Jasmine J. Watson
Norfolk Island Central School
INTERNAL EXAMINATION
Drawing
Acrylics and ink on paper
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 artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Lois van Baarle.
Marker's Commentary
Internal examination is a highly sophisticated and cathartic expression of the inner conflicts, endless pressure and turmoil relating to the pressures of the HSC examination. Through the confident handling of the illustrative drawing styles, and the repurposing of the exam paper, the audience is taken on a compelling journey through the various tumultuous emotional states of anxiety, fear, denial and escapism. The dynamic figurative representations carefully curated with the expressionistic colour palette and the quirky mashing of graphic illustrations and materials, enhances the storytelling narrative and engaging humour and mood of the work. The student's satirical appraisal and reinterpretation of the examination through the powerful use of text both typed and doodled, along with the unconventional selection of titles for each drawing not only invite deeper audience interpretation but also heighten the playful, yet emotive qualities of this idiosyncratic body of work.