“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” - Michelangelo. I explored self-creation and emancipation in my body of work, inspired by classical Greek and Roman marble sculptures of the perfected human form. The octopus, itself a symbol of creativity, is one of the few creatures that manipulates tools for its own benefit. The creature’s tentacles clasp the tools as it hews itself from the very stone that entraps or births it. My work pays homage to the idea that art imitates life. The search for perfection, which the ancients strove for, is still worthy of pursuit today.

My body of work uses structures to investigate the disparity between human agency – the ability individuals have to make their own choices – and influential elements such as social class, gender, religion and ethnicity. The work is a scathing social commentary on 'The Block', Redfern, owned by the Aboriginal Housing Company. An environment that was once filled with vibrancy and culture is now dedicated to new development plans. Using clay and ceramic construction I juxtaposed organic and geometric slab structures to create forms that represent the significance of the existing Indigenous and international communities as opposed to the new proposed development.

My body of work is a clear response to coral bleaching and plastic pollution in the ocean. My ceramic reef systems represent what's occurring all around the globe, with pieces of plastic making the imbalance between nature and manufactured waste evident. While maintaining visual appeal, the plastic stands as a cruel reminder of how the synthetic elements effortlessly intertwine with the organic construction of coral reefs. Glass marbles create depth in the crevices of my sculptures and, combined with the pieces of plastic, help the audience to visually recognise how coral starve, leaving their ‘bleached’ skeleton behind.

Fragility is a tribute to my grandfather, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It explores the complex and fragile state of the human mind, represented through the intricate form of entangled coils and precariously balanced brains in conjunction with a sense of leaching colour. My work expresses the sad reality of the effects of Alzheimer's, where the mind is slowly destroyed and only leaves a fragment of the person behind.

My body of work is a representation of the effects of Alzheimer's disease on both the individual affected and their surrounding family. I chose to use ceramics as my medium as the fragile, breakable material expresses the fragility of life and human connection. The decay of a person’s mind is represented in the form of a building being destroyed, while the collection of Polaroid photos and the sculpted hands give insight into my personal experience, having to witness my grandfather's decline due to this incurable disease.

The utilitarian nature of many everyday objects often masks the beauty in their form. In my body of work I question the unconscious differentiation that we make between art and household tools, highlighting the aesthetic details of these forms by removing them from their intended purpose. Liquid porcelain served as the perfect medium as it removed the transparency of glass, allowing the viewer to see past the objects' lines both physically and metaphorically. Porcelain also enabled me to add an unglazed surface to the works, thus removing their ability to function conventionally.

My body of work explores my personal experience of listening to the stories of my grandparents who left Latvia and emigrated to Australia. Nature is deeply embedded in Latvian culture; my family's surname is derived from the Latvian word for 'birch tree'. Thus, I have used the recurring motif of the birch tree to represent my family's narrative embedded in the landscape and history of Latvia. The symbols that make up the frames draw on Baltic mythology with particular reference to the sun, which signifies life, unity and the eternal.

My body of work highlights the overuse of plastic in modern food packaging. Society seems to place great value on single-use plastic, with supermarkets sheathing their products in it. By presenting these 'throwaway' items as my subject, using a traditional vanitas style and the medium of ceramics, I expose the ironies in how we collectively value plastic. By representing something like a chip bag in fastidious detail I place the significance of art on it, and position the viewer to consider the value they put on these items.

Sticks and Stones … is about racial discrimination. Influenced by Ben Quilty, Peter Sharp, John Coburn and Albert Tucker's works, I have used clay bones to represent the title. The sculpture represents the individual with a particular cultural background, with the 'skin' revealing words spoken by others, and the parrot signifying Australians. Each phrase identifies words spoken by bullies, the feelings that are felt and the words spoken by the mother. The shadow paintings represent the effect of time on the individual's growth and acceptance of their own identity.

I wanted my body of work to represent my culture so my teacher and I did some research and found out that the island I was from would be wiped out in about 50 years, so I wanted to share it around to let everyone know and to make a change.

My body of work is about being spiritually strong. I am proud to be a descendant of the oldest continuing culture in the world, Australia's original peoples / First Peoples of this country. Through photography and sculpture I have made a personal journey exploring my identity, learning about my Country, community, family law, sovereign knowledge, custodianship and expectations of my culture. It is my intention to have our culture and history, our place as this continent's First People, embraced and celebrated as a unique feature of this continent's story. To reclaim what we should never have lost or been denied – who I am.

Imagine if you could buy freedom? For some, the cost is much greater than for others. Gold is indicative of privilege, wealth, social class and freedom. Gold is also the colour of the thermal blankets that refugees drape themselves in. For refugees, gold is not a symbol to display their prosperity or liberty, but a tool for survival. Playing upon gold’s associations of commerce, celebrity and wealth, in jarring contrast to the plight of refugees, my body of work’s intent is to challenge the viewer by asking them to reconsider their understanding of the true value of freedom, and its cost.

The ways in which we recognise styles of artists and characteristics of iconic artworks are fundamentally by colour, shape and texture. For ArchModernist, I selected one modern artist and one modern/contemporary architect as inspiration for five original architectural designs to explore parallels in practices in the depiction of non-representative form. My body of work was created using laser-cutting technology and light and space to highlight the transcendence of concepts across artistic and architectural works. My work is a homage to modernists of both the art and architectural world, and establishes that there is a universal communication of ideas in the contemporary context.

My body of work has a refined, simple, weightless aesthetic that represents a harmonious marriage between modern technological advancement and an organic language of natural elements through form. These works are a dynamic sculptural form of architecture, indicating the possibilities for the design and construction of contemporary buildings. My intention is to design buildings that develop out of their natural surroundings, to promote greater coherence between the individual and their environment. All forms take on a minimalistic aesthetic using reductive design elements with minimal ornamentation, to return the audience’s focus to the natural composition of the land.

As we dive further into our technologically saturated world, the need to be constantly interconnected and perpetually engaged in a digital reality can overwhelm the individual. My body of work explores the sense of technological anxiety, constructing a narrative around our inability to escape total interconnection with our ‘digitality’. Through the use of hybrid form triptych stop-motion animation, the individual's conflict with our compulsion for media represents the larger social turmoil. Using elements of the Brechtian verfremdungseffekt [distancing effect] and visceral imagery, my intention is to activate awareness of our uncontrollable engagement, as we become consumed by our own innovation.

The mind is a cognitive faculty that houses the thoughts and consciousness of an individual. I was inspired by the metaphysical concept of mind­–body dualism that claims that the mind and the body are two distinct and separable factors. I have explored this dualism through psychological portraits, one physical and one non-physical, representing the impossibility of grasping the magnitude of our mind as it elaborates on itself continually. Thus, going further than biological knowledge, I challenge our perceptions of truly knowing those closest to us. I have used a mixed media approach to capture the complexities of the mind.

Artworks create a visual verse, with its metre found in tone and its lyrics in marks; it is a verse that translates the complex and ever-changing narrative of life for an immeasurable audience. In recording places of significance in my own life, my body of work reflects on the silent, almost subconscious, relationships that we each form with familiar spaces. Just as a medium is built up on paper, so too are meaningful memories layered through the making of marks. This work is intended to reacquaint you with a familiar space; somewhere that has stirred an emotion or left a lasting imprint on you.

My body of work intends to visually capture the collective experience of individual awareness and presence of mind. I was interested in the concept of ‘sonder’, the realisation that every other person has a life as vivid and complex as your own. I began to experiment with Indian ink and its fluid, spontaneous nature to represent the psychological and emotional state of each individual. Each portrait demands contemplation by the audience: a time to connect and engage with the shared human experience.

My body of work represents a genetic comparison of my father and grandfather. The work’s overbearing scale consumes audiences, allowing them to ‘step into the shoes’ of two remarkable men and develop a personal connection with them. My grandfather was a shoemaker.

My body of work explores the theme of my own LGBTQI+ identity. I chose this concept because I am constantly re-evaluating who I am or who I could be in relation to my own identity as well as my place within society, and considering how these re-evaluations are affected by the people around me. I used monochrome black and white to challenge the perception of identity as 'colourful' subject matter, turning it into something basic, requiring viewers to look deeper into the work. My intent is to represent how important your identity is to yourself, and how it may appear multifaceted yet simple to those around you.

After asking others about the meaning of my body of work, I have come to realise that its true meaning lies within your subjective interpretation – whether it be the fragility of memory; how friends can become fragments of a past life; the lifeless homogeneity of everyday life; the loss of individuality due to the pressures of a conformist society; or something else.

My body of work draws heavily on inspiration from popular culture: films like Mad Max and Transformers. Other influences include artworks by great artists such as Banksy, Kim Jung Gi and Brett Whiteley, as well as the heavily congested roadways of New South Wales. My artmaking processes were quite diverse, starting with large draft sketches on brown paper, then refining individual elements using digital means, and finally transferring each form onto card using pen and alcohol-based markers. I believe good entertainment leaves an audience with a lasting memory; the purpose of my work is to simply entertain, like a static, monochromatic action movie.

Within my body of work I have explored different aspects of consumerism and how it can affect individuals within society. Our society is fixated on short-term gratification and satisfaction. My intent was to represent how people are overly focused on materialism. All the clothes in my work were used or discarded items but I have given them further value beyond their initial purpose.

