ARTEXPRESS: The best young artists of 2020’s HSC
It was a tough year to be a student, but the class of 2020 drew inspiration from natural disasters and a global pandemic to create some incredible artworks.
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The creme de la creme of bright, young artists are currently displaying their work in Sydney.
All of the exhibitors are students who created their work for the 2020 HSC Visual Art exams,
during the catastrophic Australian bushfires and a global pandemic.
The free exhibition being held at the Sydney Olympic Park Armory Gallery displays inspiring artworks from 59 of the state’s young artists.
The theme of this year’s ARTEXPRESS is Threads of Connection.
“Several artists have found inspiration from the unpredictability of life and a reassessment of the way we have lived and interacted in society,” shared ARTEXPRESS at the Armory curator Danielle Gullotta.
“The bodies of work draw our attention to the impacts of climate change and technology, addressing imbalances in the natural world, and seeking an understanding of the importance of the threads of social connections for our collective wellbeing.”
NewsLocal is featuring some of the students behind the work.
Nicholas O’Brien
Age: 18
School and suburb: St Augustine’s College, Brookvale
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? The resilience of Australian’s and the impact natural disasters have on them.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited? I feel very pleased and proud to have my work exhibited alongside some of the best bodies of work in NSW.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue? I have just started studying architecture at UNSW and am keen to pursue it as a career.
Chris Yang
Age: 18
School and Suburb: Gosford High School, Gosford
What’s the inspiration for your work? The Asian traditions and beliefs which I was surrounded by as a child, resulting with me valuing them greatly.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited? It really is mind blowing and it really is a confidence boost. I can’t believe it, even now, and it really is a joyful feeling seeing my artwork up there.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue? I’m currently studying civil engineering and civil architecture. The hope is that I can make it as an architect when I get older as I am still able to continue my passion for drawing. For now, I’m just happy I’m able to continue sketching infrastructures, similar to my major work.
Melissa Knowles
Age: 17
School and suburb: Caroline Chisholm College, Glenmore Park
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? The 2019-2020 bushfires around Bilpin.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited? Over the moon! It’s just so great to see them up and exhibited. It makes me feel so proud that I was able to achieve it.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue? I’m now going to Notre Dame University and studying a Bachelor of Nursing.
Aki Lillian Green
Age: 17
School and Suburb: Burwood Girls High School (Croydon)
What’s the inspiration for your artwork:
I was inspired by my family’s spiritual connection to our departed ancestors, and the importance of flies in manifesting this bond.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue?
I want to pursue my love for art and design, hence, I’m currently completing a Bachelor of Design in Architecture at USYD. Eventually, I want to become a registered architect and leave my mark on the world through the built environment.
Anderson Guo
Age: 18
School and suburb: Mosman High School, Mosman
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? I combined some of my most profound memory clips together and expressed my attachment and feelings for these memories on paper.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited? I am very exiting about it and I hope my works can inspire other Yr12 students.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue? I am currently studying architecture and environment in Usyd and I hope to become an architect.
Rose Chachko
Age: 18
School and suburb: Reddam House, Bondi
What’s the inspiration for your artwork?
I was inspired by the beauty of the terrestrial world as well as the fascinating natural elements of our environment as I wanted to highlight humankind’s relationship to the natural world, how we perceive it and interact with it.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited?
I have been going to see the Art Express exhibitions in various Sydney galleries including the Armory gallery for the past few years and have always been so inspired by the various works presented. I remember being so affected, in the best possible way by witnessing how conceptually and visually moving art can be and ever since have dreamed of having my work have the same effects on others.
When I found out that my work was chosen to be exhibited I was definitely at a loss for words – I experienced so so much excitement and it was really nice knowing that after having such a stressful year my hard work and passion for the visual arts has finally been recognised and rewarded.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue?
I have always had such a fascination with the creative arts whether it be in the fields of visual arts, drama or music. Currently I am pursuing a career in acting as I’m studying to be an actor at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). However my passion for visual arts will always be grounded in my heart and I will continue to do it as a hobby.
Henry Newton
Age: 17
School and suburb: Rosebank, Five Dock
What’s the inspiration for your artwork?
I took great interest in Godfrey Reggio’s film Koyaanisqatsi and Basquiat’s cynical view on
modern society.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited?
It feels great but I wish I could have submitted more of my work in the exhibition, there were so many ideas I wanted to express in my body of work.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue?
I want to be an artist; I want to be able to teach art and have some sort of influence on the modern artworld if possible.
Reanne Jee Anedez Hoyle
Age: 19
School and suburb: Strathfield Girls High School (Suburb: Strathfield)
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? My inspiration was Alison Moritsugu’s “Log Series”
How do you feel about having your work exhibited?
I feel really honoured and blessed to have my work exhibited in such a prestigious event.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue?
I hope to have a career in neuroscience and open an art studio as a hobby.
