ARTEXPRESS 2020: presenting passions and curiosities from the creative minds of Gen Z

ARTEXPRESS 2020: presenting passions and curiosities from the creative minds of Gen Z

6 Feb – 26 Apr 2020
Free admission | Upper Asian Gallery, ground level

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is proud to present ARTEXPRESS 2020, showcasing outstanding works of art created by NSW students for the Higher School Certificate (HSC) Visual Arts examination in 2019.

One of the Gallery’s most popular exhibitions, the 36th annual ARTEXPRESS brings the work of the next generation of artists and creative thinkers into the public arena; presenting a snapshot of the passions, curiosities and concerns occupying the minds of young Australians.

This year’s exhibition at the Gallery features 48 artworks selected from 8552 student works submitted for the 2019 HSC and includes works by students from government and non-government schools from across metropolitan and regional NSW. 

The exceptional bodies of work represent a broad range of approaches across 12 art forms, including painting, drawing, photo-media, sculpture, ceramics, time-based works, designed object, documented form, printmaking, textiles and fibre and graphic design.

Art Gallery of NSW director Michael Brand said the exhibition shows the great enthusiasm and depth of talent of students in NSW.

“ARTEXPRESS 2020 represents the independent creative voices of young people and the issues that are important to them. Their evocative explorations of environmental concerns, personal identity, human emotion and the politics of our time are sophisticated, inventive and thought-provoking,” Dr Brand said.

“I congratulate all 2019 HSC visual arts students on the tremendous accomplishment of creating a body of artwork for the HSC. The continued popularity of ARTEXPRESS is testament to the public’s enthusiasm for supporting young artists and the Gallery’s ongoing commitment to providing a platform for artists and a forum for art education and the exchange of ideas,” Dr Brand added.

Joshua Merchant, Jindabyne Central School, Lost Landscape © the artist

The 2020 Sir William Dobell Art Foundation award for Excellence in Teaching to a Visual Art faculty in a secondary school in NSW has been awarded to Prairiewood High School, which has one student work by Shantelle Morrison featured in ARTEXPRESS 2020. The award will be presented to Principal Belinda Giudice and includes a $2,000 grant aimed to support the Visual Arts Faculty and support arts education in NSW Public Schools.

The 2020 Julian Ashton Art School Full Year Scholarship has been awarded to Louis Callanan from St Ignatius College for his body of work That Which is Familiar – A Visual Verse and the Julian Ashton Art School Summer School Scholarship goes to Dylan Welgemoed from Pennant Hills High School for his body of work Silver Screen.

Louise Halpin, Art Gallery of NSW curator of ARTEXPRESS 2020 said a selection of photographs of artists at work, along with sketchbooks and other materials from the Gallery’s National Art Archive will be on display alongside the student works.

“We are proud to again display a range of objects drawn from Australia’s largest artist archive, documenting the practice of artists, including Grace Crowley, Anne Dangar, Janet Dawson, Mona Hessing, Robert Klippel, Janet Lawrence, Lloyd Rees, Judy Watson and Fred Williams,” Halpin said.

“Looking at the process of making gives us a deeper insight into the artist, helps us understand their work and inspires students to develop ideas into artforms.”

The much-loved exhibition began in Sydney in the late 1950s and has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of NSW since 1983. Accomplished artists who have previously exhibited in ARTEXPRESS include Ben Quilty (1992), David Griggs (1994), McLean Edwards (1990), Melissa Chiu (1990) and Jasper Knight (1996).

Lemah Orya, St Marys Senior High School, Mending Broken Things After the Afghan War © the artist

ARTEXPRESS is a joint partnership between the NSW Education Standards Authority and NSW Department of Education in association with the principal venue, the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

A program of Art After Hours events will be held from 6pm this evening to celebrate the opening night of ARTEXPRESS, including the performance of a series of special music, dance and drama works created for the 2019 HSC by some of NSW’s high achieving performing arts students.

Join the conversation #ARTEXPRESS2020