thompson’s unique style opened a world of conceptual possibilities for me. Before seeing his work, I didn’t realise how far photography could be pushed. This encouraged me to explore tactile approaches to surrealism by creating most effects during the shoot, rather than in Photoshop.
• Gregory Crewdson’s filmic style inspired me to create an eerie, unnatural aesthetic in my work.
• Salvador Dali’s, Melting Clocks, 1931, shows an interesting perspective on time and distortion. I applied this to my photographs by using a wide-angle lens, slightly distorting the proportions of objects within my images

Materials and processes …
I set up my camera (Panasonic GH5, 8-18ml lens) on a tripod, and adjusted the settings to be optimal for the overcast weather. I used small LED lights hidden behind props or set up on their own tripods. This illuminated the models face during the shoot, making the distribution of light more even. I used a fast shutter speed so that the model could still move slightly during the shoot without impacting the focus. I also used a flash that I attached to my camera, to avoid the silhouette effect that sunsets often create, adding to the surreal appearance.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work …
The most difficult part of producing these photographs was changing my approach to work around COVID-19. I had to be more flexible and spontaneous and go to locations in the short gaps between lockdowns.

Ideas behind the work … 
The youth- A visual journal explores the youth in today’s society, focusing on mental health issues and drug abuse. Phrases and pensive distressed facial expressions are utilised to convey darker ideas and demonstrate a struggle faced by many adolescents. Cooler colours portray a sense of emotional depth.

This piece also focuses on youth empowerment, with bright colours to create a sense of angst and rebellion. Empowering phrases and expressions present a playful, street style aesthetic to help resonate with the youth in a creative way.

Starting points and influences … 
I started to explore concepts and themes that I was interested in such as individuality, mental health issues and the concept of youth. Since I am a part of the youth, I have an understanding of the struggles that young people face within today’s society and wanted to explore this in an empowering context. I was influenced by grunge aesthetics and wanted to explore it in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Sources of inspiration …

• Keith Haring, in particular the way he utilised his playful, cartoon like style and various colour themes to convey darker themes such as youth drug abuse.
• @silent.mary on Instagram. Their art focuses on the style of portraiture, but demonstrates variation of individual style and cartoon characteristics, I was inspired by the way they utilised colour themes to create different aesthetics.
• The City of Melbourne, particularly the graffiti scene and the individuality it conveys.

Materials and processes … 
I utilised watercolour, fine liners, alcohol-based markers and graphite on mixed media paper. My process began by exploring ideas and themes that could potentially fuel my ideas and artwork; helping me to develop a solid concept and theme. During the developmental stage, I progressed my skills and explored materials and techniques to help me refine my ideas in preparation for creating my final work. After which, I began to work on it, resolving and adding finishing touches in preparation for presentation.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
I struggled with the construction of my journal. I wanted the pages to work together cohesively and follow a specific aesthetic, while also creating contrasts which intrigued the viewer and evoked a sense of unpredictability when turning the page. This was quite difficult as I discovered that I could not draw directly onto the pages like I had originally intended. Errors constantly occurred and pages didn’t appear cohesive or depict the youth in an aesthetically pleasing manner. This led me to need to start again at some points, thus wasting time.

Ideas behind the work … 
My artwork Self portrait is an oil on canvas painting. When creating the work, I aimed to combine, transform and present the world of historical art within the conceptually focused society in which I live. Through the use of traditional materials and techniques, I have expressed my admiration and love of historical forms of art making. Utilizing past styles of portraiture as my method of exploring myself as a contemporary element of modern culture.

Starting points and influences … 
The initial focus for my studio practice was to explore the contrast across cultures and time to bring new perspectives on artistic movements of the past. As the year progressed, I realised that I truly wished to examine my own identity as an artist. Consequently, I weaved myself into the art I had been creating all year and it evolved into a wonderful starting point for a self-portrait.

Sources of inspiration …

• Visiting the NGV. As a child the Salon style exhibition was always a space that evoked wonder and has driven my passion for Art History. These timeless works reveal something new to inspire me every time I visit.
• My study of Art History is the most defining and significant source of inspiration for my artistic practice.
• Some of my favourite artists are Artemisia Gentileschi, Caravaggio, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Jacques Louis David, Rembrandt and Vermeer.

Materials and processes … 
I applied oil paint with linseed to a large stretched canvas to create my piece. First, I sketched out the basic proportions of the image with pencil, then developed a warm toned raw umber underpainting -working gesturally and with a large brush to quickly block in the darkest areas of the canvas. Once it had dried, I slowly applied thin layers of paint to gradually build depth and detail, working closely with a reference image to complete the hands and face.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Creating an artwork that struck a balance between the past and the present, with equal reference to both worlds, was just as challenging as the physical construction and execution of my piece. Conveying an adoration for historical forms of art making without becoming too literal, with regards to subject matter was certainly challenging. Ultimately, being able to strip back and simplify the piece down to a raw expression of joy in painting and trust in my abilities was both the most interesting element of my process.

Ideas behind the work … 
My work Jin(烬), is a series of four consecutive digital artworks, that depict a town in an ancient civilisation which changed from a place of peace to a place of disaster and fear.​
The town gives a context to the series, contrasting the prosperity with the devastation and ultimate fear of nature reflected in the last artwork.
Storm demonstrates the dominance of nature over the small township, through the scale of mountains and a mass of storm clouds, to create a sense of fear and anxiety.
The great fire depicts a town destroyed by fire and indicates that nature can easily cause fear and disempowerment.
Ruins highlights the impact of nature’s power on the same part of the town that was depicted in the first artwork.

