We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campus is situated, the people of the Boon Wurrung and Woi Wurrung, who have created art, made music and told their stories here for thousands of generations. We also acknowledge and extend our respect to the Traditional Owners of all lands on which our work is viewed, shared and enjoyed, and to all Elders, past, present and emerging.

VCA Art 2024

Graduate Certificate of Visual Art

My painting practice explores themes relating to memory and identity, the agency, autonomy and vulnerability of children, and the complex nature of families.

This work is based on a photograph of my family – mother, father and three young children - relaxing on the lawn on a summer afternoon. By chopping up the image, I invite the viewer to focus on the individuals who form the family, emphasising the potential for separation and fragmentation that is there, but also highlighting the points of connection between them. I want to evoke the happiness in that moment the picture was taken, while illuminating its fragility. The act of making paintings from photographs is for me a form of exploring memory and interrogating the stories we inherit.

Julie Wells

, Image Courtesy: University of Melbourne