A Pulse Worth Listening To
Living in Perth and working in the arts, I've long seen the Art Gallery of Western Australia as my local equivalent of the greats — MoMA, The Louvre, Saatchi Gallery, MONA. It's the place I return to often, ever since my school years.
One exhibition I particular enjoy annually is Pulse Perspectives (now known as The West Australian Pulse), featuring Year 12 Visual Arts graduates from schools across WA. In 2025, the exhibition marked its 33rd year...hats off to AGWA.
Call it tradition, but I'm pretty sure I've been to 98% of them.
This year, though, was a standout. I say that because something felt sharper, more considered, more complex.
“Something felt sharper, more considered, more complex.”
Over the years, the theme of "self-identity" has always played a big role in these exhibitions. But in 2025, that exploration seems to have evolved...broadened, deepened. The work no longer just looks inward, but outward and across. There was a collective intelligence forming... subcultures, social commentary, environmental reflection, mental health, racial and gender identity, and the pressure cooker of ATAR and future unknowns. All layered into paintings, sculpture, digital work, and installations.
The gallery puts it best:
“The selected works provide a window into young people's private, social and artistic concerns. Themes ranging from cultural intersections, neurodiversity, mental and neurological health challenges, to loss, inequality, and the pressure of performance.”
And you could feel it in the room.
A couple of standouts for me:
Ema Poon - Ideal: A brilliant execution. The stylisation and narrative clarity were next-level. An artist that already feels fully formed.
Brodie Rowand - Ruby Reverie: What a strong sense of composition and great use of scale, but what elevated it even more was the accompanying description. It gave the work a whole new resonance.
Find out more at AGWA