Starting points and influences … 
My starting point was to explore cultural and religious rituals that aim to protect people from natural disasters. However, I struggled to find relevant materials and information so I slightly changed my direction to explore how through ancient times, humans’ fear of nature has been informed by natural disasters that could cause irreversible damage to civilisations.

Sources of inspiration …

• Film: The Legend of Hei, 2019
• Artworks: John Martin, The destruction of Sodom And Gomorrah, 1852, and Chris
• Gold, Lost memories, 2014
  The Bronze Tree of Sanxingdui

Materials and processes … 
I used Procreate, Sai, AE and Pr to create those works. I mainly draw with Procreate on iPad and use AE to add animation and Pr to edit the duration for each.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Creating animation effects on an illustration is fun, you can feel your work become alive. However it also requires a good PC with enough RAM, so the lack of RAM on my PC made it very difficult to animate. I spent too long on animating (three times longer than I planned) which made the other studio processes harder down the track.

Ideas behind the work … 
Imagine how much more you could be reflects my personal experience with burnout. The uppermost figure personifies the height of my ambitious ideals. Combined with the pile of sentimental objects representing the compromise of my passions, she contributes to the weight of the bottom figure: my burnt-out self. The three-point perspective heightens the sense of helplessness. Furthermore, the complementary colour scheme of blue and orange encapsulates how structure and disorder interact and contribute to my burnout. Finally, the modern cityscape alludes to the impact of consumerist society on my descent into burnout.

Starting points and influences …
One of the most pivotal influences on my final artwork would be Tim McDonaugh’s vivid colour schemes, particularly the complementary colour scheme of blue and orange in his work Wired Magazine. I sought to emulate this to reference the distorted reality that a person undergoing burnout may experience.
The creation of a persona with a unique design encapsulated my excessive ambitions and allowed me to manifest this personal frustration. Finally, images of modern cityscapes combined with the panoramic effect in Wenqing Yan’s works inspired me to manipulate space in a way that could overwhelm a contemporary audience.

Sources of inspiration …

• Anime has constituted a large part of my childhood, and thus I have always been personally drawn to this aesthetic. Paradoxically, I am also fascinated by the fetishisation of youth and beauty in certain anime, which I used as a basis for my critique of consumerist culture.
• Luca Giordano’s, Fall of the Rebel Angels, 1666, captivated me during my visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The dramatic anguish of the figures, the composition that emphasises power dynamics, and the harsh lighting were all major inspirations to my work.
• My pressure to succeed in academic life and social media as a growing artist also contributed to my struggle with burnout, as I feel forced to stand out and exceed my capabilities.

Materials and processes … 
Due to complications caused by COVID-19, I ended up utilising a digital medium that also complemented the modern theme of my artwork. I initially gravitated towards traditional techniques such as beginning with a thumbnail sketch, which I then developed into a preliminary sketch for my final artwork. Relying on the colour wheel for easy application of colour, I then painted in my base colours. Following this, I applied lights and shadows to give form and dimension to each individual subject matter. I decided on an inkjet print in large-scale for the presentation of my artwork as I intended to overwhelm my audience.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
What I found interesting about my artwork is the direction that it took. With the delayed folio deadline due to COVID-19, I developed new creative ideas that I would have never considered if I didn’t have extra time to trial different mediums and concepts.
The biggest challenge in the artwork’s resolution was the detailing stage, especially rendering the pile of objects. I found this process extremely tedious and was unfamiliar with non-human subject matter. Visual references were instrumental to the completion of this stage.

Ideas behind the work … 
Mother(land): A poem about immigration is a slam poem I wrote about my mother’s experience watching her immigrant children transform and adapt to the new environment of Australia. The poem uses the metaphor of everyday things a mum might get upset about (like a child not cleaning their room or coming home late) as a way to represent the challenges of migrating (such as leaving with unfinished business).

Starting points and influences … 
The main influence for my artwork was the poem Bitches by Melissa Lozada-Oliva. She paired a slam poem about sisterhood with a beat and a video featuring other women lip-syncing to her voice. Initially, my work was going to be about self-expression through fashion but due to COVID-19 I needed to change my idea. I looked through my year 11 folio for inspiration and found an old poem titled Mother(land), my final version is now completely different to the original.

Sources of inspiration … 
Music and cinematography: directors such as Anna Biller and Darren Aronofsky affect my work greatly. When I get stuck I either reflect on their work or I visit my old Pinterest Boards.

Materials and processes … 
As my artwork was a video, I used footage shot on iPhone and several royalty free videos. Due to restrictions, I could not film the actors myself, so I sent them the final recording of the poem, a script and minimal direction as to how I wanted it to look but they mostly had artistic freedom when creating their videos. In addition, I included clips from home videos from my visit to my home country of Italy in early 2020, before COVID affected my family. They include my cousins, myself, my partner and my childhood friends.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
I found the editing process and rewriting of my old poem into the final one interesting. It allowed me to explore my feelings of guilt as an immigrant and revealed my growth throughout the year. Getting the video to look how I wanted was challenging, as everyone filmed themselves and did their own make up, but I ended up loving the final product as the editing tied it all together.

Ideas behind the work … 
Influenced by the playfully chaotic nature of my childhood as a source of solace during a year of uncertainty, The future aims to elicit nostalgia to counter the many anxieties that have been brought upon by the global pandemic. Recontextualising John Brack’s Collins St, 5p.m, 1955, my intention was to create a work that would convey the interconnectedness of the past and future through a more accurate depiction of Collins Street now. My work explores how we often reminisce about the past in times of stress or doubt for what is to come.

Starting points and influences … 
The theme of The Future was inspired by my own childhood experiences as well as the global pandemic that kept Melbourne in quarantine for most of the year. I began exploring and searching for vintage toys and games I played with as a child and other goods that elicit a sense of nostalgia, juxtaposing this with a range of COVID subject matter such as face masks and hand sanitiser.

