Natural expression
2024-03-09T12:14:48+11:00
These young talents are shaping a deeper appreciation for Australia’s botanical wonders.
If you haven’t visited the Art Gallery of NSW for Art Express 2024, we recommend checking it out! This free annual exhibition is on now until April 21, and showcases a selection of outstanding student artworks developed for the artmaking component of the HSC examination in Visual Arts in NSW.
One beautiful botanical work that caught our eye is Emma Simpson’s Second glance. Her intricate drawings of dried leaves, tree-bark and banksias, all found while bushwalking, draw attention to the overlooked beauty of non-flowering Australian flora. Emma’s body of work invites the audience to ‘look again’ and appreciate our unique plants.
Hazelhurst Arts Centre in the southern Sydney suburb of Gymea, is also exhibiting student artworks from Art Express, now until April 7. Included in the collection is Penelope Andrew’s print work Beneath the surface … a banquet of biodiversity. Through layered prints of water and netting over seaweed etching, her work emulates seaweed’s fluidity in harmony with the ocean’s movement. Her pieces celebrate the beauty of seaweed and its ecological value in aquatic ecosystems.
‘Beneath the surface … a banquet of biodiversity‘
collection of works
© the artist
Photo: Robert Edwards
In showcasing their exquisite botanical artworks, these talented high school graduates are not only capturing the essence of Australia’s rich flora but also inviting viewers to rediscover the beauty and significance of plants in our environment.
Top image:
Emma Simpson, Mosman High School
‘Second glance’ (detail)
collection of works
© the artist
Photo: Robert Edwards
