When visitors enter The West Australian Pulse 2025 exhibition at the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA), one of the first artworks they encounter is a large-scale reproduction of a portrait by former Seton Catholic College student, and 2025 Head Girl, Lauren Branch.
Nearby, fellow Seton student Hannah Marinovich-Zano’s artwork has gained recognition beyond the gallery walls, appearing on the cover of The Sunday Times Magazine, while Eleanor Read’s work has been featured across AGWA’s social media platforms. Lauren’s artistic journey has also been highlighted in The West Australian.
These remarkable individual achievements are part of a much larger, decade long story. Over the last ten years, fourteen Seton students have had their work selected for The West Australian Pulse, one of WA’s most prestigious visual arts exhibitions showcasing the State’s top Year 12 artists.
This year, three of the 63 works selected from across the State were created by Seton students. Previous successes include Lily Kellahan’s Act-Belong-Commit People’s Choice Award and Jessica Walsh’s Packing Room Prize, both awarded in 2020.
For Visual Arts teachers Katie Lawrence and Jaimie Leighton, who have both guided many of the College’s Pulse exhibitors over the years, this sustained success is the result of a program that encourages students to develop an authentic artistic voice.
“It’s incredibly rewarding when students feel safe and supported enough to explore themes that are deeply personal,” Ms Lawrence said.
“Throughout the creative process, they are encouraged to articulate ideas and experiences that are meaningful to them, enabling them to produce artworks informed by an authentic point of view.”
That authenticity is evident in the stories behind this year’s selected works.
While the themes differ, each artwork demonstrates a willingness to engage thoughtfully with complex ideas and communicate them with honesty and conviction.
For Lauren, that confidence was nurtured throughout her years in Seton’s Visual Arts program.
“What makes the Art department at Seton so special is the dedication of the teachers,” she said. “They genuinely care about every student’s individual artistic journey and never encouraged students to fit into just one style. Instead, they nurtured and celebrated each individual’s unique creative voice.”
This shared philosophy, fostered across Seton’s Visual Arts department, is reflected in the diversity of work emerging from the College. Rather than producing artists who create in a particular style, Seton’s Visual Arts program encourages students to think critically, take creative risks and develop work that is genuinely their own.
At its heart, art invites students to observe the world closely, reflect deeply and communicate with empathy. These are qualities that sit comfortably alongside the Catholic tradition of recognising the dignity of every person and encouraging young people to use their gifts in meaningful ways.
Ms Lawrence believes it is this willingness to embrace vulnerability and authenticity that gives students’ work its impact.
“They allowed themselves to be vulnerable in their engagement with emotionally charged themes, showing genuine courage,” she said.
“That bravery is clearly reflected in their final artworks, where their honesty and depth have led to emotionally powerful work that is genuinely expressive of their individual voices.”
Another successful year at Pulse for Seton serves as more than a measure of artistic achievement. It reflects a decade-long commitment to nurturing creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression.
Courage, curiosity, and critical awareness
AGWA’s Associate Curator of Contemporary Art and Curator for The West Australian Pulse 2026, Isobel Wise, said: “Pulse offers a remarkable window into the cultural, social and personal landscapes shaping young people today. The works selected this year are thoughtful, inventive and deeply engaged with the world – reflecting not only artistic skill, but also courage, curiosity, and critical awareness.”
This year’s exhibiting artists explore themes of self-identity, including cultural intersections, neurodiversity, sexuality, and mental health, as well as experiences of loss, environmental concern, racial and societal inequality, and the social pressures of conforming and performing at school and beyond.
The exhibition runs through to Sunday 13 September. Entry is free.