# data[].attributes.body
Rachel Xia

“Personification”

2022

Procreate

Humans love to personify everything. Human to pet dog: “ Ohh don’t you love wearing that cute costume Snuffles?” Human to pet hamster: “ Look! Oreo loves watching TV with us!”. Giving animal human qualities could often be done in a condescending way that most of use don’t even realise. Do our beloved pets truly feel happy and loved?  What is this like from the animal’s perspective? Personification” captures what it might feel like for the animals living in a world dominated by human.

Should humans keep pets?

# data[].attributes.body
‘Plant Pot’

2022

Terracotta clay, rolling pin, wooden knife, clay cutting wire

This piece is symbolic of the connection between humans and nature.  A plant pot may be viewed as a relatively mundane household item however I urge viewers to see the true significance of plants in our lives. I hope my artwork influences people to rethink how lucky we are to be able to live alongside plants, even in indoor spaces. I used terracotta clay for an earthy feel, giving this inanimate object a sense of life. This complements the real living plants which would reside in this plant pot. I hand-molded this piece, leaving imperfections in the surface of the clay to communicate the beauty in nature’s spontaneity.

# data[].attributes.body
‘Radio-Active Living’

2022

Clay and wooden sculptures

This sculpture represents an imaginary world of the aftereffects of a nuclear explosion where humanity doesn’t try to ‘fix’ its environment but rather adjusts to it. This is displayed through the accompaniment of a bomb shelter that looks intact in contrast to the broken building. While the underground bomb shelter is supposed to be closed off from the top, I decided to leave it open in order to properly showcase it. Although toxic waste isn’t ’green’ like it’s represented as in ‘cartoons’; I decided to go with that colour to highlight its impacts but also provide contrast within the brown palette of the sculpture. I was inspired by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki aftereffects.

What would happen to humanity after a nuclear war?

# data[].attributes.body
‘Refraction’

2022

Acrylic and oil on canvas

The physical world on Earth has sets of rules and boundaries that restrict what can and can’t be. By contrast, the world we see in ‘Refraction’ is one where dimension and form are fluid. Colour and subject matter can melt, bend and transform as if they are imbued with magic. The world presented is a mutation of the natural world as we know it, showcasing its ever-dynamic, enigmatic and mystical forms. Through the manipulation of colour and organic curvature, ‘Refraction’ presents a snapshot of a dark and mysterious but also captivatingly wondrous landscape.

The elements in this landscape can be whatever you want or whatever you see. What do you see?

# data[].attributes.body
‘Life in Fairytopia’

2022

Acrylic on canvas, dry etching on plastic

This artwork conveys the imaginary world of fairytopia whereby mythical creatures and magical powers thrive in a fantastical environment. The piece depicts a peaceful fairy situated in the centre, floating in her bubble surrounded by vibrant colours, swirls and movements that exist within fairytopia. I want this piece to be thought provoking, bewildering and exciting for potential viewers. To enhance the visual experience I used an array of colours, namely pigments of pink, purple, blue, green and brown, intentionally to portray and earthy, nature and floral scape.

What if mythical creatures such as fairies exist in the real world but are concealed away from the dangers that humans pose? And in what ways do they connect with nature?

# data[].attributes.body
‘Overgrowth’

2022

Oil on paper

My world tries to convey a utopia where modern society and nature coexist in harmony; where there is friendship and care between mother nature and humans and their creations. The piece is intended to provide insight to the fragile, gentle relationship that we hold with our natural world, exploring this concept of kinship and the possibility of a sustainable 21st century world. The use of oil, earthy colours and controlled strokes depicts this fragility and tranquillity when we care beyond our own kind.

How sustainable is society today? What could the world look (or rather not look like) in 50 years because of this?

# data[].attributes.body
"Life Sustaining Energy"
2022

Spray paint, interactive acrylics, acetate sheets

Climate change has prevailed. Society has adapted to underwater civilisation, calling for alternative energy producing efficiencies. My world places significance on the value and power individuals hold at the core of their centre. Energy producing auras sourced from individual emotions and experiences unite to power underwater civilisation. The placement of my work invites interaction between the city beyond the work, the room in which it is presented and everything in between. Unique experiences shape fluidity and flow of individual imagination, shaping narratives and connecting ideas. Emphasis surrounds the value of everyone’s contribution to society. Unity through strength and growth offers renewal. Is this the creation of a sustainable world? Is this society’s chance at renewal?

# data[].attributes.body
My imaginary world is one of peace, tranquillity and serenity. I want my audience to be enveloped into a magical space - consumed by a tangle of trees and bursting blooms - green & warm with sunshine. At its heart, a cosy cottage - a retreat, a sanctuary. I wish to evoke a sense of nostalgia with this storybook scene, to provoke wonder at this enchanted world, bursting with life. I wish for my audience to revel in all of nature’s beauty.

# data[].attributes.body
Darshan Bogoda
'A Carbon World'
2022
Graphite and Multi-purpose paper
A Carbon World includes aspects of carbon through the graphite of pencils and the carbon in the cellulose present in the paper. The drawing is an interpretation of my imaginary world that explores life if adaptations and evolution occurred simultaneously with changes in the climate and time of day. My artwork highlights a human woman in the focal point of my artwork to captivate viewers and wonder:

If the cleanliness of her attire and hair are associated with her social status?

If there is a spiritual connection between the woman and the environment? And what is the cause for the physical changes the woman is experiencing?

# data[].attributes.body
Genevieve Waters

‘Floral Squid’

2022

Watercolor, flowers and paper

Through the process of exploring my love for roses and interest in life beneath the sea, a hybrid was created. Within this piece, this hybrid creature is naturally occurring in a world free of humans. It is fantastical, petals merged with tentacles, realism mixed with fantasy. I chose to use the medium of watercolor mixed with real flower petals as I felt it portrayed the elements of realism mixed with art. This makes up a creative collage of an experimental creature in a fiction world. The blues, greens and reds utilize the primary sources and link back to the youthful joy of imagining something which does not exist.

How did the squid evolve to become this hybrid?

# data[].attributes.body
This artwork depicts a world where everyone is divided, exploring the idea of isolation bringing people together. It prompts thinking around harmony and an idealistic world created through separation rather than the current world where everyone is together on one planet, the opposite of our current situation comes to life to represent a new idea for a world of harmony. Fantasy and imagination over power reality and the harshness of our current climate to explore an idea of elements being separate and worlds working together, in isolation, to create peace. The juxtaposition of the main ideas allows imaginations to determine what the painting means and the problems it addresses.

What would create harmony in isolated floating worlds?