HS 1
Visual Arts
Virtual Exhibition 2020
WELCOME to the Visual Arts Exhibition of our VA HS course!
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the various languages, concepts,
and practices of art through contemporary and historical perspectives and prepare them
for the IB VA course.
Students are introduced to diverse types of media and art movements. They are also engaged in discussions about the elements of art, the historical context of the analyzed artworks, the concept and symbolism behind each piece, the media used and materials, among others.
In the VA HS course assessment, students should demonstrate their knowledge of art, both
in a written form (demonstrating a good use of art-specific vocabulary) and by making artworks in various media. When grading, the reflection of the artwork´s process counts the same as the final result. The class is divided by assignments; the assessment process of each assignment includes a digital upload, as well as a class presentation of the work´s process and a partnered discussion.
Identity assignment
This assignment consisted on different introductory exercises that dealt with self portraits and identity. We discussed collectively the question “Who am I?” and we considered the diverse ways in which each student expressed their identity or are defined by others.
The meaning behind the following works consists on interpretations and answers to the following questions:
What aspects of your identity are easily noticed and which are hidden?
To what extent is our identity determined by the society in which we live?
To what extent could we have different identities?
What are the negative things that were imposed to you (for example sentences that start with: “You can ́t...” “You must...”)
What are the positive things that were imposed to you (for example sentences that start with: “You have to...” “You should...”)
What are YOUR OWN desires?
P.D , Final work 1: “Blank”
7.5 x 15 x 20 cm
Acrylic paint, markers, cellophane paper, on found book
The intention of this book was to show how people see me and think of me (I got my friends to describe me in multiple words) versus how I think of myself and do not show that to the outside world. I tried to accomplish this by putting adjectives that make me and cut a rectangle in the middle of each page and filled that with cellophane paper. By using this material, people will not be able to see the last page due to the layering of it but will be able to, when they reach the end, which is how I think of myself. I glued the back of the book because people change as they mature and, as I still have time to change, I left those pages blank and glued them together as they are not “written yet”.
P.D Final work 2: “Goodbye Angel”
28 x 44 x 44 cm
Mixed media: plastic transparent sheet, spray paint and old picture
The intention I had with this work was to demonstrate to the viewers that religion can fade if not practiced. Throughout the years of my life, I have become less religious, and “hell has taken me over”, represented by the horns, red eyes, flames, and blood. The final picture is a photo of me in my first communion, when I was as holy as it got. What part of me can you see? The holy side or the bad side?
Detail
V.V Final work 1: “No name”
40x14x1 cm
Watercolors, paint and cutouts on book
This piece represents me because I consider myself a person with many layers, and you have to turn the pages to get to know me better, until you reach the ending which only a few people can read.
V.V. Final work 1: “Mature childhood”
30x30 cm
Acrylic paint and mixed media on canvas
This piece inspired by artists Van Gogh, Danny Quirk and Sara Cynwar pictures a young girl in a graduation gown with a gap, which is filled with flowers and small details. This self-portrait reflects upon age and maturity through the innocent child that is put into a mature-like situation. Aside from this, the objects (flowers, screws, clips, etc.) show the creativity and innate personality of someone that hides inside a person and can only be seen when one opens up to others. What truly defines maturity and childhood? Why do we often question one’s personality without getting to know them?
Detail
M.D “Grounded”
15.7 x 37.5 x 16.5
Mixed Media (acrylic paint, paper printouts, wire, tape on book)
My artwork displays my personality, an open book, with a balance between the sun, ocean, and mountains to demonstrate nature is what keeps me grounded. Images of my favorite hobbies, people, and overall important ideas in my life stick up with wire.
M.S Final work 1: “Open if you must” .
3 x 9 x 11 inches
Mixed media: acrylic paint and cutouts on book
The book represents two different aspects of me: if you are able to get past the roughness and impenetrable outside, you will be able to truly get to know me. Then, you may think you know me but, people only know what I want them to know.
M.S Final work 2: “Perpetual Self” .
13x11x24 cm
Mixed media (rubix cube, plastic doll, oil paint, spray paint)
This self portrait represents the complexity in which I see myself. It showcases the traits that I think are very much exposed about my personality. The colours show my cheerfulness and by using toys I wanted to convey my childish side, that I love about myself. This piece represents constant change in its malleability, but in all the change, it still represents me, that is where “Perpetual Self” comes from. However, rubix cubes are hard to understand and put together. Can you understand me?
Detail
C.M Final work 1: “Who am I?”