Sources of inspiration … 
I enjoyed appropriating Brack’s work to recontextualise Collins Street as one that more Melbournians could resonate with amidst a pandemic.
Yamagami Yukiro’s graphite and video projector works. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the style and technique in his hyper-realistic depictions of cityscapes. Retrofuturism, especially the artworks of Japanese retrofuture artists.

Materials and processes … 
The Future is a graphite and digital drawing. I used graphite pencils and paper for the manual drawing and a WACOM Tablet and Adobe Photoshop to create the digital drawing. As I was quite new to digital drawing, it took a lot of exploring with tools, brushes and functions on the Photoshop software to finally create the work. I started with drawing the Collins St, 5p.m. scene for the background then worked on multiple different layers for the figures wearing obscure face masks.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
The pandemic itself was perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of this year, especially in the creation of my work. However, I was surprised that COVID inspired me to create a work that reflects the issues that pervade the world. It helped me realise that for me, art is something that is spontaneous and dependent on context, place and time. Therefore, while getting materials and using them at home was challenging to begin with, I realised that inconveniences like these are what make the artwork.

Ideas behind the work … 
The idea behind my work Weaving through time was to create a possum skin cloak with aspects of old traditional ways, but also blended with modern techniques and processes. I also wanted to tell my own personal story from the year with aspects of my own life.

Starting points and influences … 
To create something that connected me to my culture and link old with new, for example the preparation of materials or how stories are projected.
I was inspired by art created by other Indigenous artists and how they presented their work, particularly how those works were originally shown and displayed in a museum.
I began my process wanting to create something that connected me to my culture and link old with new, for example exploring the preparation of materials and how stories are projected.
I was inspired by the way other Indigenous artists created and presented their work, particularly in the way these works were originally shown and the ways they are displayed in museums.

Sources of inspiration …

• The pandemic. How everyone dealt with the pandemic, especially the Aboriginal and Indigenous communities.
• My heritage. My identity as an Aboriginal woman and coming of age helped inspire me to create my own possum skin cloak with my own story and interpretation of my life this year.
• Connection with my culture. As I am from a lineage that was deprived of basic cultural activities such as coming of age and rituals, I relied on friends and family who had knowledge and continue to carry on that information and pass it onto me.

Materials and processes … 
The materials I used were wood burning tool, waxed cotton thread, sail needles possum pelts.
The processes I used were cutting and sewing the pelts together and organising how many pelts were going to be used, drawing and designing a pattern to go onto the skin ‘canvas’, lightly tracing with grey lead the basic outline of the pattern, and burning the pattern onto the skins.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
The restriction from COVID-19 was challenging as most of my learning and creation of my final artwork was with elders of my community, Aunties. I had to figure out alternative ways to contact them and learn the stories and ways of creating a possum skin cloak. It was interesting learning modern ways of creating a possum cloak, for example the traditional sinew that would have been used to sew it together was replaced with a similar product, waxed cotton thread. The actual possum skins were sourced from New Zealand as possum hunting in Australia is currently banned.

Ideas behind the work … 
1 in 5 Australian women over the age of 15 are victims of sexual assault. The very statement haunts me as a woman. In turn, I created a work that not only emphasises the prevalence of sexual assault within modern Australian society, but also conveys the fear of loved ones falling victim to the oversaturation of figures and statistics. I achieved this by drawing raw, chaotic portraits of my loved ones adjacent to real victims from the media (Jill Meagher, Eurydice Dixon). The use of multi-media embellishment visually represents the trauma and injustice of such a ruthless crime.

Starting points and influences … 
I was fixated on exploring injustice regarding gender inequality. Reading and studying the countless stories throughout the media of sexual assault, and domestic violence solidified my pursuit of this theme. It infuriated me that innocent women fall victim to such violent crimes, only for the legal system to fail them. I felt empowered after observing the strength of countless victim-survivors. This was when I knew I wanted to make a very personal piece of art with a social and political purpose.

Sources of inspiration …

• The Guerrilla Girls’ use of art as a vehicle to address injustice – particularly through their lengthy, yet strikingly unequivocal artwork titles – which I also incorporated into my work.
• Patrick Tresset’s ballpoint drawing technique for its ability to create an erratic, chaotic drawing whilst still encapsulating the raw nature of the human condition.
• Stories from friends who had experienced sexual assault, as well as from my aunty who volunteers at a women’s crisis shelter, personalised both the subject matter of the portraits and the issue more broadly.

Materials and processes … 
I drew with flimsy ballpoint on common yellow sticky notes to mirror the way perpetrators of sexual assault view their victims as fragile and replaceable. I utilised black ballpoint in a gestural, erratic manner – with varied pressures and angles of the pen – to encapsulate the individuality and hardships of all women hidden behind the statistics. I used embellishments with varied textures –such as threads, inks, and metals –to visualise the trauma of a victim and to create tension within the composition. Techniques such as burning and ripping convey the pain caused by hatred and violence.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Although I was working small-scale for each individual portrait, I drew 100 portraits in total –each with their own details and embellishments. It was challenging ensuring that each individual piece not only worked cohesively with the rest of the composition, but also told their own story and personalised the work for me. One of the things that I loved about creating my work was watching it develop portrait by portrait and observing how small details, such as subtle facial embroidery, brought the work to life.

Ideas behind the work … 
The fault of innocence was inspired by the idea of mental health, looking specifically at different mental health problems and disorders, and the stigma behind them. I explored anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder and the complex behaviours and cognition behind them. The W’s and H behind them. Why do they occur? Who do they effect? What do they feel like? When do they appear? And how can we help? This work also incorporates my personal feelings throughout 2020, a year that will go down in history. There were some highs and many lows, but we got through it in the end and that is what’s most important.