While shifts in the physical realm are defined and apparent, transitions in one's mental state are subtle. Yet these are the things that govern our outlook and, ultimately, the way we approach fleeting moments of solitude in our lives. In our increasingly urban environment, many people experience difficulty in attaining comfort when left to their own devices. Departure explores the psychological journey people embark on as they seek to face uncertainty with composure. The varying degrees of ease in each person’s facial expression and gestures during moments of mundanity and, seemingly, stagnancy represent how the ego manifests itself when a person is alone.

My body of work explores and appreciates the richness and perpetual beauty of the natural landscape by looking through the lens of texture and form. Threads of Nature represents the important and fragile, yet strong, elements of the landscape and their fundamental interconnectedness. We may not see and comprehend the layers of earth beneath the surface, but they work together to provide strength and resilience to support and balance the ever-powerful life force of nature that surrounds us.

My body of work is an abstract expressionist painting based on the concept of femininity, using conventional colours and feminine forms such as rounded curves, circles and organic lines. My influences are Georgia O'Keefe and Lee Krasner, both modernist, feminist, abstract painters working at a time dominated by male practitioners. The multilayered, textured surface of my painting coupled with the assembly of overlapping, sensual, curved shapes alludes to the many aspects of womanhood, and to the array of complex identities and representations within the realm of 'femaleness'. Ultimately, my painting is a tribute to female strength and empowerment, and a celebration of femininity.

For Paul Cézanne the most important thing in his paintings was the relationship between colours and forms in space, not the precise identities of these objects. I find Cézanne's work intriguing in the way that he uses simple representations to create a work of complexity through colour and shape. My body of work represents Cézanne's still-life painting, The Basket of Apples, in the physical plane while referencing his painting style. Cézanne aimed to create works of beauty from the ordinary. He once said, “With an apple, I will astonish Paris”, influencing modern art, and inspiring me.

Pulchra Tacita Caelum (Beautiful Silent Sky) provides an opportunity for the audience to view the fleeting qualities of the sky and clouds, and remember our sense of awareness in a world where we tend to keep our heads held low. My intent is to represent the ethereal tides of time through moments where the sky speaks a beauty that often goes unnoticed. It is my personal representation of an aesthetic but also a collective experience that individuals have with the heavenly allure of the sky. No matter the time or place, the sky is there, ever changing yet always the same.

My work is an expression of my affinity and love for the desert landscape, particularly Uluru. It also expresses my concern for the damage inflicted on our precious natural environment. It was a breathtaking experience standing at the base of Uluru – a solid and enduring site. Using both memory and my photographs, I painted my own representations of the landscape. The work explores the disparity between the earth's natural and enduring phenomenon of Uluru, where change occurs across millennia, with the ephemeral nature of our consumerist society. The title suggests a comparison of the naturally infinite with our increasingly finite resources.

It is in the natural order of things to grow and deteriorate. Everything is impermanent, even the eventual decay that we all face as humans. Trompe l'oeil represents the cyclical nature of life and death by drawing parallels between decayed still life and human deterioration. My intent is to challenge the basis of traditional vanitas art by subverting the notion of decay as a symbol of growth and new chapters. Using the transformative power of time as the foundation of my body of work, I express the transience of earthly elements and the impermanence of death in an ever-changing world.

In my body of work I have manipulated aerial photography of oceanic environments, taking the vast seascape and condensing it into a contained, reimagined space. My intent is to represent the impact of human activity, forever reducing our natural world. The topographical angle emphasises the surreal nature of the world, as well as its feminine characteristics. Conversely, the photographs also work to display the process of regeneration and growth, and how the ocean is a vessel for environmental rebirth.

My photographic skills are strongest when I have a deep connection with my subject matter. That is why I have based my body of work on my love for my grandparents and the love between them. My work explores the intimate relationship between my grandmother and grandfather. In an Asian household such as mine, people do not really say 'I love you', but express their love and affection through their actions, which sometimes can be taken for granted. My work is a short story representing different stages of my grandparents’ lives.

Humans are so involved with technology that we let our lives be run by it. As technology is controlled by a sequence of 1s and 0s, for my body of work I changed all of the numbers to binary to produce a simple spread of black and white inverted images. The work represents humanity’s toxic relationship with technology as well as showing how alike we all are, as each person photographed has a different nationality. My intent was to highlight that, while society attempts to define us by numbers, a number does not define who we are as people.

“In Hollywood, nobody knows anything.” William Golding While many chase the dream of becoming Hollywood-famous, they turn a blnd eye to the perspective that isn't so glamorous – or choose not to face it. Using the collodion wet plate process gave me a granular texture and chiaroscuro effect to express the sombre and poignant life of these icons and to represent the golden period of Hollywood. I matched each model to the costume and make-up that best suited them and their corresponding icon. William Goldman's quote resonated with my concept, not only because of what it says, but who he was – one of Hollywood's greatest scriptwriters.

My body of work explores the relationship between life and death while acknowledging the beautiful, inextricable link between the two.

My body of work comments on the impermanence of man made structures contrasted by the everlasting powerful ocean.

In my body of work I explored the creation of abstract worlds by focusing on small details within nature. Using macro photography, simple forms and colours emerged which reveal ambiguities and uncertainties about the subject matter. The texture of the fine art paper blurs the boundaries between photography and painting.

My body of work is about the displacement of a person’s identity when they are removed from a traditional homeland. Expressive lines carved into lino plates represent the figures of my grandfather and grandmother currently, and my grandfather in his youth. Using lino and carborundum printing as an exaggerating mechanism, I printed the portrait images onto tarlatan cloth in order to layer the images, creating a blurred multitude of faces and identities. Blurred movement indicates transportation, broadening the scale of identities degenerating as a result of war, specifically identifying the Yugoslav wars which stimulated the mass removal of civilians such as my grandparents.

I have used printmaking to explore ideas related to the cultural and physical site of Shanghai. It is a city that is constantly changing and evolving in our postmodern world. My body of work represents the ‘mashing together’ of past and present through a series of layered prints and woodblocks.

In my representations of an angler fish and squid/octopus, I include the defining features of each animal and leave the rest to the viewer’s imagination, mirroring the idea that the deep ocean can only be imagined by most people. My fascination with the ocean, fishing and sea life led me down this path. I found the mediums of metal and charcoal most effective, and used welding to create solid single-piece forms, representing the smooth and streamlined surfaces of the creatures. By heat treating the metal I was able to attain an iridescent effect to express the colour-changing qualities of the squid.

They are the curious, sometimes frightening, sometimes humorous creatures that inhabit Gothic architecture. And they are now making appearances in 21st century buildings. If Sydney Harbour Bridge had a gargoyle, it may look like this.

Biomimicry: designing new products using patterns and strategies that occur in nature. The inspiration for my body of work was the form of viruses, bacteria and cancer cells as viewed under an electron microscope. Struck by the simple purity of the forms within the surrounding environment, I represented what I saw as an investigation of form and space. I pushed the medium of tissue paper to its limits, creating organic forms from geometric shapes. Through manipulation, the material transcends the world of the organic and metamorphic, taking on its own lifeform and transforming into biomimicry.

Escaping the Psychle explores the limitations of human thought and the notion of a universal consciousness that traps us within a cycle of thought, limiting us from being able to think freely. Using light, scale and unconventional metallic sculpting materials I have overcome the physical limits of the sculptural medium, creating a kinetic sculpture which represents the mental entrapment that we all face. The deliberate incorporation of the symbolic human figure and over sixty unique cog designs invites the audience to visualise this subconscious entrapment, prompting the question, 'How do we escape the Psychle?'

My body of work explores art’s traditional interest with intimate feminine moments, while also considering the voyeuristic undercurrent present in many artworks featuring female nudes. Motivated by the consistent and perhaps invasive portrayal of the female form throughout art history, I used a variety of materials to re-imagine, subvert, confront and re-contextualise the way the female form has been represented by artists such as Rodin, Degas and Brian Dunlop. I then constructed the relief sculpture to introduce a concrete representation of the male gaze.

My body of work represents the process of restoration occurring in my homeland of Afghanistan. Just as nature can flourish and overcome the destruction caused by war, wild flora and mushrooms emerge from within the cracks of each broken ceramic. In the Japanese Kintsugi technique of mending broken things with gold, the cicatrix of each piece becomes a thing of beauty. I was inspired by Frida Kahlo's own exploration of her cultural heritage, my work embodying the hope that one day Afghanistan will regain its rich culture. As humans, it is inevitable that we encounter adversity. However, through this we can find a new form of beauty and healing.

Many people have to leave their home country and live in a culture completely foreign to them. This is the concept behind my body of work, but it was a difficult concept to physically represent. I had to experiment with different ideas to find the right balance of emotional depth and familiarise the audience with the reality that such people face. The range of difficulties that I experienced include: bubbles in the epoxy resin; creating a clay mould for the concrete; the bronzing of the tiny woman as it was such a small object to bronze; using the laser cutter to print the maps.

Yōkai are a class of supernatural monsters, spirits and demons from Japanese folklore. They range from the malevolent to the mischievous, occasionally bringing good fortune to those who encounter them. They are often used to explain supernatural or unaccountable phenomena and I believe they reflect many of the characteristics of the human heart and human nature. My sculptures are based on the Kappa, Tengu and Oni Yōkai. I have used dry needle felting and wet felting techniques to create my sculptures out of wool roving.