Billie Bridle
Age: 18 years
School and suburb: St. John’s College, Woodlawn, Lismore 2480
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? My body of work expresses the uncertain and often strenuous nature of dealing with trauma, specifically how it can impact your sleep, often causing desolate and volatile dreams.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited? Having been featured in SOPA’s Armoury plus the Grafton Regional Gallery, I’ve gained a lot of confidence as a desiring artist/creator. Seeing the talent exhibited at the opening on March 6 was eye opening to just how incredible some of the other students’ works are, despite a challenging and unpredictable HSC year.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue? A career involving the arts, specifically as a self-taught artist is the endgame that I’m currently working towards. After the stresses of HSC Visual Arts, having less criteria restraining my works from my home is very inspiring.
Having ARTEXPRESS as the first step in my personal creative journey has been amazing. I wish to keep creating works that reflect my own experiences and headspace to hopefully someday inspire others.
Tahlia Copland
Age: 18
School: Terrigal High School
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? The counting crows poem: one for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a wedding, four for a birth, five for silver, six for gold and seven for a secret never to be told.
How do you feel about having your artwork exhibited? Pretty surreal, and so thankful.
What’s next? what career are you hoping to pursue? I’m just about to start an apprenticeship for beauty and skin therapy
Ashton Bennett
Age: 18
School and suburb: Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School, Penrith
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? How emotions are hidden and masked from society
How do you feel about having your work exhibited? It feels great.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue? I’m not too sure, I think I just want to work on my own practice, doing freelance work and commissions.
Harper Sidney
Age: 18
School and suburb: Woolooware High School, Woolooware
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? To embrace the beauty of eccentric features by normalising idiosyncrasy.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited? It has always been a goal of mine throughout my final school year to have my artwork exhibited. For this to come to a reality is a proud accomplishment of mine.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue? I am currently studying design in interior architecture at university, aiming to use my creativity toward a future career in this path.
Ella Thomas
Age: 18
School and suburb: Mackellar Girls Campus, Manly Vale
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? I was inspired by the mystery surrounding my mother’s childhood which I can view via photos yet never truly access or understand
How do you feel about having your work exhibited? It feels really gratifying to have all my hard work be recognised. At the same time, it is quite nerve wracking knowing my works are displayed to the public and subject to scrutiny.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue? I am hoping to pursue a career as a current affairs journalist however I will continue to paint and express myself creatively not matter what vocation I am involved in.
Raphael Taib
Age: 18
School and suburb: Fort Street High School, Petersham
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? My work is a direct response and homage to Jeff Koons’ 1985 ‘Equilibrium’, my work exploring mortality and life cycles.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited?
Having my work exhibited is a great feeling, I am glad to be able to showcase my work to the public as well as take the next steps within the art world.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue?
I am currently studying a full-time Bachelor of Visual Arts, and run a mural company in my spare time. I hope to move into the art space as a career, specifically exhibiting and working within a gallery.
My mural company can be found at www.raphaeltaib.com and I specialise in black and white realism.
Khoa Ho
Age: 17
School and suburb: Bossley Park High School
What’s the inspiration for your artwork?
My body of work was inspired by my rural Vietnamese background
How do you feel about having your work exhibited?
I’m still shocked, to be completely honest. I thought just being nominated was already a dream come true for me.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue?
I’m currently enrolling in Bachelor of Architecture and Environment in the University of Sydney, planning to be a good architect.
Lehon Karbube
Age: 18
School and suburb: Rose Bay Secondary College, Bondi Junction
What’s the inspiration for your artwork?
Ikebana, the beautiful arrangement of flowers.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited?
It’s honestly amazing, I still can’t believe it. Talking about Art Express with my peers was like talking about winning a Lotto so it’s truly an honour having my work exhibited to many people with many other amazing artworks.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue?
I am currently a student at the National Art School, but I wish to pursue the growth of my art and maybe a future in arts.
Alexei Machkevitch
Age: 18
School and suburb: Reddam House, Bondi
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? I was inspired by the Australian landscape, its emotion and energy to create a visual retrospective.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited?
The display of an artist’s work in a gallery has always been meaningful. They present artists with a sense of recognition and a platform where their expressions can be shared. I experience the same, as my works are presented in the gallery today.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue? I am currently studying computational design at UNSW.
Ruby Newell
Age: 19
School and suburb: Finigan School of Distance Education. Denistone
What’s the inspiration for your artwork? I wanted to create an artwork that conveyed the delicate balance between life and death, which was inspired by the art style ‘memento mori’.
How do you feel about having your work exhibited? It’s very surreal to see my artworks in a gallery and see people viewing them but it is an enormous honour and I’m very excited.
What’s next? What career are you hoping to pursue? I am currently studying a Bachelor of Creative Arts Acting at the Academy of Film, Theatre and Television in Sydney and while I want to pursue a career in acting, my love for art will keep me invested in creating artworks in the future.
To see the work of all the artists go to: https://www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/education/artexpress
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