Thomas Hugh Kusturin

Northern Beaches Secondary College, Freshwater Senior Campus

Artwork title

The boiling pot

HSC year

2014

ARTEXPRESS year

2015

Expressive form

Painting

Artist’s statement

My work represents the city as a boiling pot of energy. The city will engulf you, trap you within its arena. The concrete pavement rumbles under the tremor of black boots, leather bound, buckled. Rubber, beaten tyres burn slowly, lining the streets like frantic ants. Staring down, intimidating you, the buildings above imprint their sheer dominance. Underneath the bustling surface, lost between the cracks, lie those who sleep alone on cold concrete. Advertisements boom, bellowing billboards scream ‘Buy me’ while you dodge through crowds of capitalist animals, hungry for success.

Influencing artists: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Brett Whiteley, John Olsen

See also ARTEXPRESS 2015 Story Sphere

Collection connections

Thomas Kusturin and John Olsen both rely heavily on mark-making in their art practice. Describe how they use line, form and colour to reflect their personal response to the world.

Experiment with drawing and painting marks, and create a series of works based on memories and personal experiences.

John Olsen
Spanish encounter 1960
OA29.1960.a-c | Collection highlight