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Head Start for Young Artists
By
Melanie Skinner
Word Count: 300
Going through high school and college is a period of immense change and development. The mindset during this stage of teenagers is beautifully portrayed in the Headspace exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, Old Parliament House.
Over 200 young people from Canberra and surrounding regions have opened their hearts, souls and minds to the public in a display of realistic, expressionistic and surrealist artwork.
Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Andrew Sayers believes the exhibition gives young artists a head start,
"The Headspace exhibition gives high school students an incentive to learn about portraiture while allowing the National Portrait Gallery to nurture young artistic talent."
The exhibition showcases young people's attitudes, beliefs and thoughts. Some images are simple photographs capturing a stage in the subject's life, where others deliver their important message in a more intricate and subtle way.
Manager of Education and Public Programs at the National Portrait Gallery,
Pamela Clelland Gray commended the students for the high standard of work,
"Students have responded to the challenge of creating a portrait in many different ways - some refer to portrait traditions or the work of admired artists, others experimented with different mediums for inspiration. The result is an exhibition of artworks of a very high standard."
The exhibition displays a wide array of mediums including photographs, sculptures, wire art, oil on canvas, watercolour, digitally enhanced images and lino art.
Comments by each of the artists allow viewers to understand the rationale
behind the portrait. In some instances, artists have bared their deepest fears
and emotions in the artwork and have invited viewers to see inside their pain.
The artist's comments help explain what the artist is feeling and why they
needed to display it in an artistic form.
The exhibition has been such a success that the National Portrait Gallery is
planning to include works from high school and college students nation wide in
the future.
Both the National Portrait Gallery and all the students that submitted their
artwork should be commended. It is one of the best exhibitions of the year!
The Headspace exhibition runs until 29 October 2000 and is a must see.
Where:
|
National Portrait Gallery, Old Parliament House King George Terrace Parkes http://www.portrait.gov.au |
| Price: |
$1 Concessions $2 Adults $5 Family |
All images courtesy of the National Portrait
Gallery. Title picture by Ross Caddye of Narrabundah College
