The Next Level Exhibition 2018
When you consider personal computing trends globally, Wacom is an active part of many artist’s armoury. Many VFX studios have Wacom Cintiqs on every desk, while design studios, publishers, art colleges and training centres have at least a bank of Intuos tablets at the ready. Getting close to their art during production is extremely important to every artist, without the technology getting in the way. Wacom’s Intros line of graphics tablets comes with all the software you need, straight out of the box, ready to go.
The Next Level competition and traveling exhibition is a vital chance for digital artists to have their work displayed and publicised in a traveling ‘bricks-and-mortar’ exhibition, traveling from Melbourne to Auckland to Sydney over the next couple of months. The selected artwork at the Australian exhibition is shown alongside renowned artists from around the world, including Kelogsloops, Loretta Lizzio, Mark Conlan, Mateusz Witczak, Nosego, and Paul Braddock from Animal Logic.
“On the first year of The Next Level, we had 1200 entries,” says Simon Marshall, Wacom’s Senior Manager of Content and Media at WACOM ANZ. “The following year we had 1800, and this year, 3800. A strategic partner in the creation of the prints for the exhibition, called ‘Just Another Agency’, has an immense amount of experience creating colour-correct printing and exhibition curation. They bring a lot of creative knowledge to physically staging the exhibition.”
There is also a People’s Choice vote for the entries, online at the moment. There is incredibly strong social following, with prizes of the latest Wacom hardware. “The entire Wacom company got behind it and we now have competitions in Bangkok, New Delhi, Mexico City and Portland in the States,” Simon Marshall says.
One or two spots in the exhibition are reserved specifically for students studying at Wacom Authorised training centres in cities from around Australia. Most recently also, is the ability to show student’s work created in 3D using Wacom’s hardware. “3D printing a character created in ZBrush, for example, is a tremendous next level to the exhibition showing artist’s best work in the best way possible,” adds Marshall.
The Australian/NZ exhibition has had its run in Melbourne and is about to be opening in Auckland on 12th to 16th of October at Silo Park, then to Sydney from the 9th to 18th of November at the Comber Street Studios.
Related links:
VFX SCIENCE 