05 June 2026
Butler College graduate Kira Landuyt has won the The West Australian Pulse 2026 Editor’s Choice Award for her artwork exploring heritage, prosperity and loss.
The initiative provides an insightful look at the world through the minds of talented young artists.
The West Australian Pulse exhibition celebrates 34 years and features 63 works by 2025 Year 12 visual arts graduates from 43 schools across WA.
This year’s exhibiting artists explore themes of self identity, including cultural intersections, neurodiversity, sexuality, and mental health, as well as experiences of loss, environmental concern, racial and societal inequality, and the social pressures of conforming and performing at school and beyond.
Image Credit: Kira Landuyt Dear Saigon, From, Ho Chi Minh 2025. Oil, egg shell, silk, satin, rope and resin on board, 60 x 126 x 5 cm. Butler College. Photo: Christophe Canato
“Dear Saigon, From, Ho Chi Minh is a reflection on loss, growth, and honours Vietnamese art,” Kira said in her artist statement.
“Vietnam is my mother’s birthplace and an important part of my identity, so my love for its culture naturally shapes my work.
“The work traces four periods of Vietnam’s history, exploring loss of youth, love, faith, and freedom, and how individual stories shift alongside changes in culture and environment.
“Inspired by Vietnamese lacquer painter Nguyễn Gia Trí, I draw on his use of colour and symbolism to relay notions of heritage, prosperity, and loss.
“Through traditional materials, I explore how growth often emerges through loss, both in Vietnam and in life.”
Lilly Blue, Art Gallery of WA’s Head of Learning and Creativity Research, praised the work for its maturity and thematic exploration.
“I was delighted to see Kira Landuyt’s sensitive work Dear Saigon, From Ho Chi Minh selected,” she said.
“It reveals an exceptional maturity in its material language and in its ability to hold the intimate and the historical in tension, emerging as a tender meditation on identity, loss and growth grounded in her personal connection with her mother’s birthplace.”
“When spending time looking closely at this detailed work you can almost hear the tiny figures whispering stories through time.
“I really encourage visitors to spend time with this work, as it reveals itself to you slowly.”
The Western Australian Pulse is on display at The Art Gallery of Western Australia until 13 September 2026.
For more information visit The West Australian Pulse 2026 website.
Voting in the people’s choice award is open until 5pm, Sunday 23 August 2026.
The artwork catalogue is available to view online.