Byron Bay High School’s 2024 graduates, Sophia St Honey Clair and Juniper Stockdale, have been selected for ARTEXPRESS 2025, a prestigious exhibition showcasing outstanding HSC Visual Arts works.
Their pieces will be on display at Lismore Regional Art Gallery from February 21 to April 20.
ARTEXPRESS highlights the finest bodies of work submitted for the 2024 HSC Visual Arts examination across NSW, celebrating artistic excellence and innovation. This achievement is a testament to their creativity, dedication, and talent in the field of visual arts.
Sophia St Honey Clair
Sophia St Honey Clair’s artwork, Memento Vitae: Part I, is a striking seven-panel painting that reimagines the themes of traditional Dutch vanitas still-life paintings, exploring the fleeting nature of life. Drawing inspiration from surrealist icon Frida Kahlo and Australian contemporary artist Kate Bergin, Sophia’s work unfolds in chronological order, moving from birth and childhood to adulthood.
Juniper Stockdale
Juniper Stockdale’s work, Monstrous Girlhood, is a compelling exploration of identity through graphic design. Comprising five intricately crafted pieces, the series brings to life a host of eerie yet expressive girl-creatures – manifestations of the id. Their exaggerated features and distorted anatomy serve as both unsettling and playful muses, capturing raw emotion and uninhibited self-expression. Juniper embraced their strange, surreal qualities, allowing them to evolve into the heart of her artistic vision.
Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller was also nominated for selection in ARTEXPRESS 2025. Although she did not secure a place in the final exhibition, the nomination for her piece Dad (The Trophy Room) is a testament to the outstanding quality of her work.
Their art teacher, Tarryn Wilson, praised the students’ achievements, stating, ‘I am incredibly proud of the girls for their hard work, dedication, and the well-deserved recognition of their exceptional artistic abilities.’
In addition to their ARTEXPRESS nominations, these three talented students – along with several others from Byron Bay High School – were also recognised in other prestigious creative and performing arts showcases, as well as English extension 2.
With over 15 students on the 2024 HSC ‘distinguished achievers’ list, numerous awards and nominations, and Zev Sage, the 2024 dux, achieving an ATAR of 98.65, it is clear that Byron Bay High School is committed to nurturing the unique talents of every student.
♦ Sarah McGregor is relieving English Head Teacher at Byron Bay High School.
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