The 34th iteration of Artwaves, Logan’s annual student art exhibition, is now showing at the Logan Art Gallery until 24 October.
With 148 student artists from 30 secondary schools sharing their works at the gallery, this year’s featured artist is Xin Weng, selected from previous Artwaves exhibitions for a solo exhibition at the Young People’s Gallery, running concurrently with Artwaves.
Ms Weng’s solo exhibition, Nature of my Bodies, explores the search for identity and desire to explore one’s place among others, using classical sculpture, mythology and historical paintings to uncover the shared human experience and reflect on connection, individuality, and what unites us across time and place.
Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences and Biochemistry at the University of Queensland, Ms Weng explains her focus stems from trying to figure out her life after high school.
“I just got out of high school, and I’m trying to figure out my life and enjoy new experiences. That’s really shaped the focus of my art around identity, and around not being fixed, not being completely whole, not being defined,” Ms Weng said.
“I had this solo exhibition as part of the Artwaves Ripple Effect mentoring program. For the past two years I’ve been a mentee with Christopher Bennie — and he’s been showing me how an exhibition works, how the art world works.”
Ms Weng draws her inspiration from her own past experiences discovering classical art, figures and paintings in galleries, and combines her interests in art and human anatomy in her works.
“I’m really interested in painting the human body, especially the skin. If you look at skin, it’s not a solid color; there’s fat and blood vessels and things underneath, and that creates all these color variations,” she said.
She hopes to show more of her art in more exhibitions.
“I feel really grateful and really proud of myself. It’s such a wonderful experience — really amazing to be able to experience this.”
She encourages aspiring Artwaves artists to keep experimenting.
“Try everything and don’t feel like you’re confined to only do a single thing and to be a single person,” she said.
“Even if you think you might not be suitable, for whatever reason, just keep trying: it’ll work out.”
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