We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campus is situated, the people of the Boon Wurrung and Woi Wurrung, who have created art, made music and told their stories here for thousands of generations. We also acknowledge and extend our respect to the Traditional Owners of all lands on which our work is viewed, shared and enjoyed, and to all Elders, past, present and emerging.

VCA Art 2025

Master of Contemporary Art

My work explores the intertwined themes of destruction and repair across cultures, histories, and materials by expanding the idea that the value of artefacts and photos extends beyond their origin. I realised the damage, trauma, or scars left by history, whether on objects, archives, or memory, are not just destruction, but an imprint of time. In contrast, repairing the past is an act of resistance and reinterpretation by shifting the narratives. I am particularly interested in how the progression of history, the process of damage and repair, will influence the present and future by looking at personal, family, and institutional archives.

The family is the basic unit of society. The collective memory within a family is shaped by retelling the stories across generations, and so is civic memory. Through excavating and restoring relics, I attempt to repair these shared memories to influence both the present and the future.

Rachel Hongxun Zhou