Starting points and influences … 
As someone who experiences the struggles of mental health, I felt the need to express how I felt and how others may feel. I began by researching the cognitive, affective and behavioural changes that occur in a range of mental health issues. Through this I decided to investigate these effects on children, as this vulnerable group in society are subject to excess stigma and lack of understanding.

Sources of inspiration …

• Kim noble
• Realism
• James Gleeson

Materials and processes … 
I used oil paint to create my work.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
What I found most interesting was the way the paint applied to the canvas. I was able to blend it and mix colours to create different tints and shades.

Ideas behind the work … 
The fool’s journey is a mixed media piece that is ultimately a gift to the most special and influential individuals in my life. The theme I chose to explore was narrative, it emulates from the work with wholesomeness through an overwhelmingly long canvas, a storybook style, bright saturated colours and reflective glitter. I drew inspiration from the 22 Major Arcana Tarot cards and paired each card with a scene or character, for example my mother is The Empress, therefore she is in scene 4 on the first scroll and is shown in a nurturing and loving manner.

Starting points and influences …
I began drawing inspiration from my childhood and looked at the work of Don Bluth as I adore his ability to create dreamy fairy tales. I also looked at the work of an Instagram artist named Joel (@wayriding) and studied the ways he used his main material of water colour with highly saturated colours to create his paintings, later applying this to my final artwork in my own developed style. Working in groups during my process also aided my process, as my friends helped me come up with the basis of my final artwork.

Sources of inspiration …

• The illustration work of Don Bluth
  Creation of characters from Jamie Hewlett
• Music artists Grimes and Jazmin Bean, as I applied their way of creating cohesion and aesthetic for their body of works to the creation of my own final artwork.

Materials and processes …  
To create my work I used watercolour, fine liner, pencil, glitter paint on both my paper characters and the backgrounds which are directly on the prime side of the canvas roll. I used watercolour in a highly pigmented manner to intensify the contrast between scenes. I began the final artwork by sketching characters, painting and cutting them out, laying out each scene on the canvas, and progressively completing the background while sticking the characters on.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Flow was key in the creation of my final artwork, and setting checkpoints was essential. By structuring my process into sections, I was able to bounce around my artwork with a clear goal and not be overwhelmed by the canvas’ length. Finding space within my room was a challenge, as my room ended up as a studio for the weeks I was working on my final artwork. I used my bed to lay the piece out in its entirety and had to be careful not to bend it while it was drying.

Ideas behind the work … 
This untitled work explores the unravelling of our minds at night in the form of a face. It demonstrates how façades of composure dissolve in darkness when away from the view of others. I created a distorted face that is no longer a portrait to tell an individual’s story and express their emotional dissolution. Night is the time of darkness with many sinister connotations, but it is also a space of still beauty. There is an emergence of things that have hitherto remained silent or controlled, as the dark obscures and allows truths to come forth.

Starting points and influences … 
This work grew from my awe and love for the night. One of my favourite pastimes is to walk out at night in the cool and refreshing air, immersed in a wholly different experience to that of the day. But there is also a need to be cautious of the danger in the unknown darkness. One finds paranoia growing in the face of such uncertainty. This led me to explore an expression of mood as demonstrated through a figure in this all-consuming environment.

Sources of inspiration …

• Aron Weisenfeld with his eerie and uncanny illustrative style.
• Camilla Tadich with her unsettling night scenes of abandoned objects in high detail, leaving the viewer questioning what may have occurred. I hoped to achieve this effect within my own work.
• Bill Henson’s unnerving and raw figures.
  The misty urban scenes Felipe OA who captures a very specific clouded mood within his nightscapes.

Materials and processes … 
I practiced with acrylic to strengthen my paint skills without the added consideration of slow drying time. I then worked with oil paints onto gesso board while I was preparing and stretching the canvas. I experimented a lot with the possibilities of this portrait, with different positions and what I wanted for the subject. Eventually I began painting the canvas, using mixing mediums and large brushes to help thin and spread the paints over a larger space than I was accustomed to.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
I found it new and challenging to work with both canvas and a larger scale as this was something I hadn’t yet tried much. I also spent time preparing a large piece of Masonite with gesso as this was originally what I intended to paint onto however this process ended up longer than expected. I’m glad though that this motivated me to use canvas as I found blending the paints required trying new approaches.

Ideas behind the work …
The focus of my work, Streets of Your Town, is the suburban nature strip. Home to a variety of objects which we overlook as monotonous or banal, nature strips can be underappreciated or forgotten despite their visibility and connection to many of our homes. In painting everyday suburbia, I wanted to pay homage to a place which I have grown increasingly fond of, particularly amidst the lockdowns of this year, and prompt people to acknowledge and appreciate the ordinary all around them.

Starting points and influences … 
The starting point for my artwork involved observing houses in my area. I would typically see interesting houses when either walking my dog or when exploring Google street view. I used these houses as inspiration to create household structures, fences and nature strips. I tried to use objects that were synonymous with suburban Melbourne, such as the paperbark tree and the PTV bus stop. In doing so, I hoped to emulate the ordinary streetscape which I have grown accustomed to and bring about a sense of familiarity.

Sources of inspiration …

• Howard Arkley and his depictions of the suburban vernacular. His process of finding Melbourne houses and streets and reinventing them in a visually striking way influenced my intention of putting a nostalgic spin on suburbia.
• As the title of the artwork suggests, the song Streets of Your Town by the Go-Betweens, served as a source of inspiration for my theme of the ordinary more broadly. Just like the song, I wanted to show the understated charm and beauty in the ordinary everyday through my artwork.
• In terms of my use of gouache, I was inspired by artist Heather Ihn Martin’s portrayal of fleeting light and her warm and naturalistic use of colour. Her work influenced my colour palette and my directional depiction of light and shadows throughout the streetscape.