My body of work, a six-minute experimental video, takes the traditional Greek myth of Narcissus into a futuristic context. It critiques contemporary society and our values in relation to human connections, relationships and the universal human experience of Love. CTRL+C follows the story of a protagonist searching to find their perfect love in a virtual world. However, what happens if your perfect match is a better version of yourself ­– what if it is a digital clone of yourself? The storyline uses metaphor to criticise the significance of 'human relationships' in a world of moral decay.

My body of work is a visual collage of my identity, represented through self-portraits in varying media, and in various idle animations. The work exposes my own insecurities and indecisiveness around self-expression and the act of creating something to be viewed. My initial aversion to painting a self-portrait is the main reason that I created multiples, with each figure expressing a different emotional response to being on display. Through the repeated reworking and erasing of each piece, imprints of the previous layer are left behind, and inform what comes next.

As technology integrates itself within all aspects of human life through social media platforms and the like, the notion of a 'digital identity' has steadily become more elaborate. This has given rise to global concerns about the loss of privacy through surveillance by governments and other controlling structures. My body of work is an interactive mirror that represents these forces by reconstructing the environment in various digital forms and continuously surveying your movements. We wilfully ignore the danger to our privacy and freedom posed by these social platforms, as our comfortable dependence on these digital constructions has taught us to not think twice about it.

Homage to Heritage explores my mother’s journey of exile from the war in Sudan to Australia. Each pot represents a different country throughout the journey, from Sudan to Egypt to Australia. For many in the Sudanese community this is a common experience. The main purpose of my body of work is to educate. The structure of the pots expresses the conflict and separation of the war in Sudan and the difficulties of transition and change through Egypt and Australia. The abstract snake on each of the pots refers to African culture as well as indicating my totem animal.

Last Chapter explores the heavy effects of consumerist society on evolution and the natural environment. In today’s world there is constant debate about climate change and the effects of modern society upon the natural world. In my body of work I represent the path of human history and its current trajectory, through the environments that supported this journey of human evolution, into a dark and unnerving environment shaped by today’s society.

My body of work expresses moments in time; interior scenes with objects that people placed sentimental value on, but are now left to simply ‘gather dust’ due to the constant sense of urgency in society which forces us to abandon these things and pursue what capitalism deems to be more worthwhile. The clock, antiques and other ordinary items represent the substance of the subject who is absent from the scene. The vintage aesthetic further references the concept of time passing. Gathering Dust explores the lingering human imprint of stillness and reflection without the actual presence of people.

Using the medium of stone sculpture, Reclining Figure represents the human figure in an abstract, distorted form. Properties of natural forms – shells, bones, eroding rocks – influenced its shape, and contrast with sharp contemporary lines in reference to modern architectural landscapes. My body of work comments on abstraction itself: beauty is found in the ‘randomness’ of natural structures and daily existence. It represents attributes of the human form literally and figuratively, exploring ideas of the ‘internal landscape’ of the human mind and the contortion of the psyche. This work uses the human figure as an organic, sculptural expression of the mind.

The ocean’s process is a ‘dynamic equilibrium’. Always changing, with a constant balance. For my body of work, I focused on a place where the ocean meets the land and created an ocean panorama consisting of aerial photography and painting. My mixed media works use a variety of painting techniques and incorporate resin that is traditionally used for commercial purposes. My intent was to create rich, layered and expressive surfaces that capitalise on the clarity and luminosity of resin to produce brilliance and depth.

Over time, our world has been modernised through innovations and industrialisation which burden and disregard the natural environment. My body of work, Gaia Blossom, uses both organic and manufactured materials to explore the intricate balance between the natural and industrial worlds. My intent is to bring attention to the presence of industrialisation in our society, and how it affects the beauty of the natural environment and society’s connection to nature itself. I have woven the colour green through each piece to represent the natural world in contrast to the cold metallic elements. A delicate nature is still retained.

Influenced by Romantic ideals, my body of work subverts historical perceptions of the divine natural landscape to express a contemporary view of the consequences of our consumerist society on nature subsequent to the Industrial Revolution. In my work, natural elements are constrained by humanity’s artificial creations. Through the use of synthetic materials and the inherent deconstruction and reconstruction of collage my intent was to reveal the reality of contemporary nature, where plastic waste and landfill have tarnished the grandeur of the divine landscape. What humans once sought to conquer is now destroyed.

Our memories are what define us, but what happens when they are shattered as a result of trauma? Memory’s fragility means it is subject to loss and distortion, affecting one’s perception of both past and present identity. My intent was to explore how the brain copes with suffering through a detachment from the external self. My personal experience of dissociative disorder has left me struggling to put the shattered pieces of the past together again. What is left of these fleeting and fragmented memories is presented to the audience as the sparse remnants of a stable sense of self.

Inspired by my studies of Bill Henson’s use of dark moody lighting, my original intent was to express the personalities and moods of my dogs in a similar manner. However, during some exploratory concept drawings with charcoal, I decided to work with charcoal on fabric and to extend and develop my ideas to represent our family as a whole, complete with moods, personalities and the strong bonds between us. I retained a monochromatic colour scheme but focused on the bright, more joyful and quirky nature of my world. The resultant body of work reveals the real bosses of our home.

'To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don’t grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.' Alan Watts

I swim during times of angst. I have discovered that water is like life: sometimes peaceful and comforting, sometimes overwhelming and imprisoning. In my body of work I explore feelings of intensity and awe, representing these majestic forces through chiaroscuro and negative space on scratchboard. Is every decision we make as unforgiving as a scratch on board? I watch the bubbles flowing upwards. Breathe.

All fragile beginnings brim with potential to be perfectly equipped for survival. My body of work is a compilation of drawings and prints exploring birds – their feathers, beaks and claws – examining how this potential can be fulfilled and how transformations and mutations may lead to the death of nature.

My body of work, A Family Lunch, is a playful way to address the cyclical nature of human life. These colourful ceramic pieces represent the endless ebb and flow of life. I chose clay sculpture as a medium as it gave me the opportunity to mould many varying forms, and I was able to use a range of glazes to differentiate the pieces from each other and each life stage. The circular presentation is reminiscent of the twelve positions of the hands of a clock, referring to the endless nature of time as family members are born, grow and die.

The perception of self is commonly associated with insecurity and our individual flaws. We often do not recognise our own weaknesses, and that the emotion that grips our minds is fear. This emotion hinders our perception of ourselves and destroys our inner peace. Incorporating self-portraits into my body of work confronted my own insecurity, exposing perceived flaws and imperfections in my appearance. By using chiaroscuro – contrasting tones of light and dark with the black background – my intent is to create a confronting space of vulnerability and sensitivity to fear, imperfection and anxiety for subjective interpretation.

After seeing the effects that the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires of late 2019 to early 2020 had on the natural Australian landscape, I felt compelled to explore this event. Through an abstracted style, placing particular attention on the blackened tones and scorched texture of the land, my intent was to evoke a mood of reflection in the audience. I worked with charcoal on paper, using actual charcoal gathered from burnt sites to highlight the physical and conceptual materiality of the medium.

My body of work is a physical exploration of something intangible – the hidden components of identity. I used charcoal pencils on watercolour paper to have the full spectrum of dark and light to express soft and dramatic forms with strong contrasting tones as well as subtle areas of gradation. This represents the hidden truths and layers of an individual’s identity with its many shades of grey. I used the side pages of a book to create the same linear qualities evident in the masked portraits, playing with the idea that ‘you can’t read a book by its cover’.

All Australians are affected by the harsh and diverse environment and natural disasters for which Australia is famous. The severe bushfires at the start of 2020 and the following floods which ravaged the Australian landscape had an impact on everyone, even those who weren’t close to the disasters. Within my body of work, my intent was to explore the ways in which these events affected everyone. I chose to do a large scale graphite drawing to incorporate details within the work that represent the physical, mental and emotional effects of these natural disasters.

When we reach the end of our lives, what is it that we leave behind that shows we were really once here? When we are gone, were all the years poured into our education really worth it? The Silent Cry of the Educated Dead represents the endless cycle of productivity over individuality, created as a result of the institutionalised education system. Is the value of a human life the sum of their achievements, or have we missed something crucial?

My body of work is an intuitive and personal exploration of the Australian natural landscape. The complex character of this environment is represented in the layers of rich and varying shapes, tones and textures in the work. Eco-dying is used to express this foundationally, as locally-found organic material imbues the paper with a distinctive Australian colour palette and unique, natural abstractions. Stitching and drawing similarly represent the landscape’s complexity in their integration into the papers; they express the detailed, textured intricacies which supplement the larger shape and colour of our beautiful, Australian ecosystem.

I am interested in drawing both film noir gangster films and birds, so my body of work combines these interests. I have inserted birds into various film noir scenes, dressed as characters from those scenes. I have used different lighting settings in the scenes, with environments ranging from well-lit to almost completely dark. In this work I focused on improving my tonal drawing skills. Over the course of creating my work, my skills and knowledge around effectively creating tonal drawings progressed much further than I expected.

As human beings we learn that suffering is inevitable. We are slaves to our own desires, perceptions and thoughts, bound by the transience of mortality. Each figure represented in my body of work is incognito, with the intent of creating an unsettling sense of ambiguity, prompting the audience's interpretation through personal experiences of restriction and/or suffering. Surreal objects are presented suspended in the air, appearing at once hopeful and vaguely ominous. While there may be freedom in humanity we are ultimately imprisoned by the foreboding force of our passing from this Earth... from the light into the shadows.

