After finally recovering from my grad show hangover (kinda) I figured we should probably make some kind of comment or other. Firstly, us at ArtHeat would like to congratulate the graduating class on their general lack of bitterness towards that fine institution of the Michaelis School of Fine Art - a sentiment that tends to permeate the announcment of prizes at the grad show. I guess this is because They finally picked a winner this year - I mean it's hard not to like Fabian, and he did spend all year unravelling and re-ravelling a canvas, a gesture so utterly meaningless it doen't need to try be anything else.

Also notable was the fact that the photography department seemed to produce some great pictures, something which may have to do with the fact that Geoff has been away for a while (well done Svea).

But anyway, since there are way too many people on the show, I figured I'd just make two lists:

PEOPLE WHO WIN (kinda)
Tammy - Anne (fake crime re-creations. Pretty photographs)
Xanthe (Pretty whale bones)
William (very pretty landscapes)
Husain ('identity' work that is actually funny and doesn't come in a white box)
Emil (pretty boy, pretty prints)
Amelia (printmaking. but good)
Danny Hopper (Bacon meets Hodgkins. good reds)
Ali (pretty shed)
Michael Michael (he let people kick him and left everyone wondering how he got those wineglasses upside down)

PEOPLE WHO SHOULD BE LINED UP AND SHOT:
Sarah "I just learnt how to use Photoshop's cutout filter" Brett
Sarah Lassen (look at me look at me I'm so hot and culturally insensitive)
Danniele de Kock (paintings of twins and skulls. Ugly)
Lane ((look at me look at me I'm so hot and sad)
Thulani Harvey who hopefully will be the first man to fall pregnant so that he can learn about how different the choice to abort a child is to the choice to rape (read the catalogue for this great insight)

So basically, the show was pretty ok. One thing that VANSA chair, Jonathan, pointed out though is that almost all the work on show was decidedly safe with very few students really trying to step out of established traditions of artmaking - less mistakes then, but also less fun....