Families, students and staff are invited to visit the Small Gallery in E Block to view its latest exhibition – a display of dynamic artworks by Year 10 students informed by the study of the Surrealism and Lowbrow Art movements.
Art teacher Ms Ainsley Leonard says the students explored ideas around dreams, reality and the unconscious mind. “The resulting works are thoughtful and loaded with meaning and ideas,” says Ms Leonard.
In the images pictured above, Clarissa Siddle’s painting (left) explores childhood and change. The frog was her childhood toy, while the piano represents her love of music and the instruments she has learned. The Skytower and clock divides the composition. They are both symbols of change, depicting her move to Auckland and the passage of time leading into adulthood.
Lauren Appleby’s striking painting on the right investigates life after death. The sunset represents endings and the space represents the unknown. The owl is a symbol of wisdom and intellect. It gazes at the viewer and holds the frame, a boundary between life and death. The clouds move across the symbolic dimensions of the work, changing in form but still present.
In the images below, Jaimie Spencer’s uneasey painting on the left shows a woman stretched to breaking point suspended over an atmospheric landscape. Pine forests at night are traditionally associated with notions of witchcraft and danger. However, white pine trees also represent spiritual peace in some indigenous North American tribes, such as the Iroquois. Her work offers dichotomies to the viewer.
Jasmine Wangs’ artwork is a self portrait in the style of Mark Ryder. She uses a lightbulb and the sun to show her ideas for her future. The stuffed animal represents her childhood. Her work explores notions of growing up and time passing. Jasmine’s use of the clock as a motif reinforces these ideas.