Visual Arts 2024 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• provide titles that effectively communicate and clearly contextualise student’s intentions
• explore and develop concept(s) that move beyond an obvious interpretation or representation of subject matter
• consult the Stage 6 Syllabus documents, Additional Advice, and Assessment and Reporting in Visual Arts Stage 6 for guidelines on size, materials, and duration limitations for a body of work.

In better responses, students were able to:

• embed traditional practices and references to artists of influence in the artworks rather than just appropriating them
• develop refined skills relevant to each expressive form
• demonstrate understanding of the overarching significance of the complete submission, evaluating with sophistication how each component within the body of work contributes to and enhances the quality of key concepts.

Areas for students to improve include:

• deepening the investigation in conceptual intent and material practice when using AI-generated imagery
• enhancing knowledge and skills in the technical use of tools relevant to the expressive form to ensure the clarity and consistency of material practiceto synthesise conceptual representation
• understanding the critical audience of the artwork to demonstrate an ability to harness the potential of the expressive form.

Students should:

• make informed curatorial decisions to reduce repetitive elements
• consider how displays including photographs, relief panels and plinths/stands support or enhance the artwork
• provide layout instructions that show an understanding of artworld agencies.

Trends include:

• historical references and cultural connections including Ancient Grecian pottery, Venus figures and key sculptural movements, more vessels and utilitarian objects and submissions with multiple works, 2D inclusions, for example, drawings, photographs and relief works
• less environmental issues and coral than in previous years
• confident understanding of clay bodies and firing techniques with a wide variety of surface treatments including underglaze, stains, oxides, lustre, magma, tissue transfers, pencil and graphite.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• use curatorial strategies in the display and arrangement to support the conceptual intention
• engage with and manipulate clay bodies and apply a wide range of surface treatments including glaze, stains, underglazes and complex glaze structures to enhance the concept.

Areas for students to improve include:

• considering how each object in the submission informs or reiterates other components to support the overall concept
• using a meaningful title that extends the conceptual intent rather than a lengthy artist’s statement.

Students should:

• manipulate and resolve material approaches in a range of expressive forms
• present cohesive artworks from a range of expressive forms that are conceptually layered and reference the artworld
• include considered display instructions indicating an awareness of curatorial practice.

Trends include:

• exploration of built environments, landscapes, identity, animals, environmental issues and cultural heritage
• exploration of material practices such as multiple items of painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, textiles, ceramics, sculpture and use of digital technology for example laser cutting and digital media
• multiple items and expressive forms linked conceptually with an awareness of display and presentation.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• submit items and expressive forms that were conceptually layered, unified and resolved, with clear references to the art world and a cohesive overall presentation
• show an in-depth understanding of specific conventions and approaches
• curate a sustained submission across different forms.

Areas for students to improve include:

• refining the quality of photographic submissions to demonstrate an understanding of camera craft, paper stock and post-production techniques
• considering how an artist’s statement may affect audience interpretation
• developing a title to invite in-depth conceptual engagement.

Students should:

• consider design in the context of the artworld through references to historical and contemporary practices
• select and refine materials that are sympathetic to artistic intentions and best communicate ideas within the body of work
• apply appropriate design principles including form, function, composition and aesthetics to enhance the body of work.

Trends included:

• themes ranging from fast fashion, gender, culture, world events, climate, fantasy, consumption and technology
• developing designs and models with real world considerations and applications, such as ideas concerning sustainability and high density living
• the use of technology such as laser cutting, laser etching, CAD, 3D printing and 3D graphics software to deliver design concepts beyond the object.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• refine and resolve the finished product by moderating surface treatment and concealing armatures, joins, attachments and glue
• acknowledge a connection between design and the artworld
• elaborate and extend on the conceptual and material possibilities within works beyond handicraft or model making.

Areas for students to improve included:

• transforming found objects beyond their original intended function
• providing submissions that are informed by artworld research and concept generation, with a clear purpose or design
• providing an appropriate title to effectively communicate artistic intentions and design function.

Students should:

• present highly considered choices across a range of forms reflecting consistent, cohesive and well-curated approaches
• consider the quality of photographic submissions to show an understanding of camera craft, paper stock, post-production techniques and visual qualities
• consider how titles inform audience engagement.

