Two Thousand and Sixteen: QUT Visual Arts: Honours Graduate Exhibition 2016

This is a catalogue showcasing the Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) Graduating Student's Exhibition works. Choosing a title for a graduate exhibition is a rite of passage. There is usually a great deal of free association, followed by agonising and critique. 'Will this one title capture all our feelings, our influences and our intentions?' the participating artists ask themselves. 'How can we best communicate our varied approaches to art?' This year's Honours cohort have appeared to dodge this complication with their simple use of the year 2016 as their exhibition title, but in this, as with so many other aspects of contemporary art, there is crucial context that makes sense of apparently slight gestures. Ten years ago another group of students at QUT titled their Honours exhibition 2006. Those graduates have gone on to make exciting and diverse art careers for themselves and some of them have been teachers and mentors to this year's graduating students. There is historical narrative hidden in a simple number. That narrative is important because it helps to make sense of the great unknown that graduating students feel themselves leaping oft into. Honours students in the visual arts have usually made the deliberate decision to pursue careers as professional artists, curators or writers - sometimes all three. Contemporary art has enabled practitioners to be involved in our field in a range of roles , and OUT Visual Arts' distinctive open studio model encourages this, but it also requires self-belief and a sense of purpose. History can provide that sense of purpose. We are pleased that these students, by taking the step of completing an Honours degree, have committed themselves to making a significant contribution to our cultural landscape. For many students the Honours year is their first taste of professional practice in the visual arts. During this year they have been engaged in a sustained investigation that will help to define their creative lives. It can be gruelling. They quickly develop a sense of how their practice sits in its conceptual and historical context, they take a crash course in the processes of academic research, and they produce a substantial body of work. But it is an investment of time and energy that lays the groundwork for lifelong learning and professional development. So what lessons have this group learned and what characterises the Honours class of 2016? Inventiveness, humour, and an acute awareness of context. Visual Arts QUT is very pleased and proud to present the work of these students. We wish them the very best for their futures and offer our ongoing support and encouragement. 2016 is only the beginning. Dr Courtney Pedersen Head of Visual Arts