PHILTATOS: The most beloved by far explores a historical account of cautionary love and loss, a tale of two heroes – Achilles and Patroclus. My body of work references frescos of Ancient Greece with neo-classical symbolism and a colour palette of earthy golden hues. Reminiscent of animated film stills, the highly emotive imagery represents an intense human connection that is still criticised by sectors of society in our modern world.

In my body of work, my intent was to explore my bittersweet childhood and identity, in particular my relationship with my family and home country. The porcelain represents my heritage and connection with Shanghai, which I consider ‘home’. The distorted shapes of the ceramics simultaneously represent my struggle growing up in a one-parent household and my disconnection from my father and his birthplace, Taiwan. The ceramic plates integrate the Japanese repair technique of kintsugi, representing the development of my own character. All of these influences have been extremely significant in my life, and have contributed to who I am today.

In my body of work I explored the internalised emotions associated with bereavement. My innate and deep desire to come to terms with the death of my father (in 2008 when I was 5 years old) inspired my investigation of this concept. Each teapot, through form, surface texture, colour and relative scale, represents a single or a combination of emotions and feelings experienced in grieving, such as anguish, devastation, frustration, guilt, loss of innocence, collision between parental nurturing and the brutal reality of death.

To many, the space of a home provides comfort and belonging – a sanctuary within the currents of our everyday life. So where do we seek refuge when our home is uncertain? My body of work represents the ephemeral sense of ‘home’ experienced by those residing on the streets. Employing the fragile canvas of cardboard boxes, my work challenges the concept of an abode of safety which we as fortunate audiences are accustomed to. My intent is to evoke a renewed appreciation for the walls that innately protect and reassure us.

The Shed represents the essence of mateship, shared purpose and contribution to the community in the lives of five men in their later years. Painted realistically to fully express their authenticity, my body of work is mounted using the very materials used by these men. Within the men’s shed they find belonging, friendship and an outlet for creativity with a practical purpose. Separate individuals, drawn together through their common goals and passion for working with wood, they skilfully shape this material and in turn shape their own wellbeing.

Taking a reductionist approach, my body of work, Distillations of Memory and Place, is a series of abstract landscapes representing the essential elements of line, colour, form and texture of the natural environment. I was inspired by the coastal environment that surrounds me. My intent was to express the organic lines and textures that occur naturally by identifying the crucial elements of the environment. In developing my work I realised that perhaps they are not abstract landscapes at all, as they represent the landscape as it truly is, just distilled.

Amar Kotha honours women who live at the edge of society and continue the fight for dignity and respect, yet are rarely ever placed within the world’s limelight. Society has failed to recognise the bravery and strength that women in the South Asian region maintain, despite the adversity they face. My body of work pays tribute to the mothers, sisters and daughters who continue to endure the many prescribed roles within their society, with the intent of defying the limited image of fragility that surrounds their femininity. Painting with oils represents the powerful yet nurturing presence that women have.

My body of work explores how even fragmentary memories can be valuable for shaping identity. The work represents the urban scenery of Beijing and my internalised perception of the city and its people. The tall wooden blocks represent skyscrapers on which I have superimposed, in contrast with their sharp rectilinear geometric outlines, images that represent my personal memories of the past, expressing my deep connection to place despite its change. The wooden blocks are also a reference to toy blocks for toddlers and past memories – which may be foreign and alienating for postmodern individuals occupied with personal concerns.

My body of work, Gugaa (Goanna), is a large work using traditional Aboriginal storytelling and Indigenous patterning. My family background is from western NSW so this work expresses ideas and concepts that link to the Dreamtime and connect to my cultural identity. For this work I used traditional techniques and colours of the earth and sky including black, white, grey, yellow and red. The goanna is a sacred Wiradjuri totem and is a direct link to my attachment to Country.

A billabong is a stationary body of backwater, frequently the heart and soul of nature for the surrounding area, enabling new life to start and old life to be sustained. It is part of the regenerative cycle where water is the epicentre of life. My body of work explores the clash of regenerative and self-destructive forces in Australian nature. Australian habitats are constantly alternating between destructive and regenerative cycles – one cannot function without the other, just like beginning cannot exist without end, light without dark and life without death. Prosperity and life flourish through a thick layer of ash.

Scent is the most complex, powerful and precise sense we have, always attached to emotion. One whiff of my mother's perfume brings dormant memories back to me. My body of work uses still life bottles of perfume to represent the intricate identity and nature of the intimacy I have with those closest to me. As the audience engages with my work, smelling the perfume strips, they are offered an intimate insight into my relationships while triggering their own associations and memories. The work also references COVID-19, an early symptom of which is loss of smell, depriving us of intimacy.

My body of work explores the complexities of identity which extend beyond a physical image to ask whether we can truly know others. Inspired by classical works of old masters, I united traditional realism and abstract oil painting techniques. My intent is to expose how individuals can manipulate how they present themselves to others. In expressing our innermost thoughts, opinions, needs and desires we can break the facade we hide behind which distorts how we are perceived. My work questions what we really know about others, and expresses the depth of a person behind what you see ‘at face value’.

My body of work explores my studio and artmaking processes. I focused on portraiture as a means of investigating the soul's, or the artist's, intimate relationship with the canvas, as well as referencing Renaissance artists such as Goya and Caravaggio whose influence and use of chiaroscuro greatly inspired me and my practice. Using mirrors and lighting to add greater depth and perspective, I invite the audience to place themselves in the studio, and to appreciate and explore the setting beyond what is seen on the canvas.

The issues and ideas I explored in my body of work were inspired by the video game Journey. This is the classic hero’s journey that is found throughout our culture. My intent was to represent a 2D fantasy world in 3D form. Fantasy and science fiction themes in mediums such as video games, books and movies have always fascinated me. I am currently developing a video game so this informed my practice in the handbuilding of City of Clay. My intent is to give the audience a unique experience as if they were a part of this virtual world.

Memories, big or small, are kept and stored in the heart of our minds and can remain with us for eternity. My body of work was inspired by the memories I’ve created with my grandma, who has cared for me from a very early age. I associate many of my memories of my time with her with objects from her home. They may look ordinary to a stranger’s eye, but they hold a very personal meaning for me.

My body of work expresses a personal disillusionment with conservative Chinese values that are, in my own experience, too polarised to reconcile with my experience as a second-generation immigrant. I have explored the resultant profound anxiety and self-hatred through the appropriation of religious imagery, using the division between ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’, and the image of Confucius, whose teachings are engraved on the consciousness of every East-Asian person. The work represents how the traditional values that emphasise societal conformity and filial piety, resulting in the unambiguous distinction between ‘moral’ and ‘immoral’, become a condemnation of individual expression.

In my body of work, Proof of life, I explored the effect of the repetitive nature of everyday activities on the human experience. The work was influenced by the time spent in isolation during COVID-19, when we carried out the same activities every day. Each piece represents two sides of the same activity: the left side is before it has happened, and the right side is the aftermath. This work was shot on medium format film on my Mamiya rz67 in my dad’s house. I chose film because it produces better quality images, and to create a timeless feel.

My body of work is a series of photographs studying the metaphysical. This branch of philosophy explores the fundamental nature of our reality as humans, especially the relationships between mind and matter, and potentiality and actuality. I took inspiration from dreams as they are examples of our minds exploring potentiality and ignoring actuality, allowing us to briefly experience a world of transcendency and imagination. To create this work I took photographs of my classmates through various water-based filters to distort their images, much like what happens in a dream, therefore exploring the metaphysical.

We can see the significance of life and the experiences we encounter through the land we stand on. Terra Firma uses various perspectives to explore the reality of the barren, rural landscape. In the triptych copper plate intaglio etchings I allude to hardships which we have experienced collectively through fires, droughts and floods. I represent the strength within the environment, and the need to be resilient, through abandoned homesteads and desolate, vast landscapes. Contemporary photographic slides represent travel through the landscape as if through an eagle’s eye, providing a visual lens for the audience as they travel across ‘terra firma’.

The concept for my body of work was to explore how individuals live within a family. Using the framing of a triptych I represent separate personalities coexisting as a collective. I have integrated my personal understanding of Australian households and the roles that accentuate the dissonance between each character’s personality. The representation of my family incorporates elements of Christian iconography, using the symbolism of the power of ‘three’ to express a collective identity through individuality. I used printmaking to explore the negative and positive space within a composition and to tell a story which is unique yet familiar.

Memories give our lives meaning, depth and significance, which in turn elicit emotions and ground us in reality. Growing up in a world of turmoil and an overdependence on technology means real unedited and unfiltered memories provide constancy in our lives, a reality check of where we’ve come from, who we are now, and where we’re going. My body of work is a contemporary exploration of an unchanging landscape using various printmaking techniques to give rise to multiple textural interpretations and perspectives. It represents the timelessness of memories and the importance they have in shaping our lives.

The human species considers itself the dominant species, superior in every way, the apex predator. As humans we can critically think, analyse, act accordingly, construct languages, tools, cities and more. However, some still seek to further improve the human species through the manipulation of our DNA. They attempt to forcefully cut, paste and rearrange our incredibly complex structures. Messing with six million years of evolution surely doesn’t come without devastating complications, horrific failures and hideous experimentation. It’s not natural. Why mess with perfection? My body of work explores, through exaggeration, the confronting nightmarish failures and consequences of severe gene alteration.

My intent in my body of work was to explore how plant-like structures can be manipulated to shape and bend their directional growth. Using the malleable properties of wax I melted and shaped ‘branches’ supported with wire bones to build abstract structures that defy nature’s normal patterns, then incorporated elements of wire and bindings to restrict and encourage altered growth. The direction that each branch takes is affected by these constraints just as experiences alter one’s path in life.

