7 November 2019

An incredibly diverse art exhibition will open at TAFE NSW Wollongong West this week featuring works that offer insight into the next generation of local artists.

The ‘Nine Lives’ exhibition is a culmination of work by this year’s Diploma of Visual Arts students.

The students follow in the footsteps of a number of successful TAFE NSW trained artists, including celebrity painter Ahn Do.

From Tuesday 12 November to Friday 15 November Karoona Gallery at TAFE NSW Wollongong West will play host to highly detailed drawings, large evocative paintings, breathtaking sculptures, cultural works and accurate still life paintings.

For student Rebecca Djokic, the course boosted her artistic skills and broadened her understanding of the industry, but it was the focus on career development as an artist that surprised her.

“One of our modules was dedicated to looking at how we, as artists, could sell our work and how we could turn our creativity into a career, I found that part of the course incredibly valuable,” she said.

“There’s a misconception that there aren’t many career options in art. Well that table you’re sitting at, that mobile phone you use, they were designed by someone with creative skills.

“There are so many careers in the arts, it might be in teaching, landscaping, graphic design, when you start to look at it like that you realise the list is long.”

“We created a one-to-five-year plan. Looking at business models and how we are going to sell our work and this exhibition is a big step in the right direction for many of us.”

TAFE NSW Arts and Digital Media Head Teacher Mary-Jane Griggs described the exhibition as a fantastic acknowledgement of the students’ efforts and practical skill development.

“The exhibition is also an opportunity for the students to create a profile for themselves in the industry, to understand how exhibitions come together, work collaboratively and to create work of a professional standard.”

Nine Lives exhibition opens at 6pm on Wednesday, 13 November at Karoona Gallery, TAFE NSW Wollongong West, 56 Gladstone Avenue, Wollongong.

For more information about courses in the arts visit www.tafensw.edu.au or phone 13 16 01.

Media contact: Adam Wright, TAFE NSW Media Officer, phone 4421 9895, mobile 0466 375 552.