Honours exhibition showcases diverse range of artworks

A diverse range of artworks from oil paintings to ceramics and photographs will explore issues such as the notion of place and home, the military and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the boundaries between human and non-human animals in the Southern Cross University Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) exhibition, opening on November 21.

The exhibition at the Lismore campus, follows the successful undergraduate Transit exhibition and features the work of six Honours students.

Course co-ordinator John Smith said the Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours)
degree enabled students to take their work to a higher level through research, training and the development of their professional contemporary practice.
Honours is also the pathway to postgraduate studies.


“Honours projects typically have a resonant personal, social and cultural currency. They indicate the depth of engagement with the world that can be achieved through contemporary art practice by these emerging artists,” Mr Smith said.

“The six artists exhibiting this year have produced visually contrasting installations and bodies of works. However they are all involved in the way personal experiences can become platforms for transformational action through art practice.

“At their best this occurs in ways that are significant and informative to people across and throughout the community. These shows can sometimes be very confrontational and challenging at the same time as they reverberate with warmth and invite engagement and interaction.”

Kate Hallen’s work explores the military and more specifically, PTSD that occurs after service.

“As a society, we seem to place a large emphasis on war culture: from contemporary media such as video games and film to national celebrations of gallantry and honour,” Kate said.

“After living with a sufferer of military related PTSD for the majority of my life – I feel there are a lot of questions that need to be asked, especially about the importance we invest within war.

“My work approaches a new way of looking and thinking about war art. I try to create a space of contemplation within each painting – one that draws you in. We are so used to looking at images of war and destruction that the gravity of the situation becomes superfluous. I challenge this.”

Susi Marcroft moved to Kyogle from the Gold Coast to complete her Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) degree.

“This degree blossomed by undertaking an Honours year, which required deeper creative and theoretical research within an academic context. This enabled me to speak confidently and critically about my work, situated within human-animal studies.”

Her unique work, using ceramic and encaustic surfacing, combines human and animal forms.

“From research into both the new and ancient sciences, and radical hypotheses on the nature of consciousness, I speculate that all life forms have some level of ‘mind’, from humans across to sub-atomic particles,” Susi said.

The other exhibiting artists are: Paul Bloomfield, Michael Chapus, Cassandra Purdon and Clare Urquhart.

The Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) Exhibition opens on Friday, November 21, from 5.30pm to 8pm, in V block, Lismore campus. The exhibition will be open from November 22 to 28 and is open daily from 10am to 4pm (closed Sunday). Photo: Kate Hallen’s work explores the military and more specifically, PTSD that occurs after service.