HSC Major Works Showcase
2026
Splinters Splashes Sounds Stage Snaps and Stories
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Zach Brown
Listen, Speak, See Painting My body of work explores the different ways human emotions and experiences can be expressed through art. I am interested in how ideas that are difficult to communicate through ordinary language can instead be conveyed through music, poetry and painting. Although each medium communicates differently, my three artworks form a connected series, with each work representing a different form of expression while exploring the relationship between emotion, memory and personal experience. The series encourages the audience to consider how meaning changes when an idea is translated between different artistic forms.
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Sam Hollier Everywhere at the Height of your Heart Photomedia My photo collage illustrates how people defend themselves when confronted with a threat, both mentally and physically. The outer ring shows staged depictions of the four instinctive responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn. Flight reflects hiding or escaping; Fight shows confronting a threat with equal force or through legal action; Freeze captures the paralysis that fear can cause; and Fawn depicts complying with a threat to navigate a way out, masking fear with submission. At the centre is the heart, emphasizing that these reactions arise from instinct and character rather than deliberate strategy. I see this work as documentation and commentary on how differently individuals respond to danger—whether the threat is to one’s life, dignity, or sense of self. Ultimately, it highlights how a person’s true nature can surface in moments of panic.
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John Medalla Diskarte (passion of resilience in reverence) Sculpture Diskarte, is a Filipino concept of resourcefulness and the ability to survive a difficult situation. Diskarte (the passion of resilience in reverence) is a sculpture that investigates the threshold between culture and faith. Linking the decline in Catholicism to the decline in traditional Philippines jeepneys, and Filipino folk art. I intended tell a story similar to the Passion of Christ. Recontextualising The Passion through symbolism, from the nailing on the cross to the crown of thorns placed upon the sculpture, I want to create a reflective atmosphere for the audience to witness my artwork. The use of discarded materials inherently characterises the concept of Diskarte, whilst Christ’s passion is delicately portrayed as you travel towards the back entrance. By design, in order to truly witness the beauty of the sculpture’s interior, one must bow, or bend down to it, in doing this, the audience is called to enter a spiritual encounter as they view the artwork. Influencing artists: Nam June Paik, Marikit Santiago, Tammy Nguyen
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Edward Moss
Binary Time-based forms “Binary” explores the universal tension between comfort and the fear of the unknown, using an artificial intelligence as a metaphor for the human condition. By placing a non-human character in an emotional journey, I aim to challenge audiences to reflect on how familiarity can become a self-imposed prison. Symbolic motifs, including the door and the recurring black silhouette, represent the conflict between safety and uncertainty. Ultimately, the film suggests that growth requires accepting the unpredictability of life and finding the courage to embrace change, despite the possibility of loss.
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Matthew Oppen
My Celestial Body Time-based forms I examine the process of being lost in a time you cannot go back to through the character of someone’s Soul, and how one can feel stripped of purpose in our expansive world. The Soul finds comfort in the moon, which allows it to accept that it must move on to its next stage of existence. The Soul’s human body represents the physical transferring from one stage of life to another, and his partner reflects the people that remain who have been impacted. I was influenced by Bill Viola’s themes of the human experience and his intensive use of colour, along with the dreamlike imagery of other artists like Rene Magritte and Jordan Peele, and for my final sequence I looked at The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. To achieve the Soul’s look I filmed my friend in a green screen suit and applied carefully chosen effects through rigorous test shooting.
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Connor Staude
Between Two Worlds Drawing My artwork explores my identity through the connection between my South African heritage and Australian upbringing. The central self-portrait represents the meeting point between these cultures. South African and Australian flowers symbolise how my identity has grown from two different environments. The tree represents my family and cultural roots, while its branches suggest the continuation of heritage across generations. The acrylic pattern bleeding from the tree onto my jersey symbolises culture flowing through my family and becoming part of who I am. My grandfather’s hand planting seeds represents heritage being planted in Australian soil, showing how culture can grow, adapt and remain rooted.
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When the word ‘Autistic’ is mentioned, many different images and ideas pop into a person’s mind, many of which are generalisations and assumptions that fail to realise the complexities of such diverse conditions. My body of work challenges views and interpretations of Neurodivergent individuals in a contemporary society. My work utilises long exposure, double exposure, flash, text, and layering techniques to reflect intricate sensory issues experienced by people on the Autism spectrum, with the intention of questioning why people view neurodivergent people as different or lesser for suffering with issues that every human being shares. My work draws in and simultaneously overstimulates the viewer through vibrant complementary and analogous colours, mirroring an actual spectrum of light through studio set-up and background lighting. Portraits are connected through rigid transition to highlight how neurodivergent people are all interpreted under a single word, having a significant impact on identity in an era where worldviews are constantly changing.
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Archie Turner
Spectrum. Photomedia
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VISUAL ARTS
Zach Brown Samuel Hollier John Medalla Edward Moss Matthew Oppen Connor Staude Archie Turner
Front cover artwork: Connor Staude Back cover artwork: Edward Moss
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