CDU staff, students put art on show
A troupe of Charles Darwin University visual arts students and lecturers will exhibit their works as part of a public show which opens tomorrow (Friday) in Darwin.
The group of seven Vocational Education and Training, higher education and postgraduate visual arts students will have their work in the Northern Centre for Contemporary Art annual members’ show for 2013, entitled “Balance”.
CDU Lecturer in Studio Practice and Graduate Program Coordinator Dr Cornelius Delaney said participating in the exhibition would give CDU’s visual arts students the confidence and professional skills needed to pursue a career in the arts.
“It is wonderful for CDU to have such a strong cohort of professional-standard visual art students working in our studios,” Dr Delaney said.
“As well as developing their studio practice skills and awareness of social issues, our students will learn about working to deadlines, professional art finishing and pricing.”
Dr Delaney’s work, entitled “Ghost of SIEV X”, will be part of the exhibition. He said it reflected nautical references in Hindu culture and some of the world’s most famous literature.
“This work is part of a series of paintings in which boats are the central motif, which I have been working on since I visited India earlier this year,” Dr Delaney said.
“My series also references asylum seekers arriving to Australia by boat.”
VET visual arts lecturer Sarah Pirrie will have work in the show as well.
The CDU students whose works will be included are Tabitha Brett, Joel Mitchell, Emma McClellan, Samantha Johns, Coco Meacham, Aly de Groot and Liz Grylls.
The theme for the exhibition was inspired by musician Paul Kelly's recent spoken tribute at the state memorial service for the late Dr Mandawuy Yunupingu, former lead singer of global sensation Yothu Yindi, and long-time educator and cultural ambassador.
“Balance” will open at 6pm this Friday, 1 November at the Northern Centre for Contemporary Arts in Vimy Lane, Parap. It will run until 30 November.