ARTEXPRESS Virtual Gallery

George Alkhoury

Bossley Park High School

Clamorous Incognito of the Unconscious Mind

Ceramics

George Alkhoury

Bossley Park High School

Clamorous Incognito of the Unconscious Mind

Ceramics

My body of work investigates the devastating effects of war and displacement on the human psyche, drawing on my personal experiences of fleeing the Syrian conflict. The sculpted forms represent the depths of the unconscious mind while the title refers to the concealed and chaotic aspects of our inner world. The malleability of clay invites the audience to engage on a sensory level, and expresses the ever-changing nature of thought and emotion. It is a tactile metaphor for the mysteries within us, to encourage contemplation of our own consciousness and meditation on the human experience.

Sienna Grace Lewis

Cherrybrook Technology High School

The Unsettlers

Ceramics

Sienna Grace Lewis

Cherrybrook Technology High School

The Unsettlers

Ceramics

I care deeply about Australia's ecosystems, and believe that we need to take action to protect them. In my body of work I have investigated the devastating impacts invasive species have on Australian native species. The Common Myna and the European rabbit both harm kookaburra and wombat populations by taking up vital resources like land and food. I made this work by using an array of hand-building ceramic techniques such as coiling, carving and impression, which I then painted and sealed. The non-clay aspects of my work are intended to add to its sense of realism and the audience's immersion.

Crystal Chen

North Sydney Girls High School

When Majesty Falls To Folly

Ceramics

Crystal Chen

North Sydney Girls High School

When Majesty Falls To Folly

Ceramics

When Majesty Falls to Folly is a series of eight ceramic vessels that places Asian antiquity within my neoliberal context. From the Qing Dynasty to contemporary times, the timeless forms and iconography of Chinese porcelain have governed economic models within the art world. My body of work is intended to be a satirical inversion of this symbol of luxury. I parody the medium to express the modern overindulgence evident in tweets and pop culture. By combining a representation of dynastic pottery with imagery from media, my series explores how our way of life is immersed in decadence.

Maddisen McLay

Willoughby Girls High School

The Aftermath

Ceramics

Maddisen McLay

Willoughby Girls High School

The Aftermath

Ceramics

My body of work represents eucalyptus trees that have faced the consequences of the brutality of Australia's deadly fires. I made tall ceramic abstracted tree-like forms to convey the shapes of Australian eucalyptus tree trunks and their distinctive colours. I examined the aftermath of a bush fire and its effects on Australian native trees through intricate detail in the imprinted surface textures, engobe and copper oxide. These hand-built structures illustrate the deadly nature of the bushfires and the ruthless effects that Australian fires can have on nature: taking away wildlife homes, one by one.