HSC Visual Arts Exhibition

“Getting started, keeping going, getting started again – in art and in life, it seems to me this is the essential rhythm not only of achievement but of survival, the ground of convinced action, the basis of self-esteem and the guarantee of credibility in your lives, credibility to yourselves as well as to others”.

Seamus Heaney (1939–2013) said this in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech (1995), and it couldn’t be more salient as I embark on summing up the year-that-was with the sixteen HSC candidates whose journey in Visual Arts commenced in Term IV, 2024.

In our final Art History lesson on the morning of 15 September, I asked the Class of 2025 to complete a brief questionnaire to assist me with this summary, as their words about their works are as important as mine. It was endearing to see how committed they were to this request, but with their laughter joyfully punctuating the quiet and serious way they took pen to paper, it was richly reminiscent of their time together in their studios.

Published in no particular order, the sequence of responses is in line with the order in which the questionnaire papers were returned to me. Please join me in a review of the First XVI Visual Artists of MMXXV.

Who I Once Was by Rohan Saha

‘My work was based on the power of memory to construct selfhood, thereby exploring how individual identity has been built in contrast to others. I aimed to examine the life of an individual through their ghost in purgatory, reliving their memories before being sent to heaven. To do this, I had to develop my concept through storyboarding, research what memory is, organise venues and sets on campus, and find actors. All my filming was uploaded to Premiere Pro 25 for editing, and the test screening and final edits were made in discussion with Ms Loi.’

I congratulate Rohan, who had to adjust his filming to align with NESA requirements regarding the supervision of HSC candidates in the making of their Body of Work. This reduced his location choices considerably, yet his film is profound and beautifully shot, proving his outstanding abilities as a technician, director, and script writer.

Renaissance of the Muse by Felix Moyes

‘My intent was to attribute agency and intensity to feminine pictorial representation, and by using my mother and my sister, I wanted to create a sense of ‘trinity’. I explored the paintings of Titian, especially Venus of Urbino and Delacroix’s Orphan Girl at the Cemetery, and these are the main influences on my work. My decision to use a complementary colour palette – consisting of only two colours, plus white – was to evoke dreamlike contrasts.’

Felix brought an enormous depth of understanding to his paintings and appeared to enjoy every step of the process. His quiet concentration, often appearing lost in his own thoughts, made his corner of the studio both tranquil and scholarly. He was an enormous asset to our cohort.

After Morandi – Natura Morta by Kyan Conners

‘The transferring of the materiality of Morandi’s 1929 still life painting into a ceramic medium was always going to be hard. But breaking the fourth wall between the viewer, the work, and the painter was worth it, and I hope the viewer is immersed in this simple tabletop scene. Working with wheel-thrown and hand-built stoneware clay to the precise proportions that Morandi painted made the three-dimensional rendition more authentic. I glazed the inside of all the vessels and fired them, but for the outside I chose oil paints adding further authenticity while also learning a new skill.’

Kyan seeks perfection as if it were second nature to him, and his striving for excellence would easily defeat most candidates. His profound sensibilities with clay, coupled with a wonderfully scholarly approach to conceptual intent, have made him a joy to teach.

The Adoration of Consumption by Yul Shin

‘My work is an altarpiece to the modern-day ‘god’ of consumerism, exploring the emptiness of consumerist endeavour. Excessive ‘apple stickers’ symbolise the reduction of nutritional objects into commodities, their consumption providing no value to the skeletal torsos of the figures. The allusions to both biblical and van Eyck’s Adam and Eve and the pagan Caravaggio’s Bacchus serve to emphasise the sacrilegious perversity of consumerism. I worked on plywood that I prepared by sanding and priming with traditional gesso, using charcoal and graphite to scale and transfer my drawings, before developing a grisaille underpainting. I used oil paints to complete my composition, finished with glazes.’

Yul’s engagement with the process of painting meant that it was not often that we found the studio empty, and frequently, we had to remind him that we needed to go home, so he must, too! His technical skill is meticulous and evident in his sophisticated triptych.

Between the Idea and the Reality– T.S. Eliot by William Byrne

‘It is a depiction of the unfolding cycle between our ideological ambitions and the oft-disappointing outcomes. Specifically, the figure in the suit epitomises ‘modern’ people who are scornful, judgmental, materialistic, and hollow. Another symbolises liberal humanism, reflected in French revolutionary colours and clothes. The juxtaposition between these two figures illustrates how ideological ambitions often fail to meet our needs. The central figure, historically ambiguous, symbolises the human torn between grand ideas and disappointing realities. I worked primarily with tinted (coloured) charcoal pencils, along with some colourful pastel pencils, to build up the portraits’ tonalities. I used paintbrushes and many layers of pencil to finesse the works. Compressed charcoal was used to block out the background.’

