St George’s Art 2014

12th Annual Exhibition

St George's Art 2014 ran from 19 July until 24 July with 137 works of art from 49 schools. At the Gala Awards Night on Thursday 23 July, Director of the Art Gallery of WA, Dr Stefano Carboni, presented the prizes.

Overall Winner and 3D Category Winner

Thomas Byrne, Chisholm Catholic College, for In Cloning We Trust (Assemblage wood)

Three box assemblages made of laser cut wood. My artwork is a quirky representation of a government factory which produces cloned birds. I chose to represent in my artwork the damaging effects human cloning could have upon society and the treatment of individuals.

In Cloning We Trust by Thomas Byrne (click the image for a better view of the artwork)

2D Category Winner

Kirsty Mouttet, Corpus Christi College, for In the Shadows (Scratch board)

'In The Shadows' consists of a homeless man who looks run down and defeated. The use of black and white adds to the theatrical play on the man's expression, to show his story and his life through his posture, facial expression and the story which is told in his eyes. It also symbolizes the way in which this man is marginalised and left in the dark by society.

In the Shadows by Kirsty Mouttet

Digital Category Winner

Anastasia Spriggs, Living Waters Lutheran College, for Life for Purchase (Digital)

Many domesticated faunae are treated as products. Parents purchase puppies as toys, nevertheless when the dog becomes a burden it is abandoned. The German shepherd within the artwork is a ‘shelter dog’ and demonstrates the extensive number of larger dogs within shelters. Patricia Piccinini influenced my employment of digital media to represent contemporary society. The poster print presents a snapshot of a point of sale. References made to Hasbro’s Fur Real Friends and RSPCA’s data.

Life for Purchase by Anastasia Spriggs

Textiles Category Joint Winners

Gillian Chionh, Canning Vale College, for Boom (Textiles, fashion and drawing)

My dress is a modern take on the dresses worn by the British settlers during the Gold Rush. I have modernized the dress and related it back to our current mining boom. I have been inspired by Andy Quilty in my drawings and designs.

Ishtar Steggall, Penrhos College, for The Dream (Photography, solvent transfer and stitch onto calico)

Dreams vs reality, future vs present, external vs internal pressure…Within my work I’m exploring the space I find myself in at this stage of my life. I look around myself and see “grownups”; working, enduring. I wonder what their dreams and aspirations once were, have they fulfilled them? Or has ‘life’ got in the way? This work questions the path we take, the decisions made and how these shape our future for better or worse.

Boom by Gillian Chionh

The Dream by Ishtar Steggall

St George’s Art 2014