15 June 2022

Acquisitive Art Prize 2022

The 2022 Acquisitive Art Prize showcased creations from 155 Year 10-12 students, including our 2021 Year 12 cohort. The competition celebrates art across various fine art mediums, from sculpture, textiles, installation and photography to drawing, printmaking, digital art, film and painting.

The 2022 Acquisitive Art Prize Exhibition was held in the RVIB Art and Design Precinct at the St Kilda Road Campus in May. With over 150 entries from Years 10-12 students from across the College, it was testament to the talent of our senior students and the variety of mediums the school offers, from painting, drawing and printmaking to photography and sculpture.

This year’s guest judge was Concettina (Tina) Inserra, a Melbourne-based, multi-disciplinary artist who works primarily in photography, painting and drawing. Since graduating from RMIT in 1996, Tina’s work has been exhibited at art galleries in Melbourne and across Australia. In 2008, she was awarded one of Australia's most prestigious annual photographic awards, ‘The William & Winifred Bowness Photography Prize’ at the Monash Gallery of Art.

This year's winner was Enzo Lezzi (OW2021) from the St Kilda Road Campus with his entry Nonna’s House which formed part of his final artwork for VCE Studio Arts in 2021. Tina chose Enzo’s work for ‘it’s warm feeling, like being at Nonna’s house.’ She admired the effort of the rendered walls and the sourcing of furniture and objects, as well as the loose painting style that provided a sense of ‘fading memory’.

Encouragement Awards were awarded to Jent Jiang (Year 11 Glen Waverley) for his photographic series, Flash Back and Hannah Daehn (Year 12, St Kilda Road) for Mirror House.

Tina admired Jent’s ability to ‘capture the light at the right moment’, which provided a sense of ‘nostalgia and the passing of time.’ She commended Hannah for her ‘great use of colour’ and ‘unusual figures’ which created a ‘surreal image’ that was both ‘grotesque and beautiful at the same time.’

For the first time, the People’s Choice award was a four-way tie with Silas Mitchell, (Year 12 St Kilda Road), Carla Narum (Year 12 St Kilda Road), Luca Allen (Year 11 St Kilda Road) and Anais Abrahams- Fletcher (OW2021) all sharing the prize.

The Packers Prize, as voted by the St Kilda Road and Glen Waverley Art Technicians, was awarded to Rosie Nash (OW2021) for The Scream.

Tina was impressed by the array of media and concepts displayed which showed moments of ‘contemplation, melancholy, humour and despair’ through ‘people, objects and place’ and demonstrated the diversity that makes up the fabric of Wesley. It is worth noting that several pieces of art in this exhibition had been completed while in lockdown conditions and students should be commended for their determination and fortitude.

After the trials of the last two years, it was lovely to come together as a community to celebrate the artistic talent of students past and present. It is hoped that all of our artists continue to embody their creative expression through the arts, even after graduating from Wesley College.

Amelia Judd is the Head of Faculty – Arts at the St Kilda Road Campus