I am drawn to the genre of still life by its subjectivity, forcing viewers to impose their perspective on the work. Wood carving, like a still life, is static, and creates a ‘snapshot’ of a time so we never forget. It is unique in that the artist is taking away, not adding on. My body of work represents my personal Year Twelve experience. Spending hours at the workbench, I began to notice the connection between time falling away and the shavings of jelutong collecting beneath my feet, making me acutely conscious of my position in and the passage of time.

I have explored an expressionist form of portraiture in a non-conventional medium to represent how the influence of the subconscious governs our individual perspectives. For my body of work I followed impulse and instinct, rather than predetermined design. Doing this allowed me to create characters whose features, expressions and personalities were determined by my own subconscious desires. For each viewer, each face will hold a different meaning, disposition and temperament. My intent was to demonstrate and critique the power of our own subconscious and pre-existing dispositions, beliefs and values in creating bias when confronted with ‘the new’ and ‘the different’.

On the cusp of the scientific discoveries of the 18th century, cabinets of curiosities were a precursor to what we now think of as modern museums. They were personal collections of exotic objects (botany, antiquities, astronomy etc), gathered from around the globe that told a story about the world and its history. Grounded in my love for order and categorising, my body of work is a stand-alone interactive sculpture that invites the audience to explore the almost forgotten art of collecting and presenting objects. While it references the scientific method, it also tells a story through themes that resonate personally.

The concept for my body of work stemmed from the Australian bushfires and their effect on nature. I find interest in the natural world and how industrialised societies destroy their environment. My work represents the effect human structures have on their environment, where the natural surroundings are pillaged by the development of industrial and domestic architecture. The ceramic pots create the organic shapes and textures of the natural environment while the wood, rope and metal components represent industrial structures. My work comments on the effect of modern society’s inventions and how they mould and reshape the earth.

My body of work is about finding my cultural identity. Travelling to central Australia was a major inspiration for my work and the elements embedded in it. Aunties and uncles, especially teacher Maree Warford, introduced me to this medium and it quickly became a focus for my cultural identity. This encouraged me to venture deeper into the various forms of Indigenous art.

My aim with Simultaneity is to leave you with more questions than answers. The truth is, we know nothing about anything as our everything could be nothing. So who are we to give answers to the questions life throws at us? Time dictates everything we do. Everything is driven by time, yet we don’t even know what time is. As Aristotle said, ‘Time is the most unknown of all unknown things.’ The more questions you ask, the more questions you will find, and the fewer answers you will have. Good luck finding your way out of this rabbit hole.

My body of work represents gluttony in contemporary culture. I used stop motion, taking one photo every 6 seconds, and added over 130 individual sound effects and foley sounds. I was influenced by the vanitas style in traditional paintings and contemporary photography as well as a genre of online videos called Mukbang (Korean for ‘eating show’), where people consume massive amounts of food for viewers to watch. My intent is for my work to be alluring yet disturbing; for the viewer to be confronted by the menu, but also relate to it, to see my opinion on greed and vanity.

The Final Act explores the life cycle through ballet: life as a continuous dance. Ballet shoes and ribbon reference delicacy and femininity and the ephemeral nature of humanity, while jewels represent the ever-lasting legacy each individual leaves to the world and future generations. I express continuity between the past and the present by contrasting the use of biro, a contemporary medium, with the traditional hand embroideries, and through the black and white colour palette to represent reminiscence and fading memories. My intent is to suggest that everyone we meet has lived a life we know nothing about.

My body of work is a look into architectural interiors, providing a perspective on reality and abstraction through materials, colour, depth and texture.

Through the microcosm of each ceramic sculpture, my body of work represents our fragile and diminishing sense of connection within the contemporary world, where society’s stereotypes provide unrealistic representations of individuals. Simultaneously, by focusing on women, it explores the perception of women within art and society. Using visually exaggerated elements I examine how individuals are viewed, constantly subjected to discrimination based on size, weight and appearance. Experimenting with the impact of perspective, my intent is to emphasise the importance of self-acceptance by provoking reflection on how changing our point of view affects authentic experience.

My body of work uses the Great Barrier Reef to reference the crisis of climate change and how it is affecting the whole world. The three white coral porcelain hearts and three white porcelain organic forms represent the human connection to the earth and how we are dying with the coral. The felt ‘cushion’ is inspired by the beautiful colours evident in a healthy coral reef and the three mixed media works express the colours of the coral reef and textures seen at a microscopic level. My intent is for the viewer to ponder their own role in climate change.

The concept behind my body of work was to use clay forms to explore the beauty of the Australian landscape, and particularly a journey up the coast. As a young girl growing up I spent my holidays at Seal Rocks with my family and my intent was to further explore those memories. My work includes a range of clay making techniques including wheel throwing, coil building and slip casting. My passion for ceramics flourished when I went on a road trip up the west coast and discovered a deeper appreciation for the Australian bush and wildlife.

Based on my experiences with swimming, Entropy examines the feelings of anxiety, stress and physical pressure associated with competitive sport. My body of work explores various interpretations of physical and psychological confusion. I used textiles, paint, graphite and ink to represent the sensation of pain, and textiles to express the feeling of being underwater. Through the chaotic drawings and series on wood I investigated the physical exertion of the body. The abstract forms and rough-hewn edges are intended to represent a person whose mental state is in turmoil.

My body of work represents the birth of a new era where dynamic and limitless thinking will shape the future of architecture. Made with laser-cut technology, my works are multi-dimensional, referencing their contemporary context as well as fragments of the past. They explore the dramatic interplay between space and light, with the intent that their abstract forms and delicate shadows create a powerful presence from the auras of individuals, structures and the environment. Powerful yet weightless, reflections of both the viewer and the surrounding landscape can be seen in my work, inspiring a sense of harmony and awareness.

Ignota Vivere (Unknown life) is a series of crocheted sculptures representing imagined marine organisms. It examines the potential for discovery in our oceans. Currently, scientists know of around 226 000 marine species. However, there are anywhere between a few hundred thousand to a few million more to be discovered. In amalgamating the manufactured with the organic I express the power organisms have to adapt to changes in their environment and even thrive under new conditions. In using the form of a museum exhibit my intent is to display the creatures as rare scientific specimens.

My body of work, The Pillars of Man, started with a question: What makes a face ‘classic’? To answer this question I combined the modern and the classical in my work to represent contemporary models and historic sculptures. While there was no single answer to my question, I found myself contemplating the concepts of structure, strength and perfection. Structure came through my medium, with the permanence of each pen mark. Strength was expressed through the subjects, whether in stature or physical form. Perfection, naturally, is what I strive for in my work.

My body of work investigates the natural, physical and metaphorical properties of flora as I am attracted to the aesthetics of this subject. The work represents the complexity and interconnectedness of systems in nature by exploring the patterns and repetition I have observed. I used pencil work to express the individual details and vibrancy of the flowers, accentuating the flow and movement of colour across the drawings.

Surfing and the ocean are some of the most important things in my life so they inspired my body of work. Surfing is not only a place of escape but a lifestyle. My work expresses the idea that surfing has progressed throughout history from being a male pastime to a professional sport, and is now a way of life for all ages and genders. The elements that make this possible are represented in my work, including the surfboard, sand, water and wetsuit, and the mindset that enables us to experience the creations of the ocean.

The internet was an escape from reality, but now reality is an escape from the internet. Connection explores the erosion of social connection in a world where smartphones have become all-pervasive. Through my body of work I confront audiences and challenge their endless appetite for digital immersion. My monochromatic digital drawings represent distracted inner-city dwellers detached from their surroundings. My intent is for my work to show digital connectivity as an addiction, to signal a demand that we defend the autonomy of our attention.

Cambodia appears to be a nation of charming and confounding people, but look deeper and it is a country of contradictions. Light and dark, rich and poor, old and young, traditional and contemporary. Most telling of all is the evidence of the nation’s tragic past set against the splendours of its present. My body of work represents a collection of postcards detailing every aspect of Khmer life, as a tribute to all Cambodians. An offering of pride, a message of hope, with a measure of admiration for my culture and its history. A love letter to the Kingdom of Wonder.

Reflecting on the past, using the aesthetics of monochrome, I’ve explored the central aspects of South Korean society in my ‘triptych’ body of work. The work represents my personal experiences in South Korea with the title, Origins, emphasising my deep connection to the country. It is my central concept as I spent the first eight years of my life there. The small details integrated into the work are intended to engage the audience to look deeper to find small details and ‘Easter eggs’ that provide slight and subtle insights into my own specific life.

My body of work documents my exploration of the loss inflicted by the 2019 – 20 bushfires. My intent was to understand how this devastation of species and communities has become insignificant, layered below conflicting human narratives surrounding climate change, inaction, risk, future human and environmental needs. I pulped materials from the fires – charcoal, ash, earth, pages of research, newspaper articles – into paper, tonally recreating each area I had visited – the white of ash, black of burnt surroundings. The resulting material tangibly represented my concept, where I could see all the conflicting narratives tangled like marks left on a scribbly gum.

Why do I feel at my best when I am under the sea? Sacré is a representation of my human response to being in the ocean: my connection to the ocean and how it makes me feel mentally and physically. My body of work was designed as an immersive installation, set up on the beach to explore the multi-sensory experience of being by the sea. I chose to call it Sacré because being under water, in this way, is a sacred experience for me. It feels like home, my safe place.