Trends included:

• themes such as suburban and urban life, role play, identity and cultural traditions
• exploration of installations which are documented photographically, and performative actions documented through time-based forms
• the inclusion of artists books or photographic albums, sound or time-based components.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• include skilfully-created photographic elements that served to record and represent the nuance of a performance or installation
• knowingly reflect contemporary practices and show an in-depth understanding of the artworld
• innovate and refine within carefully-selected material conventions.

Areas for students to improve include:

• making curatorial decisions which enable the presentation of a materially and conceptually consistent body of work
• developing time-based elements that enhance other elements to support intentions
• understanding that time-based and audio inclusions must adhere to the conditions outlined in the course prescriptions.

Students should:

• submit a body of work that reflects a sustained engagement and exploration of mark making
• ensure that conceptual intent and stylistic approaches are complemented by a careful selection of materials and surfaces
• demonstrate an awareness of how titles can conceptually engage the audience and extend artistic intentions.

Trends included:

• a range of subject matter such as portraiture, fantasy, animals, architecture and images from classical antiquity
• approaches to traditional and contemporary drawing practices, including hyper-realistic, photo-realistic, illustration and the use of digital drawing devices
• the use of graphite, charcoal, coloured pencil, biro and felt-tip markers to explore a variety of mark making techniques including blending, cross hatching and stippling.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• create aesthetically cohesive and conceptually engaging works reflecting a sophisticated understanding of mark making, materials and techniques
• demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of conventions such as hyper-realistic, illustrative and expressive approaches
• present a range of viewpoints when composing and cropping artworks.

Areas for students to improve included:

• showing refinement in the development of drawing skills and techniques
• adhering to the guidelines when framing work
• considering how titles and/or artist statements affect audience interpretations.

Students should:

• consider image resolution when upscaling raster images
• consider the placement and hierarchy when integrating typography including leading, tracking and kerning
• document their process when using AI in their body of work.

Trends include:

• computer-generated imagery with tablet-drawn graphics and vector illustrations using software programs including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Procreate and Canva
• an increased number of hand-drawn body of works using pen, colour pencil, Posca and Copic markers
• manga and anime to represent real and imagined narratives, aspects of the student’s world, a day in the life, loss, mythology, fantasy worlds, feminism, relationships, cultural connections and dualities.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• establish strong integration of conceptual intention with material refinement while making strong references to the artworld
• demonstrate confident choices when using sophisticated colour palettes, typography, and Graphic Design conventions
• innovate a strong graphic presence within a selected genre and curate the scale and form within multi-panelled submissions and single scrolls.

Areas for students to improve include:

• considering appropriateness of graphic genre, treatment and/or technique to ensure effective material resolution of the submission
• discerning how to use the AV components to support the body of work to extend conceptual intent
• demonstrating strong curatorial choices within the submission.

Students should:

• use painting techniques and stylistic conventions that are synthesised, communicating and highlighting intention
• investigate compositional devices to strengthen and underpin the aesthetic qualities of a BOW
• make informed curatorial choices about the whole submission and its cohesion, providing clear instructions for display.

Trends include:

• small, intimately scaled works with the inclusion of multiple panels inviting up-close investigation from the audience
• representational approaches focussing on intimate reflections of family, culture and urban life, evoking a sense of place and/or personal physiological states
• portraits remain a significant trend
• textural surface additions which enrich concepts including sand, collage, impasto mediums and papers.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• explore colour symbolically to communicate mood and atmosphere ranging from sombre and nostalgic, through subtle and sensitive to bright and vibrant
• create works using a sustained material practice that moves beyond imitation of subject matter and/or style to the employment of stylistic devices, compositionand colour to investigate and communicate multi-layered concepts
• use photographic images as a source material, vary compositional viewpoints and develop surreal arrangements.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding the importance of selection and refinement within the submission to enhance meaning and intention in the artworks
• acknowledging reiteration rather than repetition both visually and conceptually through selection of imagery, investigation of techniques and concepts
• supporting the intention of the artwork with considered titles.

