2021 Graduates Selected for Southern Perspectives

Southern Perspectives is an annual exhibition showcasing the talent and ideas from 2021 Visual Art graduates from high schools South of the River. 

Congratulations to Jana Mikosza, Bridgette Galipo and Neve Adams, who were chosen to show their work at this year’s exhibition. 

Only Jana could attend the opening. Below is her artist’s statement about her piece.

My foremost source of influence and inspiration stems from a single word – sonder. Its dictionary definition is ‘a profound realisation that each random passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.’ 

I believe sonder shows a form of emotional awareness, awakening from a life focussed on your own personal problems, thoughts, and feelings and realising that humanity is amazingly different, stretching to an extent that is incomprehensible. As a result, ‘to sonder’ is a humbling experience that generates a feeling of great connection to humankind and is also thought-provoking – revealing a world of intricate passageways to millions of lives towards strangers you’ll never hear the story of. 

My piece consists of three Perspex panels featuring multiple figures walking and moving in different directions. From straight on, it appears as a large crowd, but closer inspection reveals the three layers, reinforcing the hidden emotional depth of society. The clear Perspex allows my piece to be viewed with varying backgrounds, giving it an interactive and transient quality. I was inspired by Kenturah Davis’ Sonder exhibition that featured stamped figures on layered material. 

I chose to photograph the individuals going about their days in the city, I have never met, and I may never meet the subjects I have painted. I have no way of knowing what they were thinking at that exact moment. As a result, my piece captures the very principle of sonder. Showcasing the idea that we never truly know how others perceive the world. This understanding grants us a greater connection to human society.

The exhibit runs from Saturday 12 February until Sunday 27 February at the Moores Building in Fremantle.