My body of work explores the current sense of apathy regarding the climate crisis. Using stop-motion animation I represent two diametrically opposed processes: a manufactured machine that contributes to the ruination of the Earth; and a natural ecosystem that works as a filter and serves to protect the Earth. My intent is to condemn rapacious modern consumerism and its resulting negligence of the exponential degradation of the natural world, and to offer a reminder of the ways in which the Earth works to undo the harm we inflict upon it.

Inspired by perspectives and how they affect the expression of emotions, I used techniques of angles and body language in my body of work to represent the negative spaces between social performance and duty. My work explores themes of feminism, domestic stereotypes and mental illness indirectly by using a private setting, where a person is often left to their own thoughts and prospects of nihilism, self-realisation and physical detachment. My intent was to create an intimate and vulnerable conversation between the work and the viewer.

My intent in Sunlight Dwells in the Familiar is to celebrate everyday life through a joyous array of vibrant colours. As beings that thrive on variety, it’s natural to become jaded and uninspired in our daily routines. We look forward to events outside the ordinary as an escape from the mundane. My body of work challenges the viewer to admire the beautiful little pockets of sunlight that dwell within their own familiar setting, to be present and recognise the excitement and growth that can be found today, whether you are in a place of familiarity or uncharted territory.

Our hands connect us to the world around us. We remain curious about the world, we connect with others. We build, create and leave our mark on the world. But our touch also grants us an ability to hurt and destroy: our ability to build and create comes at a cost to the Earth and its inhabitants. Through the expressive posing of hands and detailed drawing in ballpoint pen, I intend to show the permanence of our lives and the impact we have, not only on the physical Earth but also on others.

My intent with my body of work was to connect the audience, the work and nature through visual ambiguity. Manipulating the process of cyanotype printing by introducing materials such as cleaning agents, oxides and dirt, I produced gestural prints and photographs that can be seen as abstracted topographical views of Australian landscapes. This gives the audience the power to add their own meaning and imagine their own landscape. Displaying both the cyanotype prints and photographs of the cyanotypes developing in the sun, I express the ever-changing nature of the cyanotype as a parallel with our ever-changing climate.

My body of work examines my personal experience of moving countries. I have had to dismantle, re-shape and build up my life again, making it a jumble of identity, culture and expectations. My work combines aesthetics and conventions to explore how I’ve constructed identity from influences such as memories, people, language or the environment. The birds represent my struggle with these changes; they migrate and travel, yet they grow and are nurtured in a stationary nest. Representing these different houses as travelling machines expresses how my ‘nests’ have had to become mobile in order to meet my changing identity.

My body of work is a representation of the duality present in human society, and the blending of polar opposites. The individual meaning of each piece, however, much like tarot cards, is up to your interpretation.

I’ve always been passionate about stories that combine a modern urban setting with fantasy elements. The setting and characters in my body of work are part of a personal project which I have expressed online, and my process of creation was inspired by the community of online digital comic artists who explore similar passions. I experimented with several palettes and poses until I arrived at something I’m happy with. Overall, this was a special work for me.

In Nothing to See my intent was to examine society’s ignorance and constant denial when faced with subjects of mental health. The protagonist in my body of work is a girl who can see peoples’ emotions as monstrous manifestations. She refuses to acknowledge her decaying world as she is perpetually haunted by her mental demons. My work represents a secretive world in which the individual needs to explore many layers to realise what's truly beneath.

My body of work, Backyard Ramble, was inspired by the wild bushland that I have grown up with. I always find the bush centres me as I ramble through the disordered beauty of its chaotic colours and unique flora. My intent in using a pointillist, impressionist style in small-scale works was to express the delicate details of colour and light, and the intimacy I feel with nature. The linear curation of my works imposes an element of order within the disorder, as if I’m opening a pathway through the bush, for the audience to ramble visually through my work.

My body of work, Fibro Abstractions, Richmond, consists of a large acrylic painting, three multi-plate collagraphs and three small ceramic forms. The work explores the forms, shapes and patterns of fibro houses in a Richmond streetscape, layering strong abstract forms with references to iconic features such as wire screen doors, awnings, verandahs and brickwork. I am interested in modernist abstraction and focused on the unique colours, shapes and textures of these houses’ era. My intent was to express the beauty of our ordinary suburban landscape, which is often overlooked.

In my body of work I explore the sublime qualities of the beauty of Australia. My work is a dynamic blend of representation and exaggeration, where the natural world is expressed through colours that emphasise the need to redefine our relationship with the land. By distorting reality, my intent is to encourage the viewer to appreciate nature’s power and the beauty of the Australian landscape, but also to create a catalyst for imagination and emotion.

Collision: Fragments of Cobalt explores the misalignment between perceptions of the self and reality. In my body of work, I express my own transcultural experiences to reach a deeper understanding of self and connectivity to culture. The traditional Chinese and Vietnamese motifs pay homage to an integral part of my identity that often collides with the Western world. Ceramic fragments represent the fragility of our internal world, while distorted and dreamlike images represent psychological tension. The monochromatic colour palette is grounded in cobalt blue, referencing traditional porcelain practices.

Frequent family weekend trips to towns outside Sydney, like Bowral in the Southern Highlands, awakened my interest in the architectural landscape as I peered through the windows of antique shops and enjoyed the local award-winning pies in the bakery. My body of work explores how towns rich in personality are losing their own colour by the increased development of homogeneous neighbourhoods. By using materials and physical techniques that are used in construction, like plasterboard and insulating foam, my work expresses the idea of gentrification, with a mid-century colour palette of warm tones representing the passage of time and reminiscences.

My body of work is a set of portraits of family members and myself. It explores the similarities and differences between people and how we express ourselves in our role as an artist or creator. My work represents the connection between our personalities, our craft and our passion for that craft. What we do for enjoyment and what we do to survive are defining parts of our identities and how we are viewed by others. My overall intent is for the audience to be able to gain a sense of each distinct personality and character from these four portraits.

I have grown up in a family of three generations of women, experiencing the giving and receiving of care that transcends boundaries of age and culture. Often, this care is seen in small, mundane gestures of tenderness. Small Tenderness pays tribute to one small and mundane act: the washing of another’s face. My body of work uses the motion of washing to explore the intimate relationships that my mother, my grandmother and I have developed. Soft colours and loose brushwork represent the delicacy of skin, and layers of oil paint express the passage of time across three generations of women.

My body of work explores the current disconnection between people despite the world being in its most connected, globalised state. The pandemic has heightened social disconnection with the need for physical distancing, producing isolation characterised by fear, confusion, discomfort and reflection. Each painting in my work represents the subject in their own world. Though positioned in a cluster, their gazes are never shown to directly meet, remaining averted from both the audience and each other, expressing a sense of detachment from the world around them. Unique brushwork and colour palettes for each work represent the subjectivity of our inner experiences.

My body of work was inspired by the idea that childhood experiences only exist temporarily but simultaneously transcend time through memory. Representing my younger sister at times when she was so absorbed in the wonder of the moment that she was almost enclosed within a world of her own, my work examines the single moments of heightened expression that may act to trigger memories. Each piece expresses a unique story, with the charcoal figures in the background representing how, with the transient nature of memory, some recollections inevitably fade and fragment.

My struggles with anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphia have distorted the way I view my face. My body of work, Dysmorphic Metamorphosis, is a series of grotesque self-portraits that represents the constantly changing perceptions I have of myself; the ‘metamorphosis’ of the disease. The work is intended to be disturbing, but also to express an essence of fantasy and disconcerting beauty, like the exhausting back and forth nature of these disorders. The monstrous nature of my work examines how I visualise myself, but also the deceptions of anorexia.

My body of work was inspired by noticing the absence of visible stars in my environment and how this turns the gaze to the horizon, where street lights shine. This long stretch of continuous lights is represented in the length of my work. The details and placement of the lights are purposeful expressions of the reference photos I took.

My body of work represents the repetitive cycle, impact and abusive culture of greyhound racing. The large scale ‘portrait’ grounds the work in subjectivity, while images and text from online betting apps and phone screens highlight the ease of betting and anonymous participation in animal cruelty. I recontextualised historic photographs and used found objects to represent the deaths and treatment of dogs in this system. This work is dedicated to the thousands of greyhounds that are killed every year, the volunteers who work tirelessly to save them and the greyhounds that are hopefully awaiting their families and homes.

Growing up between the Pacific Ocean and the Illawarra bush I have been able to explore the natural world we live in. This inspired me to express the particular qualities of my environment. I love the challenge of finding the unique forms in water that many people don’t get to experience in a lifetime. The ocean presents an array of different moods that can be personified, depending on your understanding of its tactile energy. Through my knowledge and experiences of the ocean my body of work represents these moods to my audience, sharing my experience of the sublime.

My body of work, A Portrait in Frequency, explores humanity’s existence in space and time against an ever-expanding digital world. The video installation loop builds on visual and sound techniques to represent a young girl who amplifies, disassembles, fragments and rebuilds back to her natural self. My intent is for the viewer to feel, see and hear the intense vibrations of her metamorphosis. The photographic series merges video and photographic techniques, expressing a digital evocation of the psyche and the body’s physicality, unlocking frequencies of the human condition.

