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

Master of Contemporary Art

In memory of personal experiences of rescuing stray cats in a suburban neighborhood of Shanghai, China, works of paintings and animated projection illustrate sentimental spaces filled with empathy and sorrow toward the precarious situation of those animals. Living in the interstices and enduring a climate of bitter winter and consistent rain before summer, the stray cats have a lifespan of 4 years on average.



Controls of pattern and color temperature reflect impressions of the surrounding natural environment where stray cats live, while portraying the change of weather. Perhaps illustrating conditions of leaves is a euphemistic way to acknowledge the life of stray cats as they hide in the bushes. May the works serve as a gentle protest against the indifference and the lack of animal protection laws for pets in China, or simply convey a shared fondness for cats.



- Breeze deprived the leaves; my steps heard the heartbeats …

Ruisi Wang

Ruisi Wang, Installation View. Image Courtesy of University of Melbourne.

, color pencil drawings on rice paper and plexiglass, 2023

, digital concept drawing on Procreate, 2024