The theme of motherhood and the meaning of being a woman inspires young artists from UWA entering in the Mandorla Young Art Award’s
Young artists have been challenged by a Christian art award with its theme ‘born of a woman’, (Galatians 4:4), raising questions on the role of the mother in modern family life and what it means to be a woman.
Among the many young artists having a tilt at the $5,000 Mandorla Youth Art Award’s St John of God Health Care Prize for an Emerging Young Artist, are University of Western Australia students James Cheng (medicine) and Olivia Monte (landscape architecture).
Mr Cheng said he thought the inclusion of a youth category to the Mandorla Art Award has opened the Christian community up to having a living dialogue with the wider youth community.
He said the theme raised important questions about the child’s obligation to the parent that were relevant to Christians and non-Christian members of the community.
“My entry is a painting that depicts a family meal – mother, father and son. I used this template to explore the dichotomy in Jesus’ relationship and his responsibilities to both his parents, divine and human.
“I wanted the piece to be one which not only functions as a religious work, but can also be viewed and appreciated by someone with no knowledge of Christianity.”
As a medical student, Mr Cheng said his studies gave him an appreciation for life and people that inspired his work.
“My art has always seemed to focus on people, and studying the science underlying the complex mechanics of human life has made me appreciate the incredible density and intricacy of even the simplest of human interactions.”
Landscape architectural student Olivia Monte has called on her appreciation of the natural world to tell her story.
“My Mandorla piece depicts a grand tree with roots that are embedded into the traditions of Judaism, which refers to being born under the Jewish Law.
“The tree’s central body contains a montage of the iconic Catholic moments of Mary’s holy life, Jesus being the focal point.
“This is an emphasis of Mary being the vehicle through which the Messiah gains life into our world,” Monte said.
“I have come to really appreciate Mary as a woman, a person who had a hard life and an extraordinary duty as the mother of God let alone the mother of a human,” she said.
Entries for the 2012 awards closed on June 1, with the winners to be announced on August 10. The winner of the overall Mandorla Art Award stands to gain the $25,000 St John of God Health Care Prize.