Former King’s High School student Quinn Bailey helped curate the "Connect[ed]" exhibition at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
He was invited to take part in the exhibition along with his peers at Southern Health School, Te Kura Whaiora ki te Tonga, which offers education for students too unwell to attend school fulltime.
From a young age, Quinn had trouble with chronic pain and walking.
"I tried to forget about it for a very long time and then after a couple of surgeries it dawned on me that maybe school isn’t a place I can go to comfortably.
"Maybe walking around for six hours a day is something I’ll never be able to do."
With support from King’s, he was given the opportunity to work from home and study at his own pace at the end of year 11.
He began attending the health school and got extra support from teachers when he needed it.
Quinn said the exhibit became "a lot more" for him than he expected.
"It’s more than I thought I’d be doing with my year.
"Last year, I spent just over three months in the hospital, it was a write-off and I didn’t really achieve anything."
This year, he chose to accept his limitations and decided to take opportunities that arose.
He never thought of himself as an arts student before the project, but was excited by the opportunity to take part.
He realised being artistic was not about just making art and enjoyed the opportunity to think about it deeply.
Having the chance to focus a single piece of art from the art gallery’s collection really spoke to him.
He knew he wanted to focus on Saturday Morning, by Kate Newby, right from the beginning.
He found it easier to connect with the sculpture because it was "more than just artwork".
"It’s an expression of what everyone wants, of that feeling of back to messing around with your friends or playing or picking up stones just because they look cool ... of what would it be like if I just left adulthood behind for a moment?’
"It just gives everyone an opportunity to think about that."
Art gallery technical specialist Jen Boland said she came up with the idea to get students from the health school involved in curating an exhibition because she knew she would learn a lot from their different perspectives.
"There are different ways of looking at the world and I thought if we could capture that and share that with our audience, then other people would get to see the magic that I get to see."
She had worked with the health school for the past couple of years and wanted to do something that would contribute to its programme in a long-lasting and meaningful way.
"I’m so proud and impressed with what everybody has done."
Health school principal Linda Miller said the collaboration gave students the opportunity to have their voices heard and widen their footprint in the community.
The exhibition opened on Sunday and runs until November 23.
