Young Archie competition 2021: Sydney’s talented young artists
From hotel quarantine projects to tales of second generation families, here are the stories behind the top budding young artists in this year’s Young Archie competition.
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When 15-year-old Hanna Park was contemplating who to paint for her entry into the country’s most renowned art competition for young artists, her grandmother came first to mind.
Yet with 8300 kilometres between them and a global pandemic, Hanna had to get creative for her entry in the Young Archies – the youth Archibald Prize.
She asked her grandmother, who lives in a small town near Incheon in South Korea, to send five selfies showing her signature grin from ear to ear.
“I chose the theme of family since Covid had come up and lots of problems surrounding travel and communication issues with family overseas,” Hanna says.
“I guess Covid made us realise the importance of family and being able to talk to them even if they're far away.”
Hanna is one of 40 finalists in this year’s Young Archie competition, which runs alongside the Archibald Prize of portraiture.
The Year 11 Gosford High School student said she wanted to subtly represent her Korean culture in the portrait.
Inspired by a historical style of Korean painting called Minhwa, she inserted a tiger on top of her grandmother’s shoulders.
“To me, my grandmother represents Korea itself. The tiger on her shoulders represents the weight of pressure to pass on her family’s customs,” she said.
Hanna said she also wanted to show the “struggle” of second generation migrants in staying in touch with their roots.
“I’d say a lot of second generation children of Korean and other culture families in general can struggle to keep in touch with their heritage while balancing their Australian cultural values,” she said.
“I wanted to express that in my painting.”
For nine-year-old Longueville finalist Viraj Tandon, family was also his biggest inspiration.
“I chose to paint my grandfather because I wanted to express my Australian and Indian heritage,” he said.
Viraj painted his grandfather in what he calls his “secret garden”, embellished with colourful native plants and cockatoos.
“One time a flock of cockatoos came and dived into the unnetted area and they literally demolished the lemons,” he laughed.
“That’s what made me decide to paint the cockatoos.”
The SCECGS Redlands student said he loved going to his grandfather’s garden to pick chillies, fruits and figs.
His dad Rohit said staying at home during the outbreak of Covid had made his son very eager to paint.
“Once Covid hit last year he went with me to Lane Cove shops and found a canvas and insisted on buying it. That’s when it all started,” he said.
“Over the past 18 months he’s done 14 or 15 canvases.
“Some are taller than him.”
Ripping through old magazines, nine-year-old Mina Zhang cut out hundreds of pieces to make a collage of her little sister Olivia.
“I saw her playing and exploring like she was in the jungle so I chose to do that,” she said.
The Beecroft Public School student said it was a lot of fun making her magazine collage of her “cheeky” little sister.
“There’s a lot of animals and my sister’s taking pretend photos,” she added.
Her mum Qing said Mina had made the piece during quarantine after coming back from an overseas holiday last year.
“We stayed at home for two weeks. Her art teacher gave her some projects so Mina didn’t get too bored,” she said.
“It’s when Mina decided to make a portrait of Olivia.
“They are very close.”
In Sydney’s east, Bronte teen Isabella McIntosh painted a dreamy portrait of her best friend, who is also her older brother.
“My brother and I have a really close relationship,” Isabella, 14, said.
“We have always been each other’s best friends.”
The painting shows her 17-year-old brother with a large grin while appearing to be floating around a sea of blue.
While Isabella said the background was not water, she said the intention was to create a “dreamy effect.”
“I’ve always looked up to him so a perfect image of him felt like the way to represent him,” she said.
The St Catherine’s student said it took her about three attempts before she submitted her final painting.
Judge Victoria Collins said she was “astounded” by the calibre of this year’s Young Archies’ entries.
“All the stories behind the artworks are so special and demonstrate many beautiful family and friendship bonds and the importance of connection,” she said.
“This sense of belonging and connection feels even more important than ever as we face an uncertain future.
“And I think giving children an opportunity to express themselves through creativity is a wonderful outlet and something to be encouraged and nurtured.”
The winner of each age group category will be announced virtually on July 31. The virtual tour of the Young Archies exhibition can be viewed at The Art Gallery of NSW.
FULL LIST OF SYDNEY’S YOUNG ARCHIE FINALISTS
5-8 YEARS
9-12 YEARS
13-15 YEARS
16-18 YEARS
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