Caboolture Regional Art Gallery – Creative Generation 2011



Outside of the gallery 2012



So I recently went to go check out the Caboolture Regional Art Gallery, located in the Caboolture Hub in the heart of the city. The current MAIN exhibition on display is that of the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Art and Design 2012-2013 touring exhibition. Just to clarify, these award recipients are from 2011, the tour runs 2012-2013, and it’s available at the HUB from September 8^th – October 27^th. The show features the works of 33 different Queensland students, ages 12-18, which were selected to participate in a five day workshop with professional artists in Brisbane, QLD. These 33 students were chosen from 467 participants and have already exhibited in such galleries as GOMA (Grantham n.d.).

After having been given a brief description of the show by a family member, I was a tad bit weary. I wasn’t sure if I’d be seeing reasonably accomplished artwork or a child’s finger paintings. My doubts were completely cleared away after having visited the exhibit. Not only was there a vast amount of different mediums used – such as video, paint, clay, mud, wood, pencil, turf, etc. – but each and every artist’s work was highly professional in its presentation.

Many of the artists created pieces of art that were influenced by their personal lives and the woes of growing through their teens. Having recently graduated from teenager-hood myself, I felt that I could personally connect and understand many of the concepts behind their work. One artist that stood out for me was Tom Morrey, who based his work Laughter and Shadows on childhood fears. Thus, he portrayed his own fears by becoming them – a clown – and photographed himself. Another artist was Erin Green, whose concept revolved around memories, senses and locations. She drew three (very well drawn) portraits of herself, and then glued bits of maps and photos around and on the portraits. There were others still who chose to expand their concepts out into the greater ideas of the world. Nikki Robbin’s Fishbowl is a video meant to symbolize humanity’s fear of change, growing old, and death. She represented this notion by filling a fishbowl with water, adding a fish, and recording the process of the bowl slowly leaking water. Fish = humanity, water = life. Simple but profound.

The curatorial assemblage of the exhibition is one that flows well without putting too many ‘like’ artworks together. There are generally are no paintings, photographs, etc. put side by side. This gives the viewer a chance to see a new medium every few feet, allowing the viewer to judge the individual artwork itself and not how it compares to the piece next to it.




Kristyn Tremble, Speak Up 2011

  After having spent considerable time in the gallery, I couldn’t help but notice that none of the ages of the student artists were listed. Each and every work in the space had a deep impact in its own way and I found it astounding that some of these works could have been done by twelve year olds! The overall effect of the exhibition left me feeling encouraged that the future art of Queensland is in the safe and capable hands of our up-and-coming youth.

Unless noted, I took all of the pictures in this blog.



To check out the exhibition online, click on the link below! :)

http://education.qld.gov.au/community/events/creativegeneration/artawards/visualart/docs/2012-13-touring-exhibition-catalogue.pdf

Caboolture Regional Art Gallery

4 Hasking Street
Caboolture QLD 4510

07 5433 3710

Mon to Fri 9am–4pm, Sat 9am–3pm

Caboolture Regional Art Gallery, n.d., image, viewed 24 September 2012,

<http://www.artguide.com.au/exhibition/2012-creative-generation-excellence-awards-in-visual-art-and-design/>

Grantham, J n.d., Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Art and Design 2012-2013 Touring Exhibition, viewed 24 September 2012,

<http://education.qld.gov.au/community/events/creativegeneration/artawards/visualart/docs/2012-13-touring-exhibition-catalogue.pdf >