Destiny Deacon Virtual Art Gallery
Welcome to the
DestinyDeacon Virtual Art Gallery!
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are warned that this page contains an image of a deceased person.
Destiny Deacon, Hon FRPS (Feb. 6th, 1956 – May 23rd, 2024) was an Australian photographer, broadcaster, political activist and media artist, and a graduate of the Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School. She exhibited photographs and films across Australia and internationally, focusing on politics and exposing the disparagement around Australian Aboriginal cultures. She was credited with introducing the term "Blak" to refer to Indigenous Australians' contemporary art, culture and history.
Destiny was a trailblazer in the contemporary arts sector, exposing racism and celebrating Aboriginal identity. Her practice was not only artistic-it was a movement of visibility, reclamation, and empowerment. Every project she touched became an act of truth-telling and community pride- leaving an enduring legacy.
This virtual art gallery, established in honour of Destiny’s life and work, is a showcase of the incredible artistic talent of Mac.Rob students undertaking study in Media, Design & Technology (Textiles), Visual Communication & Design, and Art Making & Exhibiting, as well as units of painting, mixed media, photography, sculpture, and animation.
The Destiny Deacon Acquisitive Prize is also awarded each year as part of the annual Mac.Rob Art & Design Exhibition.
Artworks in this gallery are regularly updated and featured in the school newsletter, so please visit often to see the wide range of works on display throughout the year.
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FeaturedArtworks:
Portrait of Destiny Deacon © National Gallery of Victoria.
Image shared with the permission of Destiny Deacon’s family.
Destiny Deacon Acquisitive Art Prize (2025).
The Destiny Deacon Acquisitive Art Prize is named in honour of Destiny Deacon, Hon FRPS (1956–2024); an Australian photographer, broadcaster, political activist and media artist, and a graduate of the Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School.
The Prize, awarded at the annual Art & Design Exhibition, is an ongoing of initiatives celebrating Destiny’s life and career, alongside this virtual gallery on the Mac.Rob website, and a permanent exhibition space opening in 2026.
Burning, Jessica Le (2025)
Acrylic on canvas; 91cm x 122cm x 3.5cm
Judge’s Remarks:
Within its vivid hues and rough, impasto surfaces, the work presents perseverance amidst chaos. “Burning” is an abstract expressionist piece that communicates endurance through its energetic brush strokes and mixing of complimentary warm and cool colours.
In doing so, the piece reflects society’s ability to withstand stress, emphasising the profound beauty of resilience.
VCE Art-Making & Exhibiting (2025).
A selection of key artworks from VCE Art-Making & Exhibiting students (2025).
In VCE Art Making and Exhibiting, students investigate artworks by artists from different periods of time and cultures, and explore how artists have used materials, techniques and processes to represent ideas and communicated meaning in artworks. Students work with a range of materials to understand their characteristics and properties and how these have developed over time, and develop an understanding of the curation, presentation, and conservation and care of artworks.
Pursuit of Knowledge, Naveli Mehta
Gouache, coloured pencil on paper; 40cm x 100cm
Winner: People’s Choice Award, Art + Design Exhibition (2025)
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Judge’s Remarks:
Amidst textbooks, assessments, and flurries of paper lies an inescapable labyrinth of learning. Anxiety and unease pulse through the chaotic library while the roof threatens to cave in, each whirlwind of falling pages a stark reminder of our endless shortcomings, as we navigate a world where success feels both demanded and utterly unattainable. Within this disarray, is escape truly possible, or merely an illusion forever out of reach?
Anh Nguyen, VCE AME
Sharon Dai Zhao, VCE AME
Year 9 Digital Photography.
A selection of digital images from Year 9 photography students.
IB Visual Art.
Exhibition Highlights.
Highlights from Garden of Silence, a celebration of IB Visual Art Exhibition of student work from 2024-2025.
Exhibition 1:Hold Your Breath by Soleil Premkumar
Exhibition 2:Whispers and Petals by Sarthika Senthil
"When words escape, flowers of the soul blossom in the garden of silence." - Rumi (1207-1273).
Year 10 Art.
Collaborative Project / Art Movements.
Year 10 Art students were tasked with working collaboratively to transform a retired violin into a work of sculptural art. Each group was assigned a different art movement - Pop, Baroque, Impressionism, etc - and were required to work together to create a three-dimensional representation of the movement using the violin as a canvas.
IB Visual Art.
Cyanotypes / Sarthika S
(Year 2 IB).
This triptych of digital cyanotypes were created by Sarthika as part of her IB Visual Art studies. “Cyanotype photography” is a camera-less technique that involves placing an object on photo-sensitive paper coated with a solution of iron salts, before exposing it to UV light. When the objects are removed and the paper is washed, it leaves behind a “negative” image of the object in white and Prussian blue, which gives the technique its name.
Year 9 Self Portraits.
Selected Works / Term 1, 2025.
Year 9 Art students were tasked with creating a self portrait using acrylic paint. Students explored the use of colour to convey tone, and visual metaphor to convey mood. Some students chose to include fragments of text into their portrait composition.
