We are very excited and proud to have three of our Level 3 NCEA Visual Art students selected for the prestigious Top Art Exhibition. Top Art is an annual touring exhibition featuring a selection of the very best NCEA Level 3 portfolios that achieved Excellence in Visual Arts in the previous year.

Five streams are covered: design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.

The touring exhibition can be viewed from Wednesday 3rd April until Wednesday the 17th of April at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Christchurch.

Congratulations to Mana Hiramoto, Frankie Binney and Ruizhe Wang for their outstanding achievements.  Below are their blurbs:

Mana Hiramoto - Printmaking

• Name of art piece: Welcome to The Circus
• How did you go about developing your idea?

My portfolio is an exploration of the performer’s solitude, where I delve into the universal human desire for connection. Throughout the year, I drew significant insights from Albert Camus's Absurdism, Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment," and the philosophical backdrop of "Neon Genesis Evangelion." These influential sources consistently pushed me to rethink the essence of identity, our relationship with intimacy and our pursuit of unity. This portfolio is a product of these reflections and revolves around the theme of our delicate individuality.

Frankie Binnie - Printmaking

• Name of art piece: Journey from London Zoo
• How did you go about developing your idea?

My concept of zoo animals escaping back to their roots in nature as the story for my panel stemmed from visiting London Zoo as a child. Now grown up, I reflected on animals in captivity compared to those in nature, I focused on incorporating my favourite places in London throughout my designs.

Ruizhe Wang - Design

• Name of art piece: BLUEPRINT CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION
• How did you go about developing your idea?

In the early months of 2023, the harrowing earthquake in Turkey, served as a stark reminder of the immense suffering endured by the most vulnerable victims of natural disasters – the children. As a student living in Christchurch, New Zealand, an area prone to earthquakes, I still carry memories of the pain and trauma inflicted by the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. I aim to leverage design not only as a creative outlet but also as a catalyst for healing and hope for these children affected by seismic catastrophes.