When Annabelle Sayad, a Year 12 student at Calrossy Anglican School at Tamworth, began creating her visual arts body of work for her HSC, she didn’t expect it to become a deeply personal tribute.
But earlier this year, after the passing of Ms Sayad’s grandmother, Edna Sayad, her artwork transformed into a powerful exploration of memory, heritage and the objects that shape a life.
Ms Sayad’s final work, Dikhrana d-Nana, is a five-piece series honouring her relative, who emigrated from Iran and lived in the same family home for 42 years.
Created with coloured pencils, each large, hand-drawn work features a central portrait of her grandmother, surrounded by carefully rendered imagery inspired by items uncovered while her family were cleaning out the house.
“Each piece has a picture of her in the centre,” Ms Sayad said. “Then all the ripped layers are pictures of things I found in her house like vases, walls, and papers.
“We found so many interesting things she had and owned. The house was a representation of her.”
Despite appearing collage-like from a distance, every element is drawn entirely by hand. “It’s all just coloured pencil,” Ms Sayad said.
“People think it’s collage, but it’s pencil on paper.”
The Persian title of the work reflects Edna’s heritage.
“The title is in her native language,” Ms Sayad said. “It translates as ‘memory of grandmother.’”
Ms Sayad’s dedication, patience, and skill have now been recognised with a nomination for possible inclusion in ARTEXPRESS, an honour she wasn’t expecting.
ARTEXPRESS is an annual series of exhibitions organised by the NSW Department of Education in partnership with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). It showcases exemplary HSC Visual Arts “Bodies of Work” from Year 12 students across government and non-government schools throughout NSW, including both regional and metropolitan areas.
The exhibition features a wide range of expressive forms, including drawing, painting, sculpture, photomedia, printmaking, textiles, and time-based works. In 2025, ARTEXPRESS was presented at major venues such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales, along with several regional galleries — and the exhibition usually tours to NERAM in Armidale, giving local students and families the chance to see HSC works up close.
“I was chosen after we put all the artworks up for display, and the HSC judges came in and look at them,” Ms Sayad said.
“They decide which ones are nominated. I got messages from the NESA website, and now my artwork has been sent to Sydney to either be chosen or not.”
While schools are able to nominate any student for consideration, NESA has confirmed that the official ARTEXPRESS selections for the 2024 HSC cohort have not yet been released. The final selections are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Unlike some HSC showcase programs, no public list is issued — only the schools of students who are selected are notified.
Ms Sayad has studied Visual Arts throughout her schooling and is considering pursuing something in the field after Year 12. She plans to apply for university courses once her ATAR arrives, possibly taking a gap year.
Calrossy Anglican School shared its pride last week, and said Ms Sayad’s “creativity, dedication and artistic expression reflect the excellence and heart we value here at Calrossy.”
Being nominated places a student’s artwork among the most highly regarded HSC Visual Arts submissions in the state, even though nomination does not guarantee inclusion across all venues.
With Dikhrana d-Nana, Annabelle has created not only an outstanding artwork but a heartfelt legacy.
As Calrossy put it, “well done, Annabelle — what an incredible achievement.”
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