I may be known as a ‘man in a hat’ but prefer ‘historical hysterical’: one who scrutinises, documents and archives all aspects of transport – trains, motor buses and trams. Combining my research into historical photographic techniques and a healthy, yet slightly overzealous, diversion into various modes of transport, Tickets Please explores the connections between individuals, objects and reminiscences about historical aspects of Sydney transport. A world of record keeping is fast becoming a lost art, but my body of work uses its elements to express the nostalgia that redefines the historical object, raising it out of mundanity.

My body of work examines the unappreciated beauty of concrete. Its sturdy, durable and resistant properties have resulted in its endurance as a mainstay of infrastructure since Ancient Roman times. This work has heightened my gratitude for the beneficial qualities of the macro-elements of modern infrastructure that provide the foundations for our diverse society.

My work pays homage to Elizabeth and John Gould’s nineteenth century research and ornithology art. Interest in exoticism and naturalism in their era created a paradox: exotic species were hunted for displays, but the scientific knowledge gained helps conservationists monitor and preserve living species today. In my body of work I explore the complex meaning of preservation through a study of bird species. Pairs of layered works represent birds and branches in varying degrees of presence and absence. Some are in harmony with the natural environment, whereas others are removed from it and lie lifeless on doilies.

My body of work takes a humorous approach to the serious and devastating impact of single-use plastics in our consumerist society. Referencing the work of Warhol, the vibrant screen prints allude to the mass-production of plastics. They contrast with the cluttered black and white accumulation of items that lies beneath to draw attention to the significant contribution made to global waste by these seemingly innocent objects. By incorporating facts about the effects of plastic pollution on their packaging, my intent is to stimulate conversation about these everyday items that end up in our oceans and landfill for hundreds of years.

To ‘fit in’ means to belong or conform to something. My body of work uses printmaking to explore how individuals modify themselves to be accepted by societal norms. The cardboard boxes used as the base for my printmaking represent how individuals conform with society’s norms to ‘fit into’ set social standards. My work challenges this conformity as the buildings are not made to fit into the boxes – the boxes are made to suit the buildings.

Deuteranopia: red-green colourblindness. My greens are red and blues are orange, according to the tests at least. I thought being colourblind was my weakness, but perhaps it’s playing a role in a society that will not open its eyes, not willing to see the destruction of our environment through the continued use of fossil fuels. I used train moulds, oil paint, rust patina and recycled bike wheels in my body of work to represent my memories, all tainted now. A warm house in winter: more carbon in our atmosphere. My favourite soft toy: filled with plastic that never breaks down.

My body of work explores the public transport commute, highlighting the personal and humorous aspects of this mundane experience. Informed by my own reluctance to sit next to certain individuals based on appearance or mannerisms, my intent was to represent this unique liminal space that so many of us are familiar with. I used monster clay for its sensitive ability to express the fleshy likeness of an unnamed, yet familiar, commuter, framed by the bus seat. Viewers are invited to engage with the work, tentatively positioning themselves to occupy the empty seat, leave a tag or rummage through the briefcase.

My body of work explores my personal ideas about connection and relationships, expressing my own associations with connection and loneliness in relation to my mental health and grief. It represents the variety of emotions we can have about the links with those around us, but is ambiguous about whether they have negative or positive connotations. My use of negative space is intended to produce a feeling of absence, in contrast to feelings of connection. This work is almost like a puzzle, where I am inviting the audience to sit and ponder it and its missing pieces.

The Metastases Journey of Uncle Jim represents the vulnerability, mortality, chemical and physical transformation of the human body as it experiences and battles the corrosive nature of cancer. The disfiguring and scarring of the human body are given expression through the stooping form, an assemblage of rusted and corroded repurposed metal, weathered wood and personal objects. My intent in including these personal items – the walking stick, weathered boots and hanging crucifix – was to invite the audience to consider the personal relationship between faith and suffering, and the courageous battle of loved ones who have a cancer diagnosis.

In my body of work I explore the synergy between humans and technology. Movement is a personal expression central to our individuality. Humans can use technology to enhance movement: athletes use a pole to vault over impractical heights. (Stábhochsprung is the German word for ‘pole vault’.) Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, will tarnish over time without maintenance. Similarly, without constant practice, all forms will ‘tarnish’. My work balances dualities: digital and analogue, geometric and organic, still and dynamic, raw and refined. My intent is to encourage the audience to consider their bodies, movement and technologies.

Admitting to having a mental health condition still carries negative connotations despite all the awareness and research. My body of work expresses anxiety and other mental disorders as beautiful flaws, part of one’s identity, something that makes you … you. Realising that everyone in some way experiences anxiety dismantles the common misconception that mental disorders are only for the few. Representing personal symptoms that I have experienced as different types of suit jackets and a blanket, my intent is to demonstrate that anxiety is like clothes: without them you are naked; without them you are not yourself.

In an attempt to ‘stop the spread’, we are ordered to sanitise, isolate, lockdown, check-in, get vaccinated and mask-up. But are these measures working? The virus continues to infect and new strains emerge, with each one more contagious, more deadly. Stop the Spread is a postmodern work inspired by the current global pandemic and the somewhat ineffective measures we are taking to ‘contain’ the virus. A mass of crocheted coronavirus structures spews out of a limp and arguably useless face mask, with an unidentifiable strain creeping out. Maybe we simply cannot stop the spread …

When we see what happens in our subconscious as reality, it forms a unique, individual imaginative world, although it may be twisted or exaggerated. My body of work explores the struggle of stepping out of my comfort zone. Such a ‘small’ thing as raising a hand in class is an extreme challenge of overcoming fear, expressed in my work as a battle, facing the distorted self as the enemy who always laughs at the cowardly, pessimistic past. The door which represents courage is close at hand. The character exhausts all her strength to reach it, but her run will continue.

The relationship between ‘functional art’ and the ‘war on waste’ inspired me to reconsider the use of repurposed objects. In Returned Vessels I chose materials, including the reworked surface of a boat panel and nautical-based found objects, to represent how humans exist on, and are connected to, the ocean. I used expressive mark-making and assemblage to unify the three pieces and express a narrative about the ocean. My intent was to create movement in my body of work so the audience would experience the ocean’s fluidity, appreciate its beauty and fragility, and therefore the need for its protection.

Missed calls tend to be received as urgent messages needing a response. However, due to your unavailability, the caller isn’t given the satisfaction of a response. Both sides are affected, experiencing a range of emotions such as guilt, despair, anger, humour and happiness. My intent with the audio message on each telephone was to create a common and relatable scenario, giving the audience the chance to interact and interpret, attaching their own understanding to each aspect of life expressed in the corresponding canvas. This experience is made more interactive as the audience views their reaction to each missed call.

It takes a village to raise a child but eventually the child transgresses beyond the village’s bounds. The buildings and streets in my body of work represent the environment, with the scaffolding motifs exploring the integral role of my home town in my construction. I was inspired by Hundertwasser’s subversion of geometric forms, seeing in them the feeling of alienation that my work is intended to express. The work is a combination of slab and coil construction with the scaffolding being a delicate process of bandages and nails. I used many techniques and mediums, primarily acrylic, spray paint and collage.

My body of work explores the process of memory loss and the fear and anxiety that a person going through it would experience. My work uses a stop motion animation and a series of oil paintings to represent the internal thoughts and feelings of an individual with Alzheimer's disease. I created everything in the animation: the set, the puppets, their clothing, the props and the music.

Throughout my life I have felt a close affinity with the mythologies of China, Scandinavia and Scotland for their magical escapism and folklore teachings. Myth is a body of work born from my curiosity about and connection with the different myths of these ancient cultures. During times of turmoil or moments of adversity I have always felt the comfort of mythology. It provides a retreat in its whimsical and at times brutal legends from the ages. Using traditional hand-building techniques, my work explores the hardships, boundaries and restrictions that arise when creating such minute details in such a precarious medium.

My body of work, Acorn to Oak, explores the enlightenment matriarchal connections offer. It subverts traditional expectations of still lifes that refer to the futile allure of earthly pleasures. Through cultural symbols embedded in the subject matter, it expresses passing in a positive light, rather than a negative. The hyperrealist self-portrait is represented in conversation with my late Baba, with the lines in our faces full of stories and experiences. My work as a whole is intended to be a comment on the ones we love, based on personal reflection and the reverence that comes from nourishment. Connection is love.

Japanese culture and my love for design and architecture inspired this body of work, with both the concept and the rigorous process of creation providing their own therapeutic haven. Using digital art and watercolours, I produced a series of studies of traditional Japanese shopfronts, the outward-facing, vibrant facades expressing how we present in our everyday lives. I juxtaposed these studies with the exploration of the raw, intricate models, which represent the personal, intimate inner world and the refuge that this culture has provided me.

During the pandemic lockdown, we are all locked in our house for several months. We can't go out for lunch, we can't see our friends, we can't enjoy the crowd outside. Finally the lockdown is finished and we are able to go out again. So I go to different restaurants that I have never gone to before, and record the delicious moments. My body of work represents what I missed during the lockdown.

My body of work explores the seven deadly sins of Roman Catholic theology: envy, greed, lust, gluttony, pride, wrath and sloth. Individuals within the Catholic faith are considered sinful if they commit these immoral acts. There is one panel for each sin, represented through key behaviours, inspired by history and animals' characteristics. Envy: jealousy and malicious behaviour. Lust: uncontrolled cravings. Gluttony: the desire to over-consume. Pride: untethered arrogance. Wrath: unbridled anger, rage and hatred. Greed: irrational desire.

My body of work is intended to be a stylised glimpse into the human subconscious. Each drawing is a representation of thought.

