Sydney College of the ArtsÌý(SCA)Ìýpresents its annualÌýNew ContemporariesÌýGraduateÌýExhibitionÌýfrom Thursday 4 December to Saturday 13 December at the Old Teachers’ College on the ±¬ÁÏÍõ campus.
The exhibition brings together more than 100 works across screen arts, photography, painting, print media, sculpture, ceramics, glass,ÌýjewelleryÌýand object,ÌýshowcasingÌýthe culmination of years of research,ÌýexperimentationÌýand practice-based inquiry by the 2025 graduating cohort.
"Each year, New Contemporaries reminds us of the extraordinary talent emerging from Sydney College of the Arts," saidÌýCo-DirectorÌýProfessor Julie Rrap.Ìý"These works are the result of rigorous study,Ìýbold experimentation and deep engagement with the world around us. This cohort has demonstrated remarkable creativity in a celebration of innovation and resilience."
In parallel with the physical exhibition, anÌýÌýoffersÌýa digital platform for graduates’ work. Designed in consultation with students, this year’s site reflects the cohort’s commitment to accessibility and innovation, ensuring their achievements resonate beyond the gallery walls.Ìý
Exhibition highlights
Lily Thomas McKnightÌý– Director’s Award: Honours
Lily Thomas McKnight's multimedia projectÌýÌýexplores the relationship between Country and language through screen prints and video. Drawing on ancientÌýYuinÌýlegacy and methodsÌýtaught by Elder Uncle Max Harrison, McKnight positions Country as a text to be read before spoken language canÌýemerge, a practice honouring her Wiradjuri andÌýGomeroiÌýheritage while embedding cultural continuity and resilience within contemporary art forms.
Will NaufahuÌý– Director’s Award: Third Year
Receiving the Director’s Award for third year graduates,ÌýWill Naufahu’sÌýÌýreimagines cinema's sonic dimension through an immersive installation. Projector reels spin, digital tones reverberate, and archival audio loops across a 5.1 sound system, transforming abstract soundscapes into emotive gestures thatÌýexamineÌýexperimental cinema traditions and the politics of spectatorship in the digital age.
Tucker –ÌýJean de Ghee Award
Tucker's seriesÌýÌýengages withÌýspirals as symbols and patterns that appear throughout nature, from the microscopic to the universal. Through carved wood, fossil resin and refracted light, Tucker creates sculptures that suggest natural transformation and change, examining how things in nature connect and influence each other, and encouraging viewers to discover moments of order withinÌýseemingly randomÌýpatterns. The careful, hands-on process of carving each piece reflects their dedication toÌýartisanshipÌýand the personal connection between artist and material.
Lila Kools –Ìý2026ÌýMegaloÌýGraduate Residency Award
Ìýstages a feminine domestic interior to reclaim aesthetics historically dismissed as decorative. Combining ceramic and print processes with intricate lace adornments, Lila Kools' interdisciplinary installation interrogates the invisibility of domestic labour and the embodied repetition of craft practices.
Kools’ approach activates the rich feminist histories embedded within women’s craft practices and feminine domestic traditions to reframe women’s representation through a process of reclamation.Ìý
Kirsten BeccarisÌý–ÌýSabbiaÌýMentorship and Solo Exhibition Award
Glass installationÌýÌýby Kirsten BeccarisÌýcaptures transitional states of being through fluid, void-like forms that invite contemplation of uncertainty and stillness,Ìýpositioning artÌýas a way toÌýexamine how we perceive and experience the world around us.Ìý
With her artistic practice primarilyÌýfocusedÌýonÌýglass, Beccaris’ work highlightsÌýSCA’s unique positionÌýas one of the few Australian institutions offering advanced glass facilities, including a newly designedÌýhotÌýglassÌýstudio for glass blowing and sculpting, alongside kiln-forming and cold-working spaces.ÌýBeccaris will be mentored by local gallery SabbiaÌýahead of a solo exhibition in 2027.
Visit the exhibition
Join us in celebrating the vision, skill, and ambition of SCA’s graduating artists.
- DATES:ÌýThursday 4 December – Saturday 13 December 2025Ìý
- WHERE:ÌýSCA Gallery and adjoining spaces, Old Teachers’ College, Manning Road, ±¬ÁÏÍõ and
- VIEWING HOURS:ÌýMonday to Friday 11am–5pmÌý|ÌýSaturdaysÌý12pm–4pmÌý
Hero photo:ÌýHer Hand’s WorkÌýby Lila Kools,ÌýMegaloÌýPrint Prize recipient. Photo credit:ÌýDocument Photography
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View the online showcase
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