IB VISUAL ARTS HL FINAL EXHIBITION

Curatorial Rationale

 

      I still vividly remember the moment when I walked into an art room for the first time. That was 14 years ago. Art has accompanied me for 14 years. Amongst all the art courses I have ever taken, IB Visual Arts is undoubtedly the most fruitful one. It has broadened my knowledge of art, taught me how to examine art through a professional lens and really pushed me to explore outside my comfort zone. I am proud to be able to put together this exhibition that showcases my learning outcome of this course.

 

      One important theme that this exhibition features is my journey of exploration. I am most familiar with pencil sketching, but I have pushed myself to explore as many other media as I can to explore my possibilities as an artist and investigate the way media contribute to the meaning of art. I started off with oil paint. When creating the first piece Helium, I still lacked the confidence of using oil, so the painting looked quite flat. However, in Carbon, I started to explore unconventional media – I used paper towel, cardboard and white glue to create the texture of branches and graphite that helps enhance the meaning. In Oxygen, I finally had the courage to manipulate the thickness of oil paint. After using oil for my first three pieces and getting familiar with this medium, I went exploring with other art forms. Unveil the Unknowns, which incorporates wire sculpture, is my first 3D artwork. Recipe for the Last Meal is my first time trying the form of sequential art. In Beauty, Wisdom and Creativity Spiral throughout Mathematics, I tried to break the conventional rectangular form of printmaking. In Dreams and Subconscious, I tried one-line art and explored different textural effects of oil pastel. In I Am Not A Virus, I utilized monotone and different ways of shading using fine liners.

 

      The works I included in this exhibition also reflect my view on the purpose of art. I think art is a way to express my identity. In my self-portrait triptych, I incorporate chemical elements as a symbol for my personal growth. Beauty, Wisdom and Creativity Spiral throughout Mathematics showcases my passion for mathematics. The wire sculpture installation Unveil the Unknowns depicts the ups and downs in my journey as a dancer. Dreams and Subconscious reflects my inner world and the emotions I encounter during the time I spend alone with my thoughts. I also think that art serves as a platform for the artist to make a manifestation. In Recipe for the Last Meal, I use dark humor to address people’s lack of awareness about animal protection. I Am Not A Virus reveals the intensified Asian hate triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Together is for expressing my gratitude to those who have helped us combat COVID and giving encouragement to everyone: we are all in this together, and together we will defeat the pandemic.

 

      My previous art education focused heavily on realism and techniques, but IB Art has taught me that art is not as simple as replicating real-life objects onto paper. I have arranged my artworks in a chronological order to reflect this change in my understanding of art. When creating my first three pieces which are part of the self-portrait triptych, I still tended to make my painting as real as possible. However, my own imagination and creativity started to play an increasingly important role in the pieces that were created afterwards. When the viewers just enter my exhibition and stop at my triptych, they might be commenting on how similar my painting is to my real face, but as they walk along my exhibition, I hope they would be more attracted to the messages of my art rather than the techniques I used. I hope when they walk out, they would still be reflecting on the problems addressed in my art, and most importantly, I hope they would see me as a girl who uses art to communicate herself and amplify her voice, rather than merely good at drawing.

 

      I am still learning to become a better artist, and my goal is not to produce products, but to produce thinking.