Works of art by five Otago secondary school pupils have been selected for the annual New Zealand Qualifications Authority Top Art Exhibition.
Top Art is an annual touring exhibition featuring a selection of the best NCEA level 3 portfolios that achieved excellence endorsements in visual art last year. Five streams are covered: design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.
Portfolios by Quinn Hawthorne (King's High School), Shanneka Pearson (Kaikorai Valley College), Gypsy Mae Harihona Harrison (St Kevin's College) and Alice Jones and Emily Ward (Columba College) were selected for this year's southern tour, which will be exhibited in schools and galleries from Whanganui to Invercargill.
King's High School pupil Quinn Hawthorne's design is called Outside the Square, and was inspired by the idea of extreme surveillance and the stripping of identity in George Orwell's 1984 and Florian Donnersmarck's film The Lives of Others.
Columba College pupil Alice Jones' painting Words and Pictures was inspired by the struggle of having dyslexia in a world monopolised by written language, specifically in the school system.
Fellow Columba College pupil Emily Ward's photography portfolio is called Recontextualising History, and is inspired by the changes that occur over time, and what was valued compared with what we value now.
Kaikorai Valley College pupil Shanneka Pearson's photography portfolio is called Deterioration of Sight with Age. It was inspired by people around her who are suffering from issues relating to sight.
``Both of my parents now require reading glasses and my younger brother was also recently prescribed with glasses.
``I found myself thinking that I was very lucky not to have anything wrong with my vision. I realised the effect this would have on my life. Good vision is vital in order to pursue my interest in photography.''
St Kevin's College pupil Gypsy Mae Harihona Harrison's painting is called The Creation, and explores the abstract visualisation of the Maori creation story.
``It combines traditional motifs in a modern abstract style. I was intrigued by the linear aspect of tukutuku panels, and the curvature of koru found in carvings.''
Top Art provides an opportunity for secondary pupils and teachers to gain an understanding of what is required to achieve excellence endorsements at level 3. It also allows members of the public to see the high-quality art being created in schools.
The artworks will be exhibited at Waitaki Girls' High School, Oamaru (May 1-5); Alexandra Community House, Alexandra (June 12-16); Wakatipu High School, Queenstown (June 18-23); Blue Mountain College, Tapanui (June 26-30); Dunedin School of Art, Dunedin (July 17-28); and Southland Museum and Art Gallery, Invercargill (August 28 to September 8).