It is worth remembering how concerned I was by Will’s late blooming in the production of his Body of Work. Reflecting on his original idea, which included Japanese-influenced drawings, I commend him, with great admiration, for what he has achieved in a relatively short period of time. It is also a reminder that Visual Arts teaching at the HSC level is not for the faint-hearted!

Sehnsucht by Jonathan Lee

‘An exploration of the fall of the empire in Europe on three panels. Two of them represent the clergy and the nobility, with the middle panel representing an enlightening power. My work explores the widespread longing for sacred changes and how people yearn for the stability of the past. I have used charcoal pencil, white chalk, willow charcoal, and charcoal powder, and sourced props for referencing purposes.’

Jonathan came to College Street having won the Art Prize at prep school, so our expectations were high, and I am delighted that he met them all with such panache. His ambition knows no restraint, and he has been able to prove his worthiness as the recipient of his prize time and time again.

The Strings of Fate by Matthew Ngo

‘The ancient spiritual beliefs and practices of Taoist dark retreats are integral to the pursuit of inner harmony and self-enlightenment. The struggle for one’s individual autonomy aligned with the natural energies of the universe – the yin and yang – is what interested me. I initially sketched with willow charcoal on Fabriano paper and then used charcoal and graphite pencils, along with various erasing and blending tools, to render my work. I conducted extensive research into depictions of both traditional and stylised dragons and tigers.’

Matthew never wavered in his conceptual intent, and his investigations into Eastern philosophy were meaningful and genuine. His ability to include detail with such integrity helped to elevate his triptych way above the cliché.

Of Yore, My Ouroboros by Dylan Pham

‘It is a triptych narrative that cycles between modernity and antiquity, drawing from Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights. My interest in the Greek myth of the underworld and Hades was my primary influence, particularly in how the human mind seems to shift as we try to evolve, and how the mindscape always returns to the end. The laborious and traditional processes I used included sandpaper aquatints, mezzotints, and monotypes.’

Dylan’s tenacity in exploring the traditions of printmaking with such outstanding success revealed the patience of a saint. With every print needing to be assessed, critiqued, and adjusted multiple times, he truly walked the Gutenberg path.

UBUNTI (I am because we are) by Jonty Snyman

‘The vitality of genuine human connection as a physical and spiritual healing process was where I started. The stitching and beauty of the scars on my works speak of a healing force, and the forms are reminiscent of a marriage ceremonial headdress that a woman receives when she takes her vows. The forms also remind me of figures – each one individual and on their own journey. I worked on a wheel to throw each of the forms and then cut back into them before applying underglaze using traditional African patterning.’

It is always joyful to watch young makers engage with their work with a driven passion for their subject. Jonty brought Africa alive to us all, and his connection to the country he holds so dear to his heart sang out from each of his works.

‘Wherever you may go, my spirit is bound to you.’ Zayer al-Duwaij by Max Channo

‘Even if you are displaced from your home country, your cultural identity stays with you. It is self-defeating to think that migration diminishes your cultural identity; it is not bound to a place but is bound to you. Hence the journey to rebirth your cultural identity is complex and riddled with uncertainty. Inspired by my Iraqi parents’ move in 2000, I’ve rebuilt the architectural minarets that are associated with Baghdad. I threw each of my forms on the wheel using stoneware clay and used different layers of glaze.’

The Middle East is a beautiful and misunderstood region of the world, and I was delighted when Max elected to investigate his wonderful familial cultural heritage. The fact that he did so in such an evocative way speaks volumes of his love for a place he will be forever bound to.

‘I am afraid.’ Louise Bourgeois by Jack Lacy-Smith

‘It is an interrogation where the audience shifts from the confronter to the confronted, aiming to tackle and question the emotion of fear. I wanted to evoke feelings of what appears frightful but is, in fact, beaten, bruised, and protective. Bourgeois, in her poem, discusses the fluid nature of fear, and her words eloquently speak to my work. The entire making process was arduous and required learning numerous new skills, including building clay maquettes, using plaster and polyurethane, welding steel, and painting.’

Jack’s ambitious project kept us all engaged as it developed. There were so many steps to achieving his goal, and all credit to him for gifting us the vision of fear and vulnerability that transcends the world of arachnoids to describe us all.

