Insites
The connotations of ‘And Finally’ are many. Everyone in close proximity to an HSC Body of Work will utter these words at some point. Students can rightly say “…and finally people can see what I have done”. Parents can secretly breathe a sigh of relief “…and finally there are no more late nights and trips to find obscure materials”! For teachers “and finally” means an extra push to the end, the finishing touches complete.
But ultimately “and finally” is for the audience. It is you, who completes the artmaking process: your responses and engagement with the artworks reveal their relevance and significance in the world.
Art communicates beyond explanation and words. An HSC Body of Work is more than an exam, it is a different enterprise altogether. The artworks on display are about these students and their ideas, and what it is they want the world to know.
From catalogue notes, And Finally …
The biggest crowd Concordia Gallery has seen, with over 300 guests, attended the Opening Night event of And Finally … an exhibition of Year 12 IB and HSC Visual Arts and Industrial Design works. Dr Kerry Thomas, Associate Professor of the School of Education at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales said she was overwhelmed and shocked by the quality of work on display. With over thirty years experience in schools and at the Board of Studies, Dr Thomas was particularly impressed with the complex messages and meaning each work across all four exhibition rooms conveyed.
Artist and lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney Todd McMillan opened the exhibition and observed that the quality on display at And Finally … was on par with professionals.
I thank all staff who were involved in helping each boy develop his works, and urge those who have not come and seen the exhibition to make sure they do before the closing day on Saturday 30 August.