Top Arts
Alena Landers (OW2020) will have her artwork displayed at the NGV as part of the 2021 Top Arts Exhibition as part of the VCE Season of Excellence. Selected from hundreds of entries, Alena created her work, A Harsh Land, in Studio Arts in her final year at Wesley College, as Michele Maher explains.
A Harsh Land, is a series of mixed media collages that explore aspects of her Indigenous heritage, along with the land and environment. Alena used natural dyeing techniques on paper and fabrics, prior to collaging and stitching each work using symbolism to create small narratives of her identity, people and culture.
'As a young Indigenous woman in 21st century Australia, from the Djugun and Noongar tribes of Western Australia, I am constantly navigating the worlds of my Aboriginal culture from my hometown of Broome with that of my education here in Melbourne. I worked with natural bush plants, such as eucalyptus leaves to eco dye the fabrics, prior to collaging and stitching each work using symbolism to create small narratives of my identity, my people and my culture,' Alena says.
The Top Arts exhibition is open to the public, held at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia from 26 March – 11 July 2021 and showcases outstanding work created by students who have completed VCE Art and VCE Studio Arts.
Michele Maher is the Head of Arts at the Glen Waverley Campus
Detail of 'A harsh land' artwork by Alena Landers
Detail of 'A harsh land' artwork by Alena Landers
Detail of 'A harsh land' artwork by Alena Landers
Detail of 'A harsh land' artwork by Alena Landers
Alena Landers at the Glen Waverley Campus Goldstraw Visual Arts Centre
