Eytan Messiah – Head of Visual Arts and Co-ordinator of High School Innovation Team

Year 8 Visual Arts Exhibition – ‘NEIGHBOURHOOD’

This week, the Visual Arts department opened an exciting exhibition titled ‘Neighbourhood’. This display of two large-scale paintings undertaken by our Year 8 students, deals with some of the key themes of Australian Art. Students investigated the various cultural and historical elements central to the connections between land, landscape, home and identity. Students examined the practices of artists Judy Watson Napangardi, Judy Watson, John Wolseley and Howard Arkeley in order to recognise similarities and distinctions in the ways these artists connect with their surroundings and explore their own identities within them. Students then generated these large-scale paintings by drawing upon Google satellite imagery as well as historical and cultural research into their own neighbourhoods. Students needed to embrace a range of collaborative art making strategies to ensure their final painting was cohesive and communicated their different perspectives of the land and of their suburban contexts and identities.

For pictures and a video of our students’ art making process click here: 

8VAS

8VAB