November 24, 2016

Students bring artistic visions to life in Creative Arts exhibition

Annual show caps three years of hard work for aspiring young artists  

Usually when a child becomes bored of the latest Barbie or Action Man, it's thrown in the toy box to gather dust and be forgotten.

But one University of Wollongong (UOW) artist has found a more creative use for hundreds of unwanted toys.

Bradley George, an undergraduate student in his final year studying creative arts, has been interested in dolls since watching the movie Toy Story. In particular, his work channels the sociopathic neighbor and toy terrorizer, Sid, from the film.

“I think Sid was misunderstood. I mean he was a genius in deconstructing toys and making new ones,” the young art student says.

Bradley is so fascinated with dolls that he has used 53 of them, ranging from Barbies to Stormtroopers, in his unusual artwork titled Closet King.

His piece is one of 120 works hanging at UOW’s Creative Arts Building as part of the Third Year Graduates Art Show.

At the end of each academic year hundreds of people flock to see the art made by students completing their Bachelor of Creative Arts, majoring in Visual and Media Arts and Graphic Design.

Dr Agnieszka Golda, the exhibition’s curator and Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Art, says this is the time for art students to shine.

“At this point the student’s artistic achievements have been recognised and from here they will develop their voices and identity,” she said.

The eclectic works range from half metre-tall Pokemons made from toffee, a three-metre long photomontage consisting of thousands of selfies of the same person, melting balls of ice hooked up by an elaborate arrangement of fishing line, and a selection of hand-knitted depictions of stretched endangered animal skins.

According to Dr Jo Law, a Senior Lecturer in Media Arts, there is something for everyone at this year’s exhibition, from screen-printing, painting, video installations, photo-media, print-media and sculpture.

“This latest art exhibition is a great opportunity to enjoy the creativity produced by UOW artists and it also gives us an insight into their culture,” Dr Law says.

The show opens Friday, 25 November, in Creative Arts, Building 25 at the University of Wollongong. Additional images can be viewed on the UOW Flickr Photography site.