THERE is only one place to display Swan Hill College student Minh Dang’s empowering artwork – at a prestigious National Gallery of Victoria venue in Melbourne.
The Ian Potter Centre’s latest exhibition, Top Arts 2023, features the work of 38 students from across the state who have excelled in VCE art subjects.
Top Arts 2023 celebrates creativity, vision and commitment from students who have used art to bring their passions and concerns into sharp focus.
The exhibition showcases works that are provocative and introspective, spanning themes of cultural and gender identity, vulnerability, society and nature.
Minh’s striking lifelike portrait Sorrow 2022 depicts his friend Jack and reflects on the challenges for a young queer man growing up in rural Victoria.
Yet, despite the work’s title, Jack’s confident gaze suggests a heroic and powerful self-possession.
Minh used an airbrush to conjure the soft-focus Hollywood haze of the background.
He has illustrated each strand of hair; on the head, on the face and on the arms and marked all the small dots with coloured pencil to achieve the portrait’s subtle tonal shifts.
Minh told The Guardian he had been interested in art since he was a child, drawing inspiration from Disney.
“I would watch Disney princess movies and redraw them as one of my favourite things to do back then,” he said.
“Growing up with my passion, I joined many art groups on social platforms such as Facebook just to find out mine wasn’t anything compared to other people’s artwork. That is when I told myself that I could be better.
“If they can achieve that, so could I.”
Asked how he felt being selected for the exhibition, Minh said he was surprised.
“I was very surprised by how far I went since there are over 1000 applicants,” he said.
“I feel grateful to all the teachers that supported me throughout my journey, especially my Year 12 studio art teacher, Mrs Ingram.
“Inside the room full of artworks in different genres and materials, I was amazed at varieties and topics.
“There definitely were other areas of art that I have not explored yet and they all give me the passion to try them out and understand the larger meaning of art.”
Minh detailed the process of his piece, saying after he completed the sketching in pencil, he started at the more important area of the portrait – the face – to avoid any later mistakes.
“Layer by layer, I slowly built up the desired texture and realism of the portrait,” he said.
“Keeping the pencil sharp, I applied with point tiny dots of force, similar to a Pointillism technique.
“This allowed me to overlap more layers of colour in the same area on the paper.
“At the completion of the face, I filled the background with copic airbrush (burnt umber colour).
“The juxtaposition of materials used in the artwork helped enhance the principle of contrast to create an impact for the viewer.”
Minh said Sorrow invited people to “sink into the eyes of the subject” and “sense the conflict within”.
“The opportunity to identify with, or empathise with, a young man’s torment will begin,” he said.
“It intends to explore the unspeakable shame and pain felt in living a life of anonymity, often experienced by the LGBT population residing in rural communities.
“The hyper-realistic tones and textures of the face vividly share introspective feelings of fear and a fragile truth.”
NGV director Tony Ellwood said the annual Top Arts exhibition demonstrated the “astounding” talent of Victoria’s young artists and designers as they contemplated the world around them following a challenging period of disruption.
“The level of technical and conceptual complexity present in this year’s exhibition is a testament to the resilience of young artists and we are proud to continue to foster their work, perspectives and experiences at the NGV,” he said.
Top Arts 2023 is open until July 9 at The Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square. Entry is free.
