Year 12 Perspectives 2010

Editorial

Now in its 19th year, the annual Year 12 Perspectives exhibition of TEE Art and Art and Design students' work is currently showing at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, with works by students selected from across the state.

Works in a variety of media including paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs showcase not only the talents, but also the sentiments of some of the country's youngest artists.

The truncated directness of speech (when any speech at all is forthcoming) that dismays so many parents of teenagers is here translated into deeply personal, carefully structured and ever passionate evocations of teenage concerns. While more seasoned artists may have the maturity to carry off more obscure and abstract themes, the heart-on-your-sleeve candor of emerging artists is not only refreshing but moreover illuminating. For youthful actions are frequently (as Shakespeare put it) too ill advised and too sudden; here instead we gain access to youthful sincerity, diligence and single-mindedness.

It is these elements we should celebrate in Perspectives. Listen to these voices and decode their messages, for these works offer not a talent show, but a rare glimpse into our collective future.

Robert Stevenson, Citysearch