Materials and processes …
For my artwork, I used gouache on brown cardboard paper. I started by flattening a strip of rolled cardboard paper under heavy books and weights and taping off the edges. I then sketched the general structures of the houses, fences and the road lightly using grey lead and a long ruler. I began painting with quite opaque gouache to create a strong contrast with the underlying brown paper. I left negative space on the nature strip and sky to draw emphasis to the ordinary objects and the elements of suburbia that are so frequently ignored.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work …
The most challenging part of creating my artwork was finding an adequate workspace and adapting to it. Isolation meant that I had to paint my artwork at home, so I had to take over the family dinner table and protect it from accidental damage. I had originally intended to create a longer, larger artwork but the length of the table dictated the size of the streetscape. It was also difficult to use the brown cardboard as its colour was perfect for the negative space regions, but it was susceptible to warping and had limited absorbance.

Ideas behind the work … 
Viruses explores the relationship that humans have with viruses. Viruses can be volatile and virulent, however, due to their microscopic size they can often be overlooked. The impact that their existence has on economies, families, and individuals can be catastrophic, as seen on a global scale in 2020. Viruses are non-living particles, and so the idea of translating them into living creatures initially came from a need to manifest this ‘enemy’ into a form that people could easily understand.  With pop culture and sci-fi dominating movies and television, odd creatures and monsters are visually much easier for the public to digest, as opposed to the intricate capsids and DNA strands that make up a virion.  The lifelessness of form conveys their natural existence as aimless and without motive.  In my works I have used varied shapes and protrusions to represent viruses such as, COVID-19, chicken pox, Ebola, and rabies to make each virus distinct and have also added humorous, enlarged, cartoon-like features to enhance their individual character.

Starting points and influences … 
I was first prompted to explore viruses at the beginning of the year. I had a conversation with my parents about the SARS outbreak (a virus similar to COVID-19) in Taiwan around the time I was born which made me think about the potential of COVID-19. My own feelings of uncertainty and alarm was my main motivator for creating the series, as well as my desire to understand viruses and the pandemic better.

Sources of inspiration …
Patricia Piccinini’s use of hyper realism in provoking empathy
Luke Jerram’s glass microbiology series which turned viruses and bacteria into beautiful gem-like sculptures.
wanted to create something fun and quirky like fictional creatures found in tv shows and movies which are widely known and adored.

Materials and processes … 
The series is made from a beige polymer clay bulked out with tin foil. Polymer clay was my choice of medium because it holds fine detail well, which assisted in creating a polished sculpture. The concepts behind the artworks were first sketched, with textures mapped out on areas of their body. Although I had ideas about how I wanted certain textures to feel, it required practice and experimentation with the clay to find the best way to actualise my ideas such as finding more intricate and realistic ways to imitate fur.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Interestingly the responses I have got from people has varied from feelings of uneasiness to finding my work hilarious. It was challenging creating unique textures for each piece with just a few tools at my disposal, as well as ensuring the creatures I made were distinct from one another yet cohesive.

Ideas behind the work … 
The power of tomorrow is a stylistic piece that includes me and my two sisters. We are young but we are also the future and the power of tomorrow. The piece draws on the extreme angles that are associated with Lucian Freud as well as the ambiguity of Christina Troufa’s semi abstract portrait works.

Starting points and influences … 
Initially I made use of photography and angled representations of my subjects. This enabled me to visualise and manipulate the way that my painting could be set out. I consciously found myself drawing on the works of Lucian Freud whom I admire greatly.

Sources of inspiration …

• Stories that arise from history as well as the images and recreations that bring history into a modern context.
• Film, both old and contemporary, is a big part of my family’s life. My mother is an art teacher and my father teaches Media and English Literature.
  Margaret Atwood’s 1985 book, The Handmaid’s Tale.

Materials and processes … 
I experimented with acrylics and pastels in the production of several pieces leading up to The power of tomorrow. For my final piece, I narrowed my mediums to oil and copic marker on canvas.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
I found it interesting that, while arriving at the idea for the piece took some processing and reflection, the actual creation of the piece was fairly streamlined. Once I had completed the drafting work using photographs, I found the piece evolved in a systematic manner.

Ideas behind the work … 
Adopt an Embryo acts as both a physical artwork and psychological experiment by presenting the viewer with a choice: to ‘adopt’ a hypothetical child (embryo). Inspired by genetic modification technologies such as designer babies, the work prompts questions of moral principles and social ethics and explores the potentially materialistic exploitation of scientific procedures. The work presents a choice of embryos with superficial traits as well as genetic and auto-immune diagnoses.

Starting points and influences …
A strong interest in human genetics and genome alteration technologies led my exploration of genetic modification. I wanted to create a work that was confrontational and had a point of discussion. Through initial investigation into the many complexities of genetics, such as mutation, genetic defects, cloning and designer babies, I found that the concepts were intertwined, giving rise to an investigation of ethics and societal principles. Influenced by scientific procedures, I began experimenting with repetition, attempting to replicate mutation through drawing and later sculpting.

Sources of inspiration … 
One of my favourite artists is Patricia Piccinini. Her juxtapositions of obscured genetics with natural forms so beautifully depict a unity between the natural and unnatural world.
Other artists include Mark Ryden, Laurie Lipton, and Jess Johnson whose works are all surrealistic, yet uniquely detailed.
The human body, specifically its biological composition, anatomical forms, and tissues. I have always been drawn to medical textbooks and similar depictions of the multiple distortions, both in physical form and on cellular levels, that the human body can endure or adapt to.

