The West Australian Pulse 2023: Perth teen Sky Biesse wins Editor’s Choice for art piece Don’t Worry Be Happy

Teen artist Sky Biesse said she was proud to shed light on mental health as she was announced as a standout artist at the launch of The West Australian Pulse 2023. The 18-year-old’s work titled Don’t Worry Be Happy was selected as the Editor’s Choice by The West Australian Editor in Chief Anthony De Ceglie. Depicting ghoulish human bodies in a stark black and white oil on canvas, Biesse said she was “stoked” that her piece was crowned with the honour. “I’m still in shock, to be honest. I was not expecting to end up here so I’m honestly quite proud and super happy about the whole thing.” Drawing on her own struggles with mental health, the young artist’s intention was to create something that would resonate with people. “I was at a point in my life where I was basically just drawing entirely from my poor mental state. It’s so overlooked in general—and in society—and I knew that and I felt that and I knew others felt that too. That’s my inspiration.” Hailing from St Mark’s Anglican Community School, Biesse said it took six weeks to create the masterpiece. “The actual process was a huge strain on my mental health. I got to some points where I had breakdowns because I was so stressed about getting it finished.” “It was very taxing on my mental health. Honestly, I can say it was worth it.” Biesse formed part of the “youth quake” of art that was unleashed in Perth’s Cultural hub on Thursday night where 61 works by 2022 Year 12 Visual Arts graduates from 36 schools across WA explore themes of mental health and social pressures, gender and culture, environmentalism and technology. De Ceglie said The West Australian Pulse highlights an important theme. “The reason we’re so excited to be a big partner of Pulse is because it’s about telling teenagers that they can make it and giving them that confidence that I didn’t have when I was 17.” “We’re really proud to be a partner in that.” He spoke to the fascination of walking through the gallery and seeing themes of burnout, stress and mental health. “Pulse is such a great chance to listen to teenagers of today—what they think what they feel and what is going on in the schoolyard.” Opening night saw a bustling pot of creativity featuring a fashion show by fashion students and performances by Perth singer-songwriter Mia Deriu and local band Sago Music. This year’s program is home to live rooftop events, youth forums, a design store and guided tours. The proud partnership between The Art Gallery of WA and The West Australian will see WA’s talented young artists celebrated in this year’s exhibition, which will run until 20 August 2023.