HSC Artworks Making Multicultural Australia -

“For those who’ve come across the sea,” Maggie Chu, Santa Sabina.

“This work is about transition – a process of adopting and adjusting to change. It is a journey from ignorance to insight, hope to disappointment, and from past to the present. At the end of the journey, I have gained a new identity and found my home. The sense of belonging is not a gift, rather, it is an achievement. The process of creating the artwork represents the exploration of my family history. The experiments with various techniques resemble the challenges in different environments. As it is a mixed-media piece of art, the mixture of cultures make me who I am.” Artexpress, Sydney: NSW Board of Studies, 1993.

“Phases of my life,” Pin Phayakvichien, Willoughby Girls High School.

“My own life is the inspiration for this work. I’ve lived in many places, loved many ‘faces’ and experienced the wondrous ‘phases’ of my life. I wanted to express this in paint. I’ve used my heart and soul to portray my love for my family and friends. As I did so, I discovered more about painting portraits and about my own identity. This work gave me the chance to explore the power of colour and relive my memories.” Artexpress, Sydney: NSW Board of Studies, 1993.

“My views of Sydney – Watsons Bay,” Akiro Mori, Mosman High School.

“I found the Australian landscape very different to Japan. It is so spacious with large panoramas, where you can see great distances. I wanted to show this in scale in my prints. I am very interested in patterns, combined with the etched effects of the acid which I used for the clouds.” Artexpress, Sydney: NSW Board of Studies, 1994.

“Fate” Thi Nguyen, Burwood Girls High School.

“Fate” Thi Nguyen, Burwood Girls High School. “My ‘refugee boats’ are an interpretation of my direct experience when leaving Vietnam. The three boats ‘History,’ ‘Fate’ and ‘Destiny’ symbolize the delicate uncertainty of the captive human struggle in the sea of life. I have tried to capture objects in an innovative and symbolic manner.” Artexpress, Sydney: NSW Board of Studies, 1994.

“The glass ceiling” Nadya Zakarija, Burwood Girls High School.

“’The Glass Ceiling’ is inspired by the fact that women very rarely reach top management in business. The inspiration for my artwork is based on women’s attempts for equality in what they conceive is a male dominated world.” Artexpress, Sydney: NSW Board of Studies, 1994.

“Roar II” Sueng Yoon, St. Pius X College.

“The fighting scenes of the students express the anger, prejudice and frustration felt and experienced by individuals which often explodes into forms of violence and destruction. The work also suggests that we have to find a new way to deal with problems arising from differences such as culture, race and religion by showing the tragic consequences. In the series, ‘Roar I’ shows the broader view of chaotic destruction and violence; ‘Roar II’ shows confirmation of individuals in much more intense hatred and anger. German Expressionists’ works were used as references in making painting more emotionally evocative.” Artexpress, Sydney: NSW Board of Studies, 1995.

“My family and the phase of our life” Margaret Park, Castle Hill High School.

“My strong love of my family is the inspiration for my work. Through the process of making this art work and study of my family, I realized the importance of the family unit and my own identity. This painting deals with problems and experience we went through together when we first came to Australia and how the sense of belonging to each other has been our strength. The works or Marc Chagall influenced my use of colour, subject matter, simplicity, fantasy-like mood and images.” Artexpress, Sydney: NSW Board of Studies, 1995.

“The cause of freedom” Micheal Aziz, Lurnea High School.

“I came to Australia in 1992 from Kurdistan where I witnessed many war atrocities. My artwork expresses my feelings about our people’s eternal struggle for freedom, the destructiveness of war and its innocent victims. I originally experimented with one composition but changed to a triptych with images of a Kurdish poem, an old man remembering the past and myself looking with sorrow on the horrors of war, wondering about the future of Kurdistan. I painted the center and front panels but could not get the desired effect so I tried pastels over paint and felt happier with this medium.” Artexpress, Sydney: NSW Board of Studies, 1995.

“Reflections of self – past, present and future” Jimin Kim, Presbyterian Ladies College.

“Influenced by the vivid palette of Hundertwasser and Klimt, my colours are vibrant and varied. The colours help to highlight the stages of my life from Korea to Australia. The Korean T’ae-Guk symbol is denoted in the past section. The present section displays the Aboriginal influence and cultural background of Australia. The continuous lines throughout the painting suggest the movement from the past to future section of the painting, my eyes are doubly opened to all the new experiences of my life.” Artexpress, Sydney: NSW Board of Studies, 1995.

“Inner west boys” Steve Teran, All Saints Catholic Senior High School.

“My painting is about mateship and unity and life in the city. The figures are seen as a united front group with slightly foreshortened viewpoint. The clothes are of a similar colour and design in order to bring out the fact that they are part of a gang. The stern, aggressive, emotionless stance is also meant to denote their protest at the third runway aircraft noise that has disrupted their suburb. Life in the city demands a sense of unity and toughness.” Artexpress, Sydney: NSW Board of Studies, 1995.

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