Outstanding student artworks celebrated at GOMA

Queensland secondary students are being recognised alongside some of the world’s most acclaimed visual artists, with their artworks showcased at Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Brisbane.

Education Minister Grace Grace today officially opened the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art 2018 exhibition.

“This outstanding exhibition features 31 artworks by senior secondary students from state and non-state schools across Queensland,” Ms Grace said.

“The Palaszczuk Government is committed to providing students with world-class educational opportunities.

“I’m so pleased our most talented senior art students, who each received Excellence Awards last year, have the opportunity to exhibit their artworks in the same gallery as internationally renowned artists.

“The artistic flair displayed in these works is very impressive and I congratulate the students on being selected to take part in this exhibition.”

Ms Grace said the exhibition explores themes such as life, cultural identity, contemporary ethical dilemmas, and relationship with nature using photography, painting, digital and mixed media, sculpture, video and installation works.

QAGOMA Director Chris Saines said the Creative Generation Excellence Awards exhibition was an opportunity for the Gallery to engage directly with some of the most talented young artists to emerge out of the state’s secondary schools.

“We always look forward to Creative Generation because the sophistication and competence of these senior students never fails to surprise,” Mr Saines said.

“It is both humbling and instructive to the see the way in which young people are prepared to tackle what are often deeply personal and difficult issues – for them and for their communities.

“It takes courage to put yourself and your ideas forward in this public way, so I have nothing but admiration for the students who have taken up the challenge of making these works and the teachers who have empowered them to do so in the best way possible.”

Trinity Bay State High School Visual Arts Head of Department Janelle Williams said the school was extremely proud of its school graduates Keely Baker and Kiara Smith, who were selected as Excellence Award winners.

“Keely’s self-reflective, emotive artwork, expressed in a beautiful, succinct way, is featured on the exhibition’s promotional material and Kiara’s work uses video, clay and traditional music to explore issues of identity,” Ms Williams said.

“The school takes its art students on excursions to relatively remote Queensland locations each year, to immerse them in an external, tactile environment where the students explore, artistically, how they relate to an isolated environment and observe how other travelling professional artists respond.

“It’s been inspirational to watch the courage of these young women who have grown not only as artists, but personally, as they come to terms with their individual life journeys and are empowered through art to communicate with wider audiences about topics that matter to them.”

Ms Grace encouraged schools and students take part in this year’s Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art.

"These awards are an excellent vehicle for both artistic and personal development and I urge students to get involved," she said.

The free Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art 2018 exhibition opens from today (21 April 2018) until 29 July 2018 at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. QAGOMA and QSuper are program partners for the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art program.

The 31 winning students and their artworks can be viewed at this link or you can take a walk through a digital gallery of the works by watching this video.

An online gallery of all entries, including regional winners is also available at www.e-award.com.au/2017/cgenvisualarts/gallery

Entries for the next Visual Art awards opened on 7 April 2018 and will close on 29 July 2018. For further information visit www.education.qld.gov.au/artawards

Media contact: Emma Clarey – 0439 578 472