Students should:

• apply their understanding of contemporary photographic styles, approaches and traditional conventions to synthesise conceptual and material practice
• refine curatorial choices
• discern between paper stock which reinforces the conceptual intent of the work.

Trends include:

• increased knowledge and understanding of how contemporary photographic practice can be explored through a variety of analogue, digital and AI-assisted works
• street and reportage photography exploring themes of isolation and loneliness, surf photography, architecture, night photography, cyanotypes, vanitas and memento mori
• multiple panels and scrolls using a variety of photographic papers including fine art and metallic papers.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• create and extend on synthesis between the conceptual intent and the material practice
• demonstrate mastery of camera craft using the shutter, depth of field, ISO and focus to enhance the clarity and impact of the submission
• execute post-production techniques to enhance, improve and refine the technical aspects of the submission.

Areas for students to improve include:

• understanding file management and image resolution when scaling works
• mastery of ISO, white balance and focus when photographing in low light studio and landscape work
• expanding conceptual investigations beyond the obvious while exploring a variety of camera angles and viewpoints.

Advice on photographic works using AI:

• AI components in a body of work submission must be acknowledged and annotated thoroughly in the Visual Arts Process Diary including screen shots of the process and prompts.

Students should:

• select and apply materials, tools and printmaking methods that complement the subject matter and extend the conceptual reading of the work
• engage any range of analogue, digital or AI technologies to prepare compositions by modulating appropriate graphic conventions prior to carving or scribing the plate
• use titles and curatorial decisions to inform the reading of the work, rather than rely on extensive artist statements.

Trends included:

• personal themes regarding war and displacement, connection to place and land, family lineage and cultural heritage and a range of subject matter including the home, cars and the natural world
• printing on coloured paper stock or selecting and layering coloured inks sympathetic to the representation of subject matter and in ways that extended the conceptual intent of the submission
• an increase in the number of submissions exploring the conventions of unique state printing, especially those that required multiple passes through the press, most notably a range of approaches to additive and reductive monoprinting.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• employ a system of structural devices, symbols and cultural emblems and motifs to inform compositions and aid in the visual cohesion of multi-panel submissions
• show technical proficiency and refinement in scribing etching plates or carving relief blocks either manually, by hand or with the aid of power tools, or by digital technologies
• demonstrate highly considered and sensitive mark making in the construction of the plates, as well as innovative approaches, for example, applying solvents or free wipe methods in the printing process, to synthesise their material choices and conceptual intentions.

Areas for students to improve included:

• considering the ways source material can be mediated to demonstrate an awareness of graphic conventions and support the stylistic choices appropriate to the selected printmaking method
• refining printmaking processes and procedures to ensure consistent technical facility across a submission
• selecting and applying printmaking conventions to support artistic intention and aid the conceptual reading of the work to unfold in new ways rather than repeat.

Students should:

• make informed curatorial choices when selecting artworks
• reiterate rather than repeat an approach to develop layers of meaning in their work
• demonstrate an informed knowledge of sculptural practice through multi layered references to artists and historical movements.

Trends include:

• approaches such as freestanding, frontal, relief, assemblages, plinths and bases for display
• heavily-decorated and embellished surfaces using collage, painted surfaces and everyday materials
• issues and themes connected to family, heritage, animals, the human body, identity, science fiction, architecture and the built and natural environment.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• make clear references to the artworld agencies in an informed manner
• present a considered investigation of spatial relationships, sculptural processes and techniques
• show restraint and sensitivity when exploring sculptural materials and conventions.

Areas for students to improve include:

• considering how layered titles may extend conceptual intent rather than using lengthy artist statements
• showing moderation in the application of surface treatments and decorative collaged elements
• moving beyond model making and replicas to extend sculptural practice.

Students should:

• demonstrate knowledge of traditional and/or contemporary approaches to textiles
• consider how materials and techniques can be used sensitively and with restraint to create visual cohesion as well as to further meaning
• curate the submission to elaborate meaning rather than to restate ideas and concepts.

