The incredible photography of student Grace O’Sullivan is about to tour New Zealand on the 2024 NZQA Level 3 ‘Top Art’ annual touring exhibition.

Grace O’Sullivan completed NCEA Level 3 last year at Ōtūmoetai College where she created an art project that has been selected for the exhibition – and the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Top Art is an annual touring exhibition showcasing a selection of NCEA Level 3 portfolios that achieved an Excellence endorsement in Visual Arts in the previous year,” says deputy chief executive assessment Jann Marshall.

“The portfolios cover five fields of Visual Arts: design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture, and are selected for the exhibition by the marking panels for each of these subjects."

Jann says the portfolios are split into three tours that visit galleries, schools and community centres across the country between March and October.

"Images of the portfolios and biographies for each of the students will be uploaded to the NZQA website during March.

“Top Art provides an opportunity for secondary students and teachers to gain an understanding of what is required to achieve Excellence at Level 3.”

Jann says Top Art allows students to celebrate their achievements with whanau and friends and for members of the public to see the high-quality artwork being created in schools throughout the country.

The message 

For Grace’s NCEA Level 3 art project, she created a series of photographs representing a personal journey.

“The message behind my photography project was what it is like to be Pākehā and Māori, but I always had to spend most of my life living a Pākehā lifestyle.”

Grace says this meant she didn’t ever feel the need to express her Māori culture until now.  

“I was very interested in Māori culture and thought I needed to express myself and my heritage.

“Still, while trying, people discouraged me from doing it, saying I was too white and not Māori enough and would start testing me on how Māori I am.

 "I don’t know much about my Māori culture.

“I lived such a Pākehā life I had no idea where to start with my Māori culture.

"Still, once I started getting into photography at school, I began to use photography to help me express my Māori culture and also help me learn a lot more from my teachers and peers at school.

“I then started to add ideas and wanted to show how I am slowly stepping into a spiritual awakening of acceptance and being one with the land.

“I still have a lot of learning to go with my culture, but I’m grateful that I had my photography teacher who encouraged me to keep going even when I felt like giving up.”

Her teacher 

Grace says this project has helped her to gain more self-confidence and she hopes to build confidence in others who are afraid to express themselves.

“When I found out my photography board got selected I was in shock.

“At the start of 2023 I was so unmotivated with my photography board that I didn’t know what to do or where to start.

"I couldn’t find ways to make my photography board flow; I had many ups and downs with ideas but my teacher kept motivating me to keep going even when I was so close to giving up.

"When I handed in my project I had very low expectations in my work.

“When I got the news that I got selected I was so grateful that I’d such an amazing photography teacher who kept me going. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without her help.

“I’m really happy that I can show people around New Zealand my story and help other teenagers create their own stories through art.”