Respect for nature, family and reflections on a year of uncertainty — a new exhibition gives a glimpse into the minds of Northern Territory teenagers.
From thoughtful portraits to commentary on single-use plastics, Exit Art shows off the best student works from year 12 graduates.
Danae Moore, her mother and her great-grandfather Tommy "Walkabout" Nangala travelled to Darwin from Alice Springs to see her works on display at the Museum and Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT).
She has painted Mr Nangala — her family's cultural "boss" and the decision-maker at her homeland — and her grandfather Harry Moore.
"Me and my mum had a conversation about how important family was, and the elders are the most important members of the family," Ms Moore said.
Ms Moore's mother Barbara Shaw said her daughter's portraits were now in hot demand.
"They were like, 'Wow, why didn't she do me one? My turn next, my turn next,'" she said.
"So there's a big line-up of our family members wanting portraits done."
Mirikai Peters, who is from the same school in Alice Springs, painted a huge landscape of a favourite spot, Trephina Gorge, about an hour's drive from the town.
Also inspired by his family, he wants to become a mural artist.
"My grandma painted landscape paintings, so I was really making her proud too by painting this," he said.
"She was a big inspiration in my life."
"This is actually a sample painting for hopefully something four times the size."
Shanice Bayizere from Darwin chose her older brother Larry as a subject, using photography to reflect on COVID-19 lockdowns and loneliness.
"A majority of people, they were on social media, and face-to-face communication wasn't common, and it was hard," she said.
"I just wanted to capture him on social media looking bored, and it's great because this photo, it shows what society we live in now."
"My family's super proud."
MAGNT director Adam Worrall said the exhibition provided valuable insight into young people's thoughts and experiences.
"I think it's really interesting to see how these kids express themselves and to see what are things that are important in their lives," he said.
Mr Peters had some advice for budding artists.
"Paint as much as you can. It doesn't matter if it doesn't look good at the start because you'll always get better," he said.
The exhibition is open to the public in Darwin until the end of March.
