Art meets identity in Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition

By Melissa Keogh

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES Tieyuan Zhou, Echos of Fragments. Photographed by James Field

UniSA creative arts graduate Tieyuan Zhou used her migration experience and the concept of belonging to inspire her award-winning art installation at the South Australian School of Art (SASA) Gallery.

Tieyuan Zhou won the top award at the recent Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition.

The Echoes of Fragments was part of the Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition 2025 and was recently granted the academy’s Major Exhibition and Jaquillard Exhibition awards.

The delicate porcelain pieces suspended from the gallery’s ceiling explored the “fragmentation and reconstruction of memory”. Migrating to Australia from China in 2013, Zhou says her art reflects the disruption and reconstruction of identity, memory and language in the process of migration.

“The experience of migration has made me think about the concept of belonging from time to time. How do we reconnect in a new environment when the familiar cultural background is broken? This instability and fluidity are reflected in my work,” she says.

“For my final honours project, I chose to use broken ceramics, mixed media and installations to show how culture is deconstructed, translated and reinvented in the process of migration.

“The materiality and material language of ceramics symbolises not only fragility, but also the possibility of adaptation and regeneration.”

Zhou says the choice to hang the works from the ceiling, stemmed from her concern for spatial relationships and allowed the viewer to take in the floating pieces from a variety of angles and perspectives.

“This suspension allows the works to float in the space with a sense of uncertainty and drift, echoing the concepts of cultural mobility and identity displacement explored in the works,” she says.

“On the other hand, the staggered layout creates a more open way of interpretation, allowing viewers to experience the works' changing forms and shadows from different angles.”

The 2025 Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition celebrated standout emerging creative talent from UniSA and Flinders University. Various disciplines were represented including ceramics, glass, moving image, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and textiles.

As the Major Exhibition Award winner, Zhou will exhibit her work for at contemporary gallery Linden New Art, Victoria, in 2026.

“I plan to use the year to conduct in-depth research and experimentation, exploring the expressive power of a variety of materials and how to make the work more immersive and narrative through installation, spatial construction and perhaps the inclusion of audience interaction,” she says.

“At the same time, I am also actively looking for exhibition opportunities and hope to participate in more exhibitions in the future, so that my works can be seen on a broader stage.

“In the long run, my goal is to enter the wider international art circle, to collaborate with artists and researchers from different cultural backgrounds, and to expand my creative vision.

“I hope to participate in more cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary projects, to establish connections between people through art, and to explore a deeper dialogue about identity, memory and migration.”

UniSA’s Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition 2025 winners are listed below. Seven out of the 12 award winners were UniSA graduates.

Tieyuan Zhou, Bachelor of Creative Arts (Honours)

• The Helpmann Academy Major Exhibition Award supported by IAS Fine Art Logistics and Linden New Art
• Jaquillard Exhibition Award

Silki Wong, Bachelor of Contemporary Art

• Fetzer Award for Excellence

Thu Huong (Abigail) Nguyen, Master of Design

• UniSA Postgraduate Award

Charlotte Treloar, Bachelor of Contemporary Art

• The Mount Horrocks Wines Award
• People’s Choice Credit Union, the Innovation Award

Chin Ton (Naomi) Tang, Bachelor of Contemporary Art

• The South Australian Industry Award, supported by JamFactory, SALA Festival and Guildhouse

Mads Conte, Bachelor of Contemporary Art

• McHugh Award

 Oak Yoo, Bachelor of Contemporary Art

• The David Hayden Professional Development Award.

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