Save the dates: 

Opening celebrations for 
RMIT School of Art Graduate Exhibitions

Tuesday 21 November & Tuesday 5 December 2023

With projects by hundreds of emerging artists and photographers, the RMIT School of Art Graduate Exhibitions celebrate the innovation and technical expertise of students across all art and photography programs. An accompanying Graduate Profiles website will document the making and thinking behind their work. 

  • GRADUATE EXHIBITION: Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art), 
    Opening Night & Awards Ceremony: 5:00-8:30 Tue 21 November 2023, 
    Ellis Court, Bowen Street, Melbourne, Australia
    Exhibition continues 21–26 November 2023, RMIT Melbourne City Campus
     
  • GRADUATE EXHIBITION: Photography, Fine Art Honours, MFA & Art in Public Space, 
    Opening Night & Awards Ceremony: 5:00-8:30 Tue 5 December 2023, 
    Ellis Court, Bowen Street, Melbourne, Australia
    Exhibition continues 5–10 December 2023, RMIT Melbourne City Campus
     
  • RMIT School of Art Graduate Profiles online from 17 November: https://schoolofartgraduates.rmit.edu.au 
2022 RMIT SoA Grad Show 6 Dec. Photo: Leni Ciuro

Image: Students engage with a smoking ceremony at the launch of RMIT School of Art graduate exhibition opening, 6 December 2022. Photo: Leni Ciuro. More images here: https://schoolofartgraduates.rmit.edu.au 
 

The RMIT School of Art Graduating Exhibition openings are extraordinary public events where the rooms of RMIT’s historic city campus are transformed, and special student achievements are acknowledged with awards.  

Each opening celebration begins with a smoking ceremony to cleanse the community in preparation for next steps and pay respects to the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands the university stands. 

Taking place between 21 November to 10 December at the RMIT University city campus in Melbourne, the two graduate exhibitions offer the public a rich opportunity to engage with a range of practices, from painting, drawing, sculpture, gold & silversmithing, ceramics, print, video/sound art, art in public space art to photography. Graduating students will be on-site throughout the exhibitions creating an opportunity to speak with the emerging artists and photographers directly.  

Associate Professor Kristen Sharp, School of Art Associate Dean said, “We started the year asking: What does it mean to practice on unceded lands, in the context of the Asia Pacific and global networked culture in the midst of a climate emergency? I can’t wait to see the diversity of responses to this challenge.”  

“The on-campus Graduate Exhibitions and online Graduate Profiles represent the culmination of years of tenacious hard work, dedication, and wild creativity. Our graduates have demonstrated remarkable talent and resilience, and we are excited to share their contributions with the world. We encourage everyone to engage with their work, as it will move, engage, and invite reflection,” she said. 

Just one example of the 2023 graduates is Hootan Haghshenas, who came to RMIT School of Art from Iran with an already established career as a colour-grading specialist for companies such as Netflix.  

Of his time at RMIT Haghshenas said, “RMIT was a fantastic journey, and it changed my life and my career forever. I now have a very different point of view about all my artistic practices.” 

His series of staged portraits combined with computer-generated images, The Man Who Was Not There, is a personal response to confusing and violent events in Iran in September 2022 witnessed from afar. View his graduate profile at https://sites.rmit.edu.au/artschoolgraduates/2023/09/05/hootan-haghshenas/  

Hootan Haghshenas, 'The Ice', 2023, photograph, from the series 'The man who was not there'.

Image: Hootan Haghshenas, ‘The Ice’, 2023, photograph, from the series ‘The Man Who Was Not There’. 

Hootan Haghshenas, 'I am still alive', 2023, photograph, from the series 'The man who was not there'.

Image: Hootan Haghshenas, ‘I am still alive’, 2023, photograph, from the series ‘The Man Who Was Not There’. 

About RMIT School of Art 
Ranked the foremost art school in Australia by the QS World University Rankings (2023), the RMIT School of Art remains committed to fostering an environment where creative expression flourishes and innovative ideas are nurtured. The on-campus Graduate Exhibitions and online Graduate Profiles exemplify RMIT’s dedication to supporting the next generation of artists and photographers who will shape the future of art, photography and the broader creative industries and visual culture. 

Follow the build-up to the graduate exhibitions on Instagram at @RMIT_art and @rmitphoto 

– END – 

CONTACT: For images or additional information about the graduate exhibitions, please contact Bronwyn Hughes, Personal Assistant to Professor Kit Wise, Dean, School of Art, RMIT University, email bronwyn.hughes@rmit.edu.au

IMAGE PERMISSIONS: media may use images from the School of Art Graduates website on the condition that any images used are credited with the creator’s name and acknowledge RMIT School of Art. https://schoolofartgraduates.rmit.edu.au

UPDATES: please check the website for updates about events and opening hours https://schoolofartgraduates.rmit.edu.au  

Image by U Hei Chan (Leo), from the series ‘These shadows, they walk beside me’, 2023, https://sites.rmit.edu.au/artschoolgraduates/2023/08/26/u-hei-chan-leo/