I have an affection for the Betta fish (Siamese fighting fish). Its tolerance of low oxygen levels and poor water quality has created a misconception that it is an ornamental display piece, and it is forced to endure a confined life in a glass bowl. During lockdown we underwent a phase of isolation and many people experienced stress and vulnerability. The Betta can have similar feelings. My body of work examines the confusion and helplessness of both the COVID-19 lockdown periods and the Betta fish. Captions in Thai script and self-portraits express my interpretation of those emotions.

My body of work represents pieces of my lived experience throughout the time I was at school. It's largely inspired by my thoughts, feelings and frustrations pertaining to my art and my schooling. These feelings have often been both a source of inspiration and a hurdle in my growth as an artist. Doodling on an exam paper is something I have always wanted to do, and was in trouble for in primary school. Doing this felt like the clearest and most satisfying way of expressing myself and closing the chapter on my school career, making this work cathartic and invigorating.

My body of work focuses on the underwater world as it occupies most of the earth's surface, yet is largely inaccessible to us. The creatures represented in my work thrive underwater, sometimes in complete darkness, in an environment that is alien to us. Beyond Humanity is intended to provide a glimpse into the range of weird and wonderful water-dwelling lifeforms. More broadly, the concept underlying my work is to encourage viewers to see beyond their own people-dominated lives for a moment, to disrupt their anthropocentric perspective and consider the plethora of other lifeforms on our planet.

My concept for my body of work was the fracture between persona and private self, examined in relation to my ADHD. Through my attempts to be seen as a competent, stable and accomplished person, I have realised that changing how we are perceived takes immense effort. A persona is an artform, rigorously cultivated with energy and dedication, like the process of photorealism. In representing my desire to be seen as successful, against the unstable self I feel I am, I ask: How often is one's most insecure, vulnerable self ever really shown? And in what circumstances can we show it?

My body of work, Someone, Something, Somewhere, examines the intersections between everyday life and the chaotic, fantastical dreamscape of the city. It explores the three fundamental subjects that define our experience of the city: people, objects and places. Referencing surrealism, I have drawn the subjects out of focus, streaky and warped, to represent the infinite number of images a person perceives in a day, focusing on some, barely seeing others out of the corner of one's eye. My work is inspired by an essential inquiry on the nature of city life: Where do we end; where does the city begin?

My body of work explores themes relating to my Korean heritage. The series of coil-built ceramic vessels that subtly relate to each other is my representation of a family. To link to my surname, Kim, which translates as 'gold', I recontextualised the Japanese technique of kintsugi and repaired my ceramic forms by putting gold leaf in the cracks. I carved wooden paddles with both traditional and current Korean calligraphic characters (Hanja and Hangul) of my family clan name which I used to paddle onto the ceramic forms. This not only represents my family but commemorates my ancestral values and culture.

My body of work, Inextricable, represents the fulfilment found in familial bonds. Developing the concept during the coronavirus pandemic, I was influenced by recognising the importance of family during times of uncertainty. As a twin, my intent was to explore the dynamic connection twins share. The concertina display means the work can be viewed from each side to see us growing as individuals. While many twins strive for individuality, I treasure the power of shared experiences in shaping our complementary personalities. Although we have time apart, the seamless linking of these drawings from a front-on perspective expresses our inextricable ties.

'Home' is known as a place of refuge, a person's safe place and often their livelihood. Where is our safe place now? My body of work represents recent abnormal events that destroyed many people's 'safe place'. Inspired by Robyn Sweaney's and Howard Arkley's ability to explore notions of Australian identity and place through simple streetscapes and homes, I drew flood-affected homes in my own small town to express the disaster of the floods.

My body of work expresses my twisted emotions and memories of the identities of someone who has been absent in my life. The puzzle-like aspect of a developing mind going through trauma makes it challenging to differentiate between childhood romanticism, manipulated narratives, and reality. To fill the empty space of the absent I create characters representing who I remember them to be, who I wish they were, and who I assume they will become. Can I trust past memories to be true, or current judgements to be accurate, when thinking about the distorted identities of 'the absent, unknown, and make-believe'?

My body of work uses architectural forms and optical illusions to explore my personal and cultural values, expressed as a complex labyrinth. I used buildings to represent how identity is a construct, as we are shaped by our experiences of our world. Our life path is rarely clear. We traverse the landscape and, as in books, enter new chapters or rooms of our life. My intent was to create a visual biography that invites observation and reflection as understandings develop over time.

My mother and I are represented in my body of work, gazing intensely out at the viewer. My mother was disconnected from her Thai culture after immigrating to Australia at the age of nine and was forced to immerse herself in an alien western culture. Due to her deep sorrow and trauma, she could never share her culture with me, even though I wished she could. My work is intended to be viewed from both sides. On the backs of the portraits is a collage from passports and documentation transferred onto tin, laser etched with a culturally inspired pattern.

Our consciousness is affected by the paradox that it can be both aware of self and dislocated from it when faced with the seemingly familiar. The intent in my body of work is to explore this paradox, inviting intimacy as the viewer follows the unsettling trajectory of an inner conflict. In representing consciousness (and lack thereof) as a fog - a 'plaguing' force - I intensify its ephemeral yet potent nature; it intrudes and can either prove to be a beauty or a hindrance, much like the essence of human thought.

The uneasiness and dread that arise although there seems to be nothing to fear is a weird feeling inherent in human nature. This is what my body of work is intended to express. We're so used to specific scenes and ways of life that when something disrupts our expectations we feel lost and uncomfortable. Something is wrong and you can tell instinctively without even thinking. What are your instincts telling you? Where does this feeling come from? And where did everybody go?

Audible social chatter, tweeting birds, laughing children, honking traffic, pouring rain: we are subconsciously guided by the sounds that surround us. My body of work expresses my experiences with hearing loss within the context of constantly advancing technology. The idiosyncratic juxtaposition of vivid hues and monochromatic images represents both my inner conflict and my resolve in confronting my adversity. Amalgamated into a singular immersive experience, the auditory and visual components of my work are intended to engage the postmodern audience in a soundcheck of my subdued world and encourage them to reflect on the significance of their own hearing.

My body of work recontextualises the Greek mythological story of Icarus, using it to create a science fiction art installation inspired by video games. The story of Icarus examines the idea of overreach in terms of Man playing God and the price he paid as a result. My graphic-based work engages with moral concerns about the human relationship with technology. It is also intended to explore the impending threat of our potentially dangerous dependence on artificial intelligence given our increasing reliance on it, and our blind optimism.

In Strata I represent the socioeconomic segregation of the modern world through the lens of a vertical city of the future. I constructed my body of work initially with 3D modelling then by digital painting. The work is broken into three separate vertical layers of stratified society and examines many concepts, such as intergenerational freedom, conformity, multiculturalism, ignorance, family. I worked on this large scale to express the size and scope of my ideas. My intent was to craft a level of detail that encouraged the audience to explore and contemplate the many messages within the work.

Responding to my first-hand experience of the devastation caused by the Black Summer bushfires, and the subsequent regeneration of Australia's south-east coast, my body of work represents the often overlooked, but magical, qualities of our endangered native flora and fauna. Using clay, a material inherently bound to the environment, I hand-built five forms that express aspects of various endangered species. My intent is for audiences to view these animals and plants in a new light, to inspire a sense of awe that results in action to protect our treasured Australian native flora and fauna from extinction.

My body of work is a series of four paintings that addresses concerns about population density across the world and in Asian countries such as Hong Kong in particular. I used murky colours to express the negative consequences of population growth, such as increased pollution and waste. The figures are colourful to create an ironic contrast, representing humanity's negligence in adapting to population growth through high-rise, congested living spaces. This juxtaposition aligns with my title, questioning if 'the more' really is 'the merrier'. My intent was to engage viewers and prompt them to consider the consequences of overpopulation.

My body of work examines the overbearing reality of technology taking over the role of parenting. Inspired by the surge of media and technology used for online schooling, the three portraits of my family express my personal experience of this concept. The contrasting lighting on opposite sides of my parents' faces creates shadows representing technology and its ability to envelop an individual's thoughts. The work's shades of blue are a reference to 'blue light', with the intent of focusing further on technology and emphasising my message.

My body of work explores human experience through abstraction rather than reality. My application of mediums expresses our inner emotions and the intricacies of everyday life. Pushing the boundaries of my own expectations I developed a passion for different mediums and their application. There is a complex balance in the rhythmic arrangement of forms achieved by organic shapes and strokes. My experimentation with the colour palette throughout the work represents the ebb and flow of my Year 12: its highs and lows, excitement and disappointment. Texture adds an extra element and contrast in the juxtaposition of flat lines and vectors.

My body of work uses interior scenes, at the serendipitous glow of the golden hour, to represent tranquil moments in one's life that may be overlooked and underappreciated. The absence of human presence and sense of dormancy are very familiar feelings from the last two years. I deliberately confined my colour palette and brush size with the intent of drawing the viewer into a state of tranquillity and peace where the beauty of the ordinary can be observed and internalised. Painting on such a small scale created my state of peace and a more personal connection with each piece.

We live in a world of distorted realities and fragmented expectations, consumed by technology, where the selfishness of social media feeds our narcissism. How often do we really pause in nature and reflect? I believe the ocean seeks to bring us back to meaningful connections with each other and the environment that surrounds us. My body of work is intended to be a protest against our escalating addiction to technology. Using a pixelated style expresses how technology manipulates our sense of reality and connection to place.