“The exhibition at Sydney Olympic Park has so many elements, including educational resources, people’s choice awards, and other elements that help students, teachers, and the general public, all engage with, and not feel distant from the artworks.” – Curator, Danielle Gullotta.
ARTEXPRESS, at the historical Newington Armory, is a free event that showcases the largest metropolitan display of 2015 Higher School Certificate (HSC) Visual Arts student’s artworks. In its twelfth exhibition at the Armory, it showcases for audiences of all ages the complex, engaging, exquisite and unique artworks of students.
From a range of 9000 artworks, a select few are displayed, all of which highlight the creative genius by students, and further illustrate both the personal and outer worlds of individuals and audiences alike. With the theme ‘Within Reach’, curator Danielle Gullotta, explained that “all the students were dealing with quite sophisticated process of emotions… the exhibition encompasses the idea of within reach, whether its dreams, hope for the future, hard emotional turmoil, or even within reach of looking towards iconic artists students have studied”. All of these concepts are thoroughly presented by the art works within the exhibition.
Visitors can expect a vast array of artworks that are presented in various forms, including painting, photo-media, printmaking, textiles and fabrics, sculpting, ceramics, and drawing. Every piece of work that is on display not only appeals to audiences but also “expresses something about being a young person in 2016” states Gullotta. The concepts of family, religion, human experience, war and the history of war, pain, death, and nature are all explored through the works of art and, in a way, creates a relationship between the artworks as a whole, giving the exhibition a warm and vibrant atmosphere where everyone can relate to, enjoy, and appreciate the various forms of art.
Opposed to previous years, audiences can expect a more sophisticated body of work. This is evident in the intricate details and the uniqueness of every piece of artwork. Additionally, it explores the creativity of individuals and their perception of the world. It is evident that the students have all produced a body of work that really highlights the range of skills and wide variety of techniques that is taught within schools. Teachers and visual arts classes give students the opportunity to be creative in an open-ended learning environment, and this years’ ARTEXPRESS emphasises their ability, skill, and expertise.
As Gullota has said in our previous feature interview on the AU Review: “Art is more than just a framed painting.” This is evident more so than ever at this years exhibition.
Artworks in this article (from top to bottom): The Secret Life of Books by Rebecca Rego; Le Donne Della Famiglia by Emma Rose Lewis.
For more info on ARTEXPRESS 2016 head to http://artexpress.artsunit.nsw.edu.au/. Various exhibitions are upcoming as part of the presentation of artworks at The Armoury (until April 24), the Art Gallery of NSW (until May 15) and the Wollongong Art Gallery (22 April – 19 June).
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