Visual Arts
Marco Balverde
Threads Through Rich and Poor: Navigating the Filipino Slums
Sculpture
In this artwork, I aim to express the contrast between the rich and poor, magnifying the slums in the Philippines. I have used an explicit blend of colors, textures, and symbolism, the wood board, use of mixed media involving cardboard, paint, metal, wood and Filipino money (Peso). This represents the privileged class, hidden within the poor, and the slums in the Philippines. I have expressed the harsh living conditions and struggles faced by the marginalized using colour and textures to create an uneasy look to the artwork.
This piece invites viewers to confront their privilege, urging them to understand the indifference and engage in recongnising the hidden riches behind the poor. I hope to inspire the idea of self-thought riches, and what is seen as rich and pure to individuals. The artwork stands as a powerful testament to the urgency of understanding the ideas of wealth to individuals and igniting a view of difference on what rich can mean.
Thomas Connaghan
Memento Mori
Collection of work
Memento Mori is a Latin concept of death, it’s purpose it to remind people of death and its harsh reality. In Latin, it translates to “remember you must die”. In my artwork I intend to express the different perspectives of death and offer a feeling of reality and calmness relating to it. Basquiat created messy, fast and unintentional artworks which have influenced how I created my paintings. Furthermore, Modigliani often painted narrow and simplified heads which influenced my style as well. My sculpture is a simple head, stuck in the motion of a scream, intended to lead the audience into a personal reflection about death and its inevitability.
Zavier Domenici 
Film Fiction
Collection of work
The concept for my artwork developed from my passion for photography and filmmaking. My intention for my collection of work is to display posters, props, stills, memorabilia, and physical media for a film that does not exist. The aim is to create believable content, ambiguous narrative, and a visual exploration of coming-of-age and sci-fi movie genres. It also aims to visually comment on the mystery and tragedy of lost media, as well as the importance of preservation.
The authenticity of the project was the biggest challenge, as it is hard to replicate the big-budget Hollywood standards with my works, so I experimented with various photographic methods, such as flat focal lengths that imitate the filmic depictions of suburbia in Hollywood films. Other media that has influenced my work is the filmic photography of Gregory Crewdson and the supporting designs for Quentin Tarantino’s films.
Henrik Hogg
“Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.” – André Malraux
Photomedia
Our youth defines development and growth; it lays the foundation for who we grow to be and the paths we choose in life. This growth presents challenges of physical development and mental wellbeing, which I have depicted within the nine portraits. Their raw emotion, layered on top of their struggles, combined with religious and historical symbolism, demonstrate the (Janus) or duality of man. I drew inspiration from Sam Taylor-Wood’s work “Crying Men & Peachtree Road” which depicts the unseen side of typically masculine men (Daniel Craig, Laurence Fishburne) in tears and underlining the fragility of virility.
Thomas Howe
Moulded from the earth
Ceramics
My body of work explores the transformation from a natural material (clay) to an aesthetically pleasing vessel through hand-building. Throughout this procedure, I experimented with a range of clays in order to find the most suitable to my plan. I first began my artwork by creating a bowl, which would act as a base for the single layers that would be placed around my piece. As a result, this created a natural perspective, inviting viewers to imagine a flower or other earthy materials. My use of glaze was heavily inspired by ‘waterlilies’ by Claude Monet, this further reinforced the natural tone. My objective for this work is to evoke the audience to consider the potential of earthy materials, and how we humans can create majestically pleasing objects from a material such as clay.
Anton Langreiter
Lockdown Yearning
Sculpture
My body of work, “Lockdown Yearning” is a series of oceanic landscapes sculpted and painted on concrete over a wooden base. The intention behind this series is to capture the raw, untamed beauty of the ocean and its surrounding environment and to evoke a sense of awe and respect for the natural world. The choice of materials – wood and concrete – is symbolic of the interplay between the natural and man-made world, and the often-tumultuous relationship between the two. The inspiration for this series came during 2021 lockdown, when the world came to a standstill. This period of isolation made me appreciate the natural world more deeply.