Materials and processes … 
I used polymer clay to synthesise the embryos and organ systems. This process was intended to mimic cloning by producing multiple embryos and organs simultaneously. I mixed resin into test tubes and petri dishes, imitating specimen preservatives such as formaldehyde and nutrient agar. The specimen labels were created on Photoshop and printed on adhesive paper. The wooden sign was cut and sanded using power tools then painted with wood stain and acrylic paint. I used Adobe InDesign and Illustrator to create the ‘Adoption Order’ form.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
I found the way in which my work progressed and developed into such a multimodal form –being a physical artwork yet with potential to act as a viewer-initiated performance as well as a scientific or social experiment–very intriguing.

The most challenging aspect of creating this work was figuring out how to maintain a sense of simplicity in each segment of the work and not to overcomplicate the concept especially when dealing with such a complex theme. I also remained aware of potential sensitivities and the confrontational value of some aspects of the work, these were constantly running through my mind to ensure the work was pertinent.

Ideas behind the work … 
Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates described ‘an unexamined life is not worth living’. In a year of disarray Finding balance examines personal identity and reflection within the overarching stability of an anarchic and indifferent universe. The work investigates the innate harmony between the forces of chaos and balance, effusing it with the emotional intimacy of a self-portrait subject, applicable to the broader human experience. The title Finding balance reflects a year 12 student’s personal experience of a major turning point in adolescence and the discovery of identity, during this period of isolation and absence of control.

Starting points and influences … 
The work stems from personal self-reflection. By recognising the stresses impacting me during production, I was able to integrate an emotional undercurrent into the work. Additionally, through studying philosophy in year 11 I developed an interest in metaphysical studies – a concept reflected through the theme of balance.

Sources of inspiration … 
An integral aspect of my central theme of balance is derived from Buddhist culture and philosophy, which reflects on how two opposing and complementary forces (Yin and Yang) form balance.
The abstract expressionists. Particularly, Mark Rothko for his portrayal of profound emotional environments and experiences, and Willem De Kooning for his experimental studio process and unorthodox treatment of mediums.
The manipulation of light and shadow to establish a dramatic depiction of the human form in the Baroque period.

Materials and processes … 
This year I aimed to develop my skills in painting, particularly with oil-based paint. I experimented with consistency, thinning with turpentine/solvent and adding linseed oil for a rich and glossy quality. I worked in a loose fat over lean process where the paint’s oil content is raised as layers are added.

As a result of my experimentation with the application of oils, I selected a glossy wood surface for the paints smooth interaction with the material. Moreover, the wood has a sculptural versatility (chiselling, scratching, gouging into the surface) which is not found in a traditional canvas surface.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
What I found most difficult was selecting a reference image for the self-portrait in my work. I struggled to locate an expression that accurately reflected my intent to portray balance and chaos in a personal sense. I chose the reference image used for the final based on its sense of vulnerability and potential to achieve an emotional connection with the viewer.

Ideas behind the work … 
An ode to myself is a photographic piece structured in the form of a poem. It is in the signalling language of flag semaphore, developed by Claude Chappe for the British Navy in 1805. The poem is based on the common feeling of emotional isolation during Coronavirus. The lockdown struggles of my generation were belittled by those with much broader and longer life experience, while simultaneously demonized for our reliance on technology which is, personally, the only way I made it through the period.

Starting points and influences …
This work began as a playful sub theme I explored during Unit 3 at the suggestion of my teacher. However, it was the swift social change that left me feeling rattled and unable to communicate my emotions otherwise, which led me to turn to my art as an outlet. Aleks Danko was an enormous influence upon the subject matter of my piece as he was the first artist I found who uses language as the primary medium of a piece. His work inspired me to create a sculptural piece, which I incorporated the theme of in my final work.

Sources of inspiration …

• The artist run space Bus Projects in Collingwood as a gallery of non-conventional art pieces, showcasing works without explanation.
• Christine Sun Kim due to her also unconventional communication within her artwork Deaf rage. She refuses to apologise for her disability and demands to be heard in an ableist world which I have great admiration for.
• Hobo Johnson and the Love Makers are a band who also influenced my form of poetry. Minimal structure or pattern with humorous aspects weaved through to maintain audience attention.

Materials and processes …
I worked exclusively with photography for this piece, shooting on a Canon EOS200D and editing using Adobe Photoshop CS6. My work is a series of self-portraits all taken using the self-timer mode on my camera, utilizing the camera view finder screen to ensure I was set up in a consistent frame. Each photograph was individually edited into black and white to account for inconsistent natural lighting and ensure each image smoothly transitioned to the next in the final presentation with a consistent font.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
This work was uncomfortably personal to me as I had to rely on my own experiences in order to realise an authentic vision. As someone who struggles to dictate their emotions even to their closest confidants, it was a daunting exercise in self-reflection and patience. There were times during production where I had to force myself to step away in order to minimise the urge to delete my entire piece. As such, both the most interesting and the most challenging part of creating this work was finishing something I could see exposing my weaknesses.

Ideas behind the work … 
Bilnqul ‘arabuk reflects the pursuit of a potential, composite identity in response to the conflict between my Middle Eastern background and whitewashed Western perception. I was interested in phonetic and phonemic linguistics as fluid mediums responsible for constructing and deconstructing cultural barriers. I found cultural tension between the ‘othered’ Middle Eastern identity and the dominant Western identity – both conceptualised through the perception of Western Orientalism. I explored how inaccuracies in language and translations could disseminate misinformation in a contemporary setting on a scale like mass Orientalist ideology.

