Congratulations to Year 11 student, Charlotte Stapleton who has been selected to exhibit in the Black Swan Youth Award with this stunning portrait. We asked Charlotte about her artwork.

Who is your portrait of?

‘Don’t You Know Your Queen’ is a diptych depicting friends, Ben Lye (left) and Lili Kristofich (right) in a 3/4 portrait composition facing away from each other with red crowns embroidered over their heads.

Why did you choose to paint this person?

I chose to draw Lili and Ben as they reflect the effect of social media on young people, which is indicative of the meaning behind my artwork. Both subjects are teenagers who live in a modern society where social media is a big influence in their lives. This diptych illustrates two very different people with opposing personalities and the identical effect social media has on them. Lili is an outgoing person who aims to make people’s heads turn with her quirky posts on social media. She desires to be known for her creative, diverse mind but sometimes the pressure of it all gets to her. In contrast, Ben is dependant on others’ validation, filtering his content to appeal to the public eye. He is recognised for his active nature, connecting others to a fabricated version of himself through social media.

What do you love about art?

Art is an expressive subject, you truly have to dedicate yourself to your artwork, and that means not just your hands that move the pencil, but your mind. I think once we truly and wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to our art, that’s when we can achieve something amazing. I love art because I believe anyone can do it, it’s when we hold ourselves back that we feel as though we can’t. My passion for not only the art we see in galleries like Van Gogh or Magritte, but also the art of the girls in my class and how from one similar topic we can come up with unique ideas and final pieces.

The Black Swan Prize Youth Awards Exhibition will be held at Brookfield Place Tower 1 from Monday 29 October – Friday 23 November 2018.