Trends included:

• inventive artmaking practices, for example, contemporary interpretations of traditional forms including wigs, knitted jumpers, cushions, soft toys, handbags and quilts
• the integration of diverse mediums such as printmaking, painting, wire, thread, silica, and photomedia into 2D and 3D forms to extend the boundaries of textile traditions in interdisciplinary practices
• themes that ranged from personal to global, including current social issues, war and conflict, belonging, identity, culture, the environment, nature, politics, memory, metamorphosis, and the rights of First Nations Peoples.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• demonstrate sensitivity and restraint with colour choices, surface embellishments, layering, gluing and assemblage
• create artworks that sustain audience engagement by successfully aligning ideas with material choices and textile techniques
• skilfully transform materials into new and innovative forms.

Areas for students to improve included:

• refining the finish on artworks, by addressing visible construction elements such as hot glue, stitching, tacking, pins and staples
• providing a well-crafted title to effectively convey meaning rather than using lengthy artist’s statements
• re-sizing pink cards to suit the scale of the objects, or attaching them with a string, so as not to impede the reading of the work.

Students should:

• acknowledge sound, music, software programs and assets in the credits
• demonstrate effective synchronicity of sound, vision and continuity in the body of work
• keep the submission at or under 6 minutes duration and clearly label the USB.

Trends include:

• a variety of animations from hand-drawn illustration to digital graphics, constructed environments in vector and 3D software programs exploring complex and compelling narratives, parallel, linear and non-linear narratives which provided conceptual complexity
• themes exploring emotional states, grief and loss, identity, nostalgia of family heritage and childhood, cultural and personal identity, time, the creative process, situational narratives, rural, coastal and city environments
• multi-layered soundtracks, sound effects, diegetic and non-diegeticsoundscapes to enhance visual imagery and pace the unfolding narrative.

In better bodies of work, students were able to:

• demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of techniques and visual aesthetics within a selected genre
• develop pre-production plans and scripts to optimise characterisation and extend the conceptual and technical approach of their submissions
• apply effective post-production techniques through sophisticated digital software programs to edit, colour grade narratives and construct unique soundscapes, and transform assets using current software technologies to construct new worlds about critical and reflexive narratives.

Areas for students to improve include:

• using deliberate and varied shot types, camera viewpoints, camera movement of panning and tracking and cinematic tools to storyboard narratives
• considering use of continuity, dynamic editing and transitions to control logical coherence and film pace
• using post-production techniques to refine visual continuity of the submission.

Students should:

• read the question carefully to ensure important components of the question are not missed
• have a clear understanding of key words and recognise the intent of the question and its requirements
• engage with any source material provided and refer to it in the response
• develop a plan for an extended response to assist with the logical sequencing of information
• use relevant concepts and terminology to support the response
• develop a cohesive and sustained argument in response to the question, where appropriate, reflecting extensive knowledge of artists, artworks, critics and historians’ views, and the syllabus
• present a logical and cohesive response addressing the question
• integrate diverse examples across time and place to demonstrate depth and breadth of understanding
• review the response to ensure it addresses the question requirements.

General feedback

In better responses, students were able to: 

• address how visual devices such as repetition, contrast and diverse lines and shapes are used to communicate movement and suggest meaning
• provide a sustained exploration of the plate and make explicit connections to the qualities and characteristics of the work
• link interpretations of the artwork to ideas about agriculture, rural locations, gender roles or disruption to nature.

Areas for students to improve include: 

• examining features of the artwork in depth with less descriptive observations of the image
• applying an informed visual arts vocabulary to suggest how movement is communicated
• explaining how visual techniques are used to communicate movement which creates meaning.

Question 2

In better responses, students were able to:

• apply source material to explain Reko Rennie’s choice to work in the desert environment, use a car as an instrument for mark making and document the performance through a video installation
• explain how Reko Rennie’s decisions to use selected media, scale, colour and location, communicate ideas about the diversity of Aboriginal art and identity within a contemporary context
• explain how the qualities of each plate collectively build a narrative about Aboriginal traditions, colonial history and car culture in a layered and interconnected response.

Areas for students to improve include:

• interpreting written material to support the explanation of practice rather than reiterating the citations and source material
• developing the account of material practice to address the significance of Reno Rennie’s decisions and how meaning is communicated
• demonstrating an understanding of the diversity of practice through a selective use of visual arts vocabulary.