Starting points and influences … 
From early in my practice, I made sure to focus on artists from the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region to broaden my understanding of cultural perceptions and identities – I felt like I had internalised the Western gaze presented through art. I was interested in performance artists Hiwa K and Dana Awartani, textiles artist Faig Ahmed and film artist Shirin Neshat. Another prominent source of inspiration was Siying Zhou’s translational practice, I could empathise with her when she posed the question ‘Could my selfhood possibly be relocated to the in-between cultural space that is suggested from a translational process/ mistranslation?’

Sources of inspiration …

• My trip to my mother’s home country in 2019. This year I found myself deconstructing and reconstructing my experiences as I grieved the loss of a culture I could only ever experience as the ‘other’.
• Books: Edward Said, Orientalism, 1978, and Jack Shaheen, Reel Bad Arabs, 2001.
• I am also inspired by Sean Peoples approach to artmaking, where you can learn a medium and then unlearn it and then learn it again.

Materials and processes … 
In exploring linguistics, I treated Google Translate as an art form in itself. I interrogated the inherent inaccuracy of language translation in verbal and non-verbal methods of transliteration and romanticisation. The artwork draws upon transliterated Arabic and English script in the form of children’s bilingual playing cards and teases audiences into phonemic pronunciation from the comfort of their own tongue. Intended for a Western-dominated space, the artwork relies upon internalised Orientalist thought which mystifies the Middle East as the ‘Orient’ – a place so enigmatic and foreign that we blindly choose to fantasise about rather than understand.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
I found that this work was the first where I truly could not predict the audience interpretation. The responses were so varied I had to reconsider my artistic intentions. I was told my work was ‘too confrontational’ or “satirical” and at other times ‘racist’. I like that though.

Ideas behind the work … 
My work reflects the damaging wounds worn as labels by those who suffer from mental health issues. The world inhibits a sufferer’s ability to live freely because of stigma and prejudice. Understanding and sensitivity is needed to challenge stereotypical names, segregation, mocking and false accusations. These are all societal characteristics rather than symptoms of mental disorders. With this in mind, I chose to present the reality of the hands of society tossing and harming my model and highlighting the pain and torture of stigma. Hands damaging an unknown face asks viewers to question their prejudice. Authors use symbolism to influence their audience’s reactions to subject matter and therefore I made symbolism my starting and focal point.

Starting points and influences … 
I garnered my natural instinct of empathy for humanity to draw attention and connection to a clear childhood moment. I analysed my instinctive response to a petty fight with my brother. I noted that when face-to-face, I was more accepting of his words but on another day with the same petty fight and with a door physically separating us, I was less empathetic. His emotions were hidden and I couldn’t see his eyes.

Sources of inspiration …

• National Geographic magazines, especially from 1930s-1970s. They helped me learn angles and photographic techniques used to capture disasters, nature, humanity and so on.
• Simone Esterhuizen constructs collages using Kodachrome and vintage magazines in a modern and unique way. Her works reverse the appearance of the original pictorial planes, manipulating spatial depth to reform the aerial perspective and aesthetics. I like local and unique forms of art with modern meanings.
• Melbourne Collage Now: works like Mel Lineham’s use reversed appearance of original pictorial planes, manipulating off-cuts and figures of spatial depth to reform the aerial perspective their aesthetics.

Materials and processes … 
I was collaging cut-outs of my own images until Stage 4 Covid restrictions limited my options of using this intricate process. Thankfully prior to lockdown I had captured shots with a digital camera of my cousin’s face, myself on a freezing car, plants and hands to mimic in my sketches. Printing stores closed and so I adapted by using photoshop to collage. Using this process, I could resize, filter and transform each part into a layered affect and thereby produce a digital collage. Finished work was presented online with plans to print once restrictions eased.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Adjustments made to the Study Design made me more determined to produce a finished piece. At school I am studious and obsessive about managing my time to complete essential work. During this time, I came to realise that art was more than a subject and more than a grade. Art provided both motivation and order. I developed a spiritual connection to visual communication as it allowed me to make sense of the chaos in our world. I was surprised that my normally regimented study mindset was consumed by my artistic passion and drive, regardless if it was unmarked.

Ideas behind the work … 
Unsubscribed explores the forces that shape our identity and reflects our visceral response to bodies in cycles of attraction, repulsion and acceptance. Viewers walk around the suspended soft sculpture and see the possibilities for reconfiguration of its form. They also encounter the two faces on each side of the doll’s head. The aesthetic attraction of the doll paired with its confrontational symbolism expresses the complex emotions associated with construction of identity. While viewers might feel empathy for the doll’s exposed and bound form, they may also find its exposure of vulnerability confronting.

Starting points and influences … 
My thinking began with a deconstruction of patriarchal representations of the female form, then evolved to include expressions of resistance through more overt political messaging around gender fluidity and diverse representations of feminine identity. The doll brings these concepts together as an intimate, domestic and overtly feminine soft sculpture. The use of traditionally feminine practices such as embroidery and stitching situate the piece as both gentle and strong, expressively tactile and highly evocative.

Sources of inspiration …

• Pop Surrealism served as an inspiration as its focus is quite cerebral and you need an understanding of symbolism to decipher the works. This art is often quite political and covers a range of issues particularly in relation to challenging the status quo.
• Aesthetically, Japanese artist Aya Takano who uses pop culture references in ultra-feminine and highly symbolic works.
• Conceptually, Miles Johnston who uses different rendering of the body to explore ideas of the shared human experience of suffering and the strangeness of being.

