The show, which opened on Tuesday, features work by 130 budding artists selected from last year’s class of more than 1350 Stage 2 SACE Visual Art and Design students.

Fatiha, who was born in Bangladesh and migrated to Adelaide with her family when she was six, wanted her final artwork to have a mix of modern and traditional elements. She says The World of the Tigress pays homage to her country of origin and cultural experiences that she believes are under-represented in popular media and culture.

“My main source of inspiration was from my home country Bangladesh and many parts of my painting are associated with it, such as the use of red and green for the clothing (flag colours), [and] the royal Bengal Tiger (national animal),” says the former Adelaide High School student, who is now 18 and enjoying a gap year.

“Even the inspiration for displaying fashion and textiles within the painting was inspired by the iconic Dhaka muslin that Bangladesh is often known for. I was also inspired by Mediterranean and Islamic art and architecture relating to my grandparents’ ties to travel and life in Iran.”

The exhibition is wide-ranging, encompassing painting, mosaics, drawings, costumes, sculptures, anime and multi-media artworks.

“These incredibly talented artists have created beautiful and thought-provoking works, with consistent themes in this year’s entries including mental health, cultural and gender identity, growing up, body ideals and beauty standards, and the impact of social media,” says SACE Board chief executive Michaela Bensley.

The students’ artworks featured in the gallery below include Jenna Vowles’ portrait Jeannie’s Journey, through which she sought to capture her nanna’s strength and resilience during her battle with oral cancer. Jenna incorporated collage in the picture, using photos taken of Jeannie’s garden and pages from her recipe book.

Jaspa Kiho drew inspiration from haunting stories about an infamous New South Wales jail for the horror-style artwork Cell 4, while Freya Islip opted to paint a self-portrait, Equilibrium, explaining in an artist’s statement that she sought to introduce “subtle Surrealism” into the painting by replicating numerous versions of herself – each representing a different personality aspect – and blurring most of their faces.

The students selected for the SACE 2024 Art Show represent 66 schools across South Australia, including from regional areas such as the Riverland, Eyre Peninsula and the South-East.

Student awards will be presented across a number of categories at a closing event next month. These include an award which invites members of the public to vote for their favourite artwork by visiting the exhibition either in person or online.

The SACE 2024 Art Show is at Adelaide College of the Arts’ Light Square Gallery (39 Light Square) until April 12 – members of the public can visit for free, but bookings (here) are required. The artworks can also be viewed online here.

A selection of works on show in the exhibition:

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