Undergrowth

February 26 - March 9, 2024

Grey Street, Project and Webb Gallery, 226 Grey Street, South Bank, 4101

Undergrowth is an annual invitational exhibition dedicated to showcasing some of the most innovative and conceptualy coherent work being produced at a second-year undergraduate level by students at the Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University. These artists and works have been nominated for invitation by Academic Staff as exemplary of QCAD's high standards of material inquiry, disciplinary knowledge and that reflect the rich studio culture that QCAD prides itself on.

From bold experimentation with materials and forms to explorations of topical contemporary concerns such as, the natural environment, consumerism and commodification, First Nations voices and truth-telling, old and new imaging, technologies, the body, materials and mark making, and the challenges of the human experience, the showcased works collectively embody the spirit of experimentation and critical inquiry that defines the QCAD experience.

Undergrowth serves as more than just a showcase; it is a testament to the indispensable role played by contemporary art students in shaping the landscape of the visual arts. Through their dedication to pushing boundaries and challenging convetions, the twenty-four emerging artists in this exhibition contribute not only to the vibrant cultural tapestry of their immediate community but also to the broader discourse of contemporary art in Brisbane/Meanjin and beyond.

Photography by @robynwoodphotography

Exhibiting Artists:

  • Amy Hambleton

  • Beth Thompson

  • Erin Smiles

  • Gertrude Benjamin

  • Jori Etuale

  • Louise Du Toit

  • Maria Hill

  • Mia Clayton

  • Sarah Zalewski

Photography by @robynwoodphotography

East Coast, Silver Gelatin print (3), 27 x 22cm

No Longer Intertwined, Inkjet on satin fabric, 1.5m x 1.5m

Family Portraits, Polaroid Lifts, 15 x 10cm

Mia Clayton’s collection of works explore the ephemeral quality of nature ― viewing landscape as a vessel for personal narrative. Within the harsh edges of the Tasmanian coastline is a comforting sentimentality, where every break in a wave or entanglement of seaweed unveils complex memories and emotions.

In East Coast, the connected horizon line between each photographic print forces a reflection upon the fragility of existence, serving as a silent observer to the intricate transformations occurring in one's life. The coastline remains unchanged, as if nature and memory have become one.

In No Longer Intertwined, a rock collected from the Tasmanian shore weighs down the fabric, embodying the heaviness attached to intricate and painful memories of a place; a suspended moment in time.

Family Portraits are scrubbed back and foggy polaroids that represent the impermanence of cherished memories, forever just out of reach.

Photography by @robynwoodphotography