Materials and processes … 
I experimented with linework, acrylic on canvas, textile art, portraiture, visual symbols, textiles and embroidery. Painting and linework were combined on the surface of the canvas and on other materials such as felt. The colour palette was reduced to fleshy tones of red, blue and black, matching these across different materials such as fine-liner, acrylic, felt and embroidery. Finally, binding and threading were the connective tissue that held the doll together. Eyelets embedded in the canvas created points to join or dismember the arms, legs and head with red velvet ribbon.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
The most challenging part was coming to terms with the way a concept unfolds through the studio process as something very different to what you originally envisioned. However, this challenge is also the most rewarding part of making an artwork because the finished piece comes into its own –and becomes something much more complex and interesting than your original conception.

Ideas behind the work … 
For my work Urban Development, I explored the development of architecture over generations. I did this through a gradient transitioning from a more modern traditional building to a modern building, and also introduced the contrast of different country’s architecture. As well as displaying the development of architecture, I wanted to explore familiar and unfamiliar surroundings: I wanted the viewers to have individual interpretation of the buildings, as each person associates different memories and thoughts with buildings. Therefore, the use of layering allowed each print to be seen differently by each print and person.

Starting points and influences …
Cat Poljski was my main influence with her use of line and layering. I have always loved architecture and was interested in the different interpretation each person had on different architecture. While travelling I have taken photos and been interested in the way countries have their own styles. I started by contrasting previous photos of my travel which the photos I took during my walks around my local area. I wanted to move away from more traditional art forms and into a more modern process of printmaking.

Sources of inspiration … 
Architecture, family and travel. I have always been interested in architecture and taking photos of buildings and outdoor structures which I find aesthetically pleasing, especially those I have seen through travel. All the houses I have lived in have been renovated as my mother likes design and my father is a real estate agent. Consequently, I have always been surrounded by lots of different buildings, structures and architecture.

Materials and processes … 
Printmaking process using lino with water soluble inks. I used Stonehenge paper to print which is a thick white/cream coloured paper. First, I cut out my two linos then using a roller to apply the ink evenly onto the lino. I also made a registration plate allowing each lino to line up when layering.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
As we were in lockdown for the most of Unit 4, printmaking was a difficult process to achieve. I experimented with kitchen utensils and other objects around my house to achieve a similar effect to an actual press, however didn’t have the same smooth even application of ink as the press. We went back to school to print the finals but we only had a limited time. As mine was on such a large scale, I was rushed to finish them all-in time

Ideas behind the work … 
Although Sections one and Sections two are different, the image is created from the same copper plates, and so therefore belong together. Sections one, the original image, depicts an anatomically correct solid dahlia root. The abstracted composition of Sections two rearranges the image, removing viewers familiarity and prompting new interpretations. By rearranging each copper plate, I feel I have created a balanced composition of which enhances the sculptural beauty of my subject.

Starting points and influences … 
Through attending the Australian printmaking workshop in January of this year, I discovered the printmaking methods of aquatint and sugar-lift, inspiring the chosen process for my final work. Being immersed in nature has allowed me to observe the beauty and microscopic details of the natural environment, which is often disregarded.

Sources of inspiration …

• I first started creating art with my mum when I was very young. We would stroll around the streets of Collingwood on autumn afternoons collecting fallen leaves.Together we painted the leaves with colour and pressed them onto paper leaving tender impressions which, I like to think, first kindled my love of printmaking and nature. I was mesmerised by the leaf in front of me, the delicate textures and the fragility of its many veins.
• Artists: Andrew Browne, Karl Blossfield and Mike parr

Materials and processes … 
To create my print, a sophisticated sugar-lift process has been used in combination with aquatint to create soft tonal gradients that imply form. Rosin treatment was applied to create minute grainy textures, adding character to the image and allowing for the building of tonal layers through stomping out. Black ink has been applied flattening areas of shade to create strong contrast and enhance depth. The handling of the scribe produces complex tangled roots, which works to contrast the soft solid forms of the dahlia bulbs.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
In order to familiarise myself with root networks, I ventured into nature and up-rooted dahlias. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, my access to a professional studio was not possible. I sourced both materials and equipment myself, setting up a safe creative space in my garden shed for me to work in. After many long days experimenting and refining, I taught myself how to complete an aquatint sugar-lift etching.

Ideas behind the work … 
Ambiguity explores the unique shapes and forms of the female figure in motion either floating, falling or flying. The surreal outer space landscape and composition suggests that the figures could be performing movements.

Starting points and influences … 
I was drawn to the concept of capturing the unique shapes and forms of the female form in movement. I was set on depicting a landscape in which the human body, surreal elements and outer space could co-exist.

Sources of inspiration …

• M.C Escher’s precision and his ability to incorporate both realist and surreal elements in his work.
• Salvador Dali, particularly his incorporation of multiple elements and motifs into his work. I was also inspired by his strange characters and the way in which he was able to make the viewer feel when observing his artworks.
• My cousin Matt Sheers creates ethereal electro pop using violin and looping of sounds which inspired the surrealism within my piece. And NGV exhibitions of course.

Materials and processes … 
I used materials from my potential directions (PD 4 black fine liner ink pens on wood) on a 150x120cm unprimed plywood canvas. I utilised the technique of stippling by building up a layer of dots. By varying the size and spacing of the dots, I added shade, tone and created contrast and subtle curves within my female figures and manta rays. The wood tones in the plywood are used as highlights.

Interesting/challenging aspects of creating the work … 
Time was the main challenge during my studio process. As I was creating such a large painting, I spent nearly 6-8 hours a day stippling. The wood canvas was also unforgiving, as there is no way to erase fine liner from it. Although it was a time-consuming process, the satisfaction of seeing my composition unfold and develop was rewarding. As I stippled my final using a black 0.03 fine liner pen, it was essential I kept the pressure as even as possible using a rhythmic motion to produce even toned areas.