The selection for display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales is made by a member of its Public Programs Department, currently the Senior Coordinator of Education Programs. Each year's selection is made from the work of approximately 1000 students who have gained an outstanding mark for their body of work in the Higher School Certificate examination process. Their art is brought together in the Homebush marking centre, and deciding on more than 600 - 800 pieces, representing about 50 - 60 students, takes around two to three weeks during October/November each year.

The process takes the opposite approach to a curated exhibition, which begins with a theme and ends with a selection of works to suit that theme. For ARTEXPRESS at the Gallery it is the reverse: works are selected individually, on their own merit and then are considered in terms of their relationships to one another or how they could be displayed to present some logic, theme or experience for an audience.

Selection of individual works has an emphasis on the highly resolved use and manipulation of materials and/or concepts, a lack of clichés, an attempt to propose a fresh point of view, a level of maturity and sophistication, and that 'something' that demands attention - something powerful, clever or witty! Selection can also depend on a range of physical demands of the artwork's display needs and the constraints of the Gallery space. Finally, what is important to ARTEXPRESS as an exhibition presented by the state gallery is the way artworks can 'talk together', create a dialogue between themselves and the audience, to form a cohesive, challenging, interesting and exciting exhibition experience.

While the layout and design of the exhibition is done at least one month prior to its opening, the actual installation takes no more than three to four days. This includes the construction and placement of walls, painting of plinths, shelves and walls, final layouts of each artwork on the floor, followed by fixing them into position, setting up of audio-visual equipment for the display of films/videos and digital animations, placement of wall labels, artwork captions and title wall texts, lighting of rooms and individual artworks, and finally the cleaning of the entire space and touching up of any marks by the painters. The following day the exhibition is open to the public. The installation process is supported by the Gallery's installation and lighting crew, building and painting workshop and audio visual department, who all contribute their expertise to make ARTEXPRESS a high quality presentation.

From year to year, students' artworks in the exhibition focus and refocus between global and local themes, personal and public issues, historical and contemporary events, with an intense interest in the processes and materials they use to communicate their ideas. What stays the same from year to year is the energy and honesty, boldness and passion, quirkiness and humour they bring to their art.

ARTEXPRESS bridges the gap between classroom practice and public presentation - between the developing visual arts practice of students and the professional practice of the art world, kick-starting a pathway that may end back in the Gallery's collection. Presented in the context of the Gallery's collection and temporary exhibitions, its has created its own markers of relevance and excellence over the 23 years that the Art Gallery of New South Wales has been one of its showcases and, for the past fourteen, its principal venue.

However an ongoing challenge for the state gallery, which it has willingly accepted, is to converse with and reflect all of its diverse audiences within these walls. With ARTEXPRESS, the contemporary voices of young people can take their place amongst the others this diverse gallery has embraced over the last 130 years.

Tristan Sharp
Senior Coordinator of Education Programs
Art Gallery of New South Wales