‘All Hope Abandoned’ – Dante Alighieri by Dion Finnigan

‘My sculpture captures the dichotomous questioning of faith and suffering within the world, a world filled with unnecessary violence and death. Yet, people still hold their faith in a sublime being/entity that is meant to end suffering. The figure looking to the sky is questioning his own faith in the peril of a friend who lies lifeless in the icy layer of hell. From the maquettes and plan models to the final composition, the process involved clay modelling on top of a welded metal frame, followed by a silicone mold, and then a plaster cast. The polyurethane cast was then spray-painted.’

Dion managed to complete three major works during his HSC year and did so without abandoning any hope at all. There were times when my hope was tested, but I need not have worried, as he romped home, in all three subjects, delivering way beyond expectations. What a trooper.

In the Beginning, it was all Black and White by Isaac Trinh

‘I am interested in dismantling the binary construction of gender expectations through the disruption of the highly idealised classical sculpture of Bernini’s Constantia and Alexander the Great. I wanted to encapsulate idealised forms of masculinity and femininity by overlaying confectionery and desserts. I sculpted each dessert with paper clay, even rolling out sprinkles by hand, texturising cookies and marshmallows, and using paint to create icing for the glaze on doughnuts and chocolates. Each mini sculpture was fixed to the busts with Liquid Nails, and I used modelling paste and paint to pipe on the ‘frosting’ to fill the seams.’

Isaac is the quintessential quiet achiever, and I am thrilled that his unique sculptures shine as brightly as they do. His work ethic and attention to detail joined forces to create a special Body of Work that entranced us all.

Monet’s Giverny; Van Gogh’s St Remy by Charlie Lieutenant

‘I wanted to transform the medium of ceramics and use the glaze to capture the colours of nature. The influence of two painters who used flowers to evoke deep meaning, particularly in relation to their geographical origins, provided a compass for me to follow. The works are wheel-thrown and hand-built, then trimmed and glazed.’

Charlie’s ability to throw clay on the wheel is astounding and belies his relatively young age. There appeared to be nothing he could not achieve, including developing a new and (un)sophisticated method for manipulating ceramic flowerheads that was so amazingly successful he should patent it.

Surface Tension by James Earl

An exploration of the interior self versus the exterior persona, positioned together at a table to demonstrate that they are not disparate but parts of the same whole. The single portraits demonstrate the interior emotional struggle for identity, with the subjects depicted in anguish and confusion, drawing on art historical references to Frida Kahlo and her ability to articulate duality. I took the photos using a digital camera and imported them into Photoshop. I was meticulous in blending the photographs and incorporating superficial symbolism, such as hearts.’

James’s commitment to capturing something intangible through a camera lens was incredibly successful, and he should be proud of what he has achieved. He, too, was stymied by the NESA guidelines regarding supervision of HSC candidates’ progress, but this has not negatively impacted his work at all. His images speak at volume and provoke thought long after they have been viewed.

Takara (Treasure) by Jamie Kostka

‘An elegy to the dying agrarian industry through a rearrangement of found objects into improvised, beautiful calligraphy, therefore turning ‘scrap’ into ‘treasure’. The intention was to strip meaning from found objects and position them so that they are purely a shape or form with no attached function or meaning. I used MIG welding methods, surrounded by a timber frame construction, and finished the entire sculpture with sealant and paint.’

Jamie’s completed sculpture bears all the hallmarks of a gifted practitioner who works in a nuanced and intelligent way. His investment in every step of the decisionmaking process made him a pleasure to teach and encouraged us all to fall in line with his ambition to achieve excellence, which he did.

Dear Form VI, thank you for your words that accompany mine to help provide insight into your works. In closing, I leave you with words of one of the great poets of the 20th century (whom I opened with) in providing you with advice as you leave College Street:

“This rhythm … is something I would want each one of you to experience in the years ahead, and experience not only in your professional life, whatever that may be, but in your emotional and spiritual lives as well – because unless that underground level of the self is preserved as a verified and verifying element in your make-up, you are going to be in danger of settling into whatever profile the world prepares for you and accepting whatever profile the world provides for you. You’ll be in danger of molding yourselves in accordance with laws of growth other than those of your own intuitive being.

The true and durable path into and through experience involves being true to the actual givens of your lives. True to your own solitude, true to your own secret knowledge. Because, oddly enough, it is that intimate, deeply personal knowledge that links us most vitally and keeps us most reliably connected to one another. Calling a spade a spade may be a bit reductive, but calling a wooden spoon a wooden spoon is the beginning of wisdom. And you will be sure to keep going in life on a far steadier keel and with far more radiant individuality if you navigate by that principle”.

Each of you has been a joy to teach, and we will miss you greatly on Level 6 and Level 7.

I encourage you to go forth and make a difference in this big, complicated, wonderful and complex world, and please keep us updated on your life’s journey.

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