News from the Art Room

The past couple of weeks have been very exciting for our Year 9/10 Art students. To celebrate their hard work and draw inspiration to make the final push towards completing their artworks, we headed off to MONA to immerse ourselves in contemporary art. 

The students were set the challenge of finding an artwork that inspired or challenged them in some way and complete sketches and notes about it. As we wandered through, each student could be heard commenting in an articulate and honest way about each artwork they encountered. 

Particular favourites included the goldfish in the bowl (Untitled, 1991–2011, Jannis Kounellis),  giant zoetrope head (Artifact, 2010, Gregory Barsamian), Erwin Wurm’s Fat Car, Sidney Nolan’s Snake mural, Lin Onus’ drop bear painting, and a musical installation/performance art piece by Dean Stevenson. But by far the display that we spent the most time with was in Kirsha Kaechele’s Ladies’ Lounge where we luxuriated on the plush black carpet, reclined on a long green velvet gherkin and admired Picasso’s reclining nude painting and the beautiful chandelier overhead. We were informed of the fascinating story behind this installation by the very helpful gallery invigilator who noted that it was an attempt to balance the gender representation of artists in the gallery who are about 80 percent male. Coincidentally we finished off our visit to the Museum by playing on the bronze slide sculpture titled ‘Girls Rule’ by Tom Otterness (2020)! Following the excursion Year 9 student, Kala Roberts, said “Mona has a wide variety of, often taboo, compositions. It was a worthwhile experience with art subjects that pushed the boundaries”.

With this inspiration in mind, the Year 10 students embarked on completing and installing their own exhibition to mark the conclusion of their artistic journey here at Mount Carmel College. Each student has worked so hard all year in a quiet, focussed way. The Art Room is somewhat akin to a church when the Year 9 and 10 students are at work. The only sounds have been those of brushes on canvas, pastels to paper and creative minds whirring. The diversity of materials and concepts is wide-ranging, from watercolour and copic pens, to acrylic paints and graphite pencils, to a fairy wonderland. 

The day of the exhibition was a frenzy of Blu Tack, velcro dots, gaffa tape and artist statements being tapped out. It was so satisfying to see all their work on display, with each piece complementing the other. There was a great deal of relief and quiet pride in the students’ faces as they saw it come together. The night of the exhibition was a true celebration of their talents and all that they have achieved this year, working in a highly motivated and independent manner. It was very rewarding to be able to share this with the students’ parents and staff and have the time to reflect on what a journey it has been. 

The exhibition title was ‘Emergence’, in reference to the fact that we as a society are beginning to emerge from the other side of a difficult period in our history, along with the idea that our students are emerging from the art room as capable artists in their own right, ready to share their work and bare their souls. It is an exciting and vulnerable time for us all. Congratulations to the Year 10 students on a successful exhibition. May your creative journeys continue for many more years to come.