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At the end of every academic year there is the murmur and buzz preceding the up and coming tertiary graduate exhibitions. Navigating the myriad of visual arts/design/craft/fine arts shows can be a full time job for an exhausting three weeks. This year I braved the throngs at four institutions hoping to be inspired and even impressed by what I saw. As usual there was the mixed bag of lollies, mostly full of mints but with the odd little morsel of chocolate hidden in its midst.

Over the years I have invented a set of rules for myself in order to cope with the plethora of visuals that are eagerly waiting to assault the senses and fight for attention:

Rule 1: Select your top two works from each institution (anything else you remember is a bonus).
Rule 2: If you can recall the name of the artist (either first or last is ok but both names together is a plus) after the show then that work has obviously made an impact on you (good or bad) and is worth remembering, especially if you are memorially challenged like myself. [what about using a notebook next year? Ed]
Rule 3: Try not to let your view of the individual institutions influence your impression of the work (this can often be the most daunting and difficult rule to adhere to).

My first stop was a rather rushed visit to Manukau School of Visual Arts. It is a bit of a trek from the city suburbs to Otara, so it is generally only the most committed of enthusiasts that make the trip. There were very few works that had presence. The two most memorable were an installation called ‘Pray/Play' by Elisabeth Alani hidden away in a little back room through a maze of corridors. The work related to the experiences of church as a child. The clean white minimal religious aesthetic and the allusion to children's games and toys were
encouragingly sophisticated. The second was a moving image work that detailed the artist's (name unfortunately forgotten) repetitive interventions of banal objects. The imagery itself was not mind-blowing, as was its intention, but the installation was sublime in its subtlety and sense of anticipation. However, on the whole the end of year show was rather lackluster at MSVA. I can't help thinking that many works would have benefited hugely from a little more time spent on the display.

AUT was guilty of a similar underwhelming mood but this was punctuated by the odd little gem. The most impressive work, by Serene Thain, was a sprawling floor assemblage reminiscent of a model roller coaster constructed entirely with materials found in any local two dollar shop. The work brought out the child in many, with smiles of delight erupting from most faces when stumbling across the playful piece. Another memorable, albeit slightly more subtle, work was an installation of slipcaste ceramic works by Marica McEwan. This piece combined two regimented rows of the slightly imperfect large shallow bowls with a small central spotlighted pile of broken shards. The work had a ritualistic feel to it with references to the ascetic practices of both Buddhism and Catholicism. The most irritating aspect of the AUT presentation was the proliferation of floating divider walls which managed to make most works look unfinished and
unprofessional.

Unusually I was intrigued and excited by much of the work at Elam School of Fine Arts. In previous years I have been particularly unimpressed with the work that has been produced, but many come to mind as being standouts this time round. There was a beautiful installation in a small dark room at the bottom of the old building by Tabitha Forbes. Its main attraction was a sublime life size projection of a waterfall which was surprisingly unaffected in both its construction and its premise. The small botanical paintings which accompanied the projection were delicate and meticulous. The installation had a sense of preservation about it harking back to an appreciation of nature that goes beyond the standard picture postcard interpretation. The other work that was a standout for many was a selection of outrageously detailed, surreal drawings by Simon (last name unknown) featured on the Elam poster. I was fascinated by the combinations of anatomy with banal subject matter such as the iconic yet unremarkable state house. In an environment in which skill is surpassed by concept it is always refreshing to come across a body of work which successfully brings the two together.

The final show of the season for me was the Unitec ‘Labyrinth' exhibition. I was only able to see two departments on show this year but I was once again encouraged by their attention to detail and the long lost art of creating an experience as opposed to a display. The jewellery and 3d/object departments always put together very cohesive mini exhibitions within the larger institutional show. The standout jeweller was Suzanne Day, her beautifully decorative wood veneer brooches combined with embroidery and other embellishments play the role of 3d wall paper in her installation. The 3d object department created a dark theatrical environment for their display which featured a number of interesting and innovative works. However, the work that stuck in the mind was a piece called ‘Fruit Tree' by Tracey Vickers. This reinterpretation of the preserving tradition features a frame with rows of magnets which you suspend your preserving jars from. The work acts as both an aesthetically pleasing work of art and a practical storage solution. In a world where art and design are constantly coming together ‘Fruit Tree' is perfectly placed to make a mark.

I found a lot of work to like and dislike at all of the shows, but I guess the test comes now when all of these graduates have to take their wares and move out into the wider art environment. With the huge number of art institutions now spewing out an army of graduates it becomes a waiting game to see what becomes of them. Who makes it as an artist/maker, who moves on to other roles in the creative industries and who completely negates their years of art education and becomes one of the shoulda, woulda, coulda's?