Question 3

In better responses, students were able to:

• support an explanation of how artists have represented personal and collective experiences such as rituals, social connection or isolation
• explain how artists have used materials and art conventions including representation, stylisation, cultural symbols and imagination to represent their world and context
• analyse all source material through the personal and collective experiences of the artists, for example, gender, class, cultural traditions and values.

Areas for students to improve include:

• interrogating the plates and analysing how personal and collective experience is represented and evidenced in each plate
• differentiating between visual arts terms and drawing on the relationships between the artist and the world
• making explicit links between the artist and how they have represented a personal and collective experience.

Question 4

In better responses, students were able to: 

• select examples such as projections, virtual reality, biomedical practices or artificial intelligence to support an explanation of how artists use emerging technologies to express their ideas
• consistently link emerging technology to artistic practice throughout the response, using specific art terminology and well-chosen quotes to support insights and explanations
• explore themes such as innovation, ethics, humanity, hyperrealism and the limits of human experience to explain the interrelationship between emergent technology and artistic practice.

Areas for students to improve include:

• strengthening the connection between emerging technology and artistic intentions and providing specific explanations of how the chosen artists use technology to express their ideas
• defining the emergent nature of the technologies identified, considering how different technologies have developed at different times, using relevant and well-supported examples of artistic practices that respond to technology
• choosing suitable examples and purposefully addressing the question throughout the response.

Question 5

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a comprehensive and interconnected analysis that consistently links the artists’ experiences to their intentions and material practice
• use appropriate examples which explain the relationships between the experience of the artist, their material choice and methods of communication
• present an informed understanding of the artists’ experience, including political, cultural, psychological, spiritual and communication methods.

Areas for students to improve include:

• selecting artworks that support all components of the question, with a focus on how artists’ choice of materials and methods communicate their experience
• creating strong links between the artists studied and the question to provide an integrated analysis of artists’ practice
• developing clear and direct arguments that consider the ways in which the artists’ experience informs the intentions and material actions within a practice.

Question 6

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the interrelationships between the artist, artwork and audience
• use appropriate examples to explain the complex ways artists evoke responses from audiences, for example, physical, emotional and intellectual engagement
• elaborate on the effect artworks have on the audiences’ view of the world.

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing all aspects of the question by explaining the impact of artworks on the audiences’ emotions, behaviours and beliefs
• communicating an informed understanding of the relationship between artworks and audiences using relevant case study examples
• sustaining an argument by explaining the audience and artwork interaction, avoiding general or descriptive statements.

Question 7

In the better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a complex understanding of the interrelationships between the agencies of the conceptual framework
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the artworld with reference to historical events and how they shape and influence art making, including the impact of personal adversity, political challenges, social issues, gender roles, cultural dispossession and environmental concerns
• clearly analyse how artists engage with and react to their world, creating artworks that are a response to events.

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing all aspects of the question to provide context on how historical events impact artists’ representation of the world
• selecting relevant historical examples that communicate views about the world to audiences
• providing a sustained analysis by linking explanations to the question, avoiding general or descriptive statements.

Question 8

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a clear understanding of how the artists’ values inform artmaking by examining personal, cultural, and historical contexts
• support an analysis of how artworks reflect societal issues such as gender ethics, race, environment, religion or moral values
• use relevant and significant examples to support a comprehensive analysis of how imagery can convey cultural or societal values.

Areas for students to improve include:

• establishing a direct relationship between how artworks reflect the social and cultural values identified
• analysing specific and relevant examples that link the artists’ values to their artworks and examine the historical context
• strengthening the analysis by relating explanations to the question, avoiding general or descriptive statements.

Question 9

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a complex understanding of the frames, particularly the post-modern frame and how this informs the analysis of artists’ ideas and actions
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of how artists reinterpret and recontextualise the ideas and actions of other artists to create new meaning
• elaborate on how artists reinterpret the ideas of other artists and their methods of appropriation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing all aspects of the question to provide context on how artists reinterpret the ideas and actions of other artists
• selecting relevant case study examples that focus on the reinterpretation of artworks
• providing a sustained argument by linking the analysis of examples to the question, avoiding general or descriptive statements.