Brayden Lockyer
‘Vessels of Mourning’
Ceramics
My body of work ‘Vessels of Mourning’ is a collection of ceramic pieces showing different natural patterns found on land and in the sky and sea. These “Vessels of Mourning” express the grief for the dying natural world. The black and white colours of the pots represent the mourning of the natural world’s death, while the word “vessels” suggests that the pots are a way to contain and preserve the memory of the natural world. I used a black oxide mixed with an engobe to carve the designs onto my pottery. My work was influenced by Tim Christensen and his pottery such as “Hard work”. His works gave me the idea to carve out natural designs from the environment around me. The most difficult challenge was finding the right balance between the black and white colours. I wanted the pieces to be visually striking, but I also wanted them to be emotionally resonant. I hope that the audience will be inspired to take action to protect the environment to avoid the natural world becoming a ‘Vessel of Mourning.’
Oliver Michaeil
ArtIficially abandoned
Painting
My body of work is an exploration of the fusion of art and technology through AI image-making. In six paintings of abandoned, brutalist-looking places, I have combined a thick warm base coat, with a thinner layer of my image painted above it. This allows viewers to perceive the underlying base color and its texture, symbolizing the intertwining of human and AI perspectives. Overcoming challenges in idea generation and past issues with color and texture, I present a harmonious AI- driven composition. My objective is to evoke an alluring feel and contemplation, prompting viewers to reflect on the potential of AI in art. I invite conversations about the convergence of human imagination and AI innovation, inspiring appreciation for my synergy.
Jerome Pickering
Title: Ititangata aerenga (Cultural Journey)
Medium: Lino-cut print
My work Ititangata Aerenga (Cultural Journey) is a culturally inspired piece. I aim to convey my personal sense of identity, and the world of third culture living, describing my experience of having multiple cultural influences, from both my father’s Cook Island, Fijian heritage, along with my mother’s Australian heritage, through the medium of lino-cuts and print. Ititangata Aerenga (Cultural Journey) aims to provide the audience with an insight into navigating and forging a world of personal identity, whilst being influenced by varying, different cultural heritages. My Body Of Work has been influenced by the works of Teho Ropeyarn. His large linocuts depicting traditional symbols and meaningful aspects of his culture inspired me show the audience my own sense of cultural identity. My three prints are interlinked through imagery and composition to enhance a sense of simultaneous differentiation and harmony.
Oliver Shahady
Shattered Perspectives
Photomedia
My artwork is a crossover story featuring characters from a famous manga (Japanese comic) called Attack on Titan, written by Hajime Isayama and a small shooting video game called Link’s Crossbow Training which was created by Nintendo, a large video game company.
A soldier, named Armin, finds it difficult to work in the battlefields with his friends against human eating giants called Titans. So, with the help of Hange Zoe, the section commander, he is able to create a crossbow that is capable of taking down a Titan.
The things that I enjoyed about making this artwork is coming up with the designs for the crossbow, thinking of ideas for the plot and how to make them fit in the world of Attack on Titan.
Benedict Ta
Armin’s Crossbow Training (Attack on Titan x Link’s Crossbow Training)
Graphic Design
A crossover story featuring characters from a famous manga (Japanese comic) called Attack on Titan, written by Hajime Isayama and a small shooting video game called Link’s Crossbow Training which was created by Nintendo, a large video game company.
A soldier, named Armin, finds it difficult to work in the battlefields with his friends against human eating giants called Titans. So, with the help of Hange Zoe, the section commander, he is able to create a crossbow that is capable of taking down a titan.
The things that I enjoyed about making this artwork is coming up with the designs for the crossbow, thinking of ideas for the plot and how to make them fit in the world of Attack on Titan.
Luca van Vuuren
Casa Della Nonna (Grandmother’s House)
Collection of Work
In my artwork I wish to show a part of my family history. Nonna migrated in the mid sixties with her two brothers, two sisters, parents and uncle. They moved to find work as Italy was somewhat divided and still recovering from the events that occurred in the Second World War. After arriving in Australia, Nonna and her older siblings went straight to work, as an education was too expensive and roles were more traditional at the time.
These works are an homage to my grandmother and the key role she plays in providing for my family as a matriarch and carer. I have shown her doing typical daily tasks such as preparing meals and ironing. The aprons are printed with old and valued photographs of important events from my family history.