Variable measures
Digital collage
I was born in the beautiful city of Caracas Venezuela. This work intends to represent this city.
C.M Final work 2: “Mesa”
59.4 x 84.1 cm
Digital collage
For this piece I decided to go into my search history and find the 3 things that I search up the most.
One of the most searched things was YouTubers playing the video game grand theft auto 5, so I thought I might get one of the characters from the game and put him in the front of the picture to symbolize that game is the one I see and play the most. The second image I chose to add in the collage is Pagan min, pagan min is another videogame character from a game called Farcry 4. The Man sitting at the top of the mountain is Walter H. White, he is from my favorite tv show “Breaking Bad”. The reason I put Walter at the top of the mountain is that he is looking down at the others because no one will be as great as him; in the show Walter is a drug lord that nobody can defeat, he is above everyone, just like in my collage. The final images I added into my collage were a baseball and a baseball bat. Baseball is my favorite sport, in fact, it is the only sport I actually enjoy playing.
A.R “Human going green”
Mixed media(plaster cast of my own face and hands, flowers, rocks)
22.5x45x4cm
The idea of surrealism in nature is the whole idea surrounding my artwork, it represents the connection that organisms, in general, have with mother nature and how our origins come from nature itself since the beginning of the time.
The differentiation of colors represents how the process takes a long time to be at its last stage of development. Thus plants and flowers have grown into the features seen to infer the attachment with mother nature at all moments in time. The reason for the dull vague colors of the human is to infer that humans receive their true colors from nature itself and how without it we can’t survive.
Printmaking assignment
After researching and studying about printmaking artists, students learnt the basics of this technique.
After some sketching and brainstorming these are the results of the students first prints:
M.S “Something something something”
12x16 inches
Printmaking
The intention of this print was simply to explore how a whale, an astronaut and a balloon can form part of the same composition.
V.V “Roots and Leaves”
15.5 x 10.5 cm
Printmaking
A piece reflecting upon simplicity in everything. Connecting to one’s roots and growth in every aspect, the Tree of Life in this piece represents nothing but what you can see, it is up to the audience to interpret this piece, taking into consideration one’s roots and morals.
M.D “Monarch”
10.5cm x 15cm
Print on Paper
My artwork displays a golden and black butterfly. A butterfly is a free spirit and it is often said to represent hope and life,
P.D “Dying World”
10.5 x 15.5 cm
Print on paper
The intention I had with this work was to alert viewers how clean and beautiful our planet was and how we are destroying it.
Stencil - Street-art assignment
This assignment consisted on three parts:
First we watched the film “Saving Banksy” (about internationally known graffiti artist, Banksy) and discussed about it.
Then we observed, analyzed and discussed about street artists/artworks. We also read an interesting article published in the newspaper The Guardian about the controversial plan to 'beautify' São Paulo by spraying grey paint over beloved street art. The reading introduced the following group discussion: What makes a city livelier? Whose city is this? Does the city have an owner or is it everyone’s?
Next, students were asked to research a specific street artwork, to visually analyze it and then, brainstorm and create their own stencil work of art. These are the final results:
A.R “She Nature”
46x25cm
Spray paint on paper.
The drawing expresses two perspectives, one of which I like to persuade the connection between mother nature and the human body. The essence of my artwork exerts the real beauty of the Human body hence bringing the idea of Renaissance ideologies of human anatomy, it also evokes the feeling of life as such in a surrealistic mindset. What does the body really means? The flowers represent the red lips as well as her hand. While the leaves serve as her eyes and eyelashes composing she nature.
M.S “See, buy, pay” .
25 x 46 inches
Spray paint on paper
This piece is about how propaganda has turned into something so unquestioned and natural. It conveys this in a colorful imitation of a propaganda that shows that there is always a hidden intention behind propaganda that we do not acknowledge anymore.
C.M “Blue mountain”
9.6 x 6.2
Spray paint on paper
P.D “Your Choice”
49.8 x 34.8 cm
Spray Paint on paper
The intention I had with this work was to communicate to the viewers that many of the consequences in their lives are consequences of their choices. It is their choice if they want to be the gloomy ones in a bright and happy atmosphere or be the colorful ones in a black and white atmosphere and make the change.
V.V “The Cost of Emotions”
29.7 x 42.0cm
Spray paint on paper
A piece reflecting upon emotions and their influence on us. This piece portrays how even a mended heart adorned with flowers still has a cost, the cost that one pays when feeling too much.
M.D “Flower in Distress”
34 x 49 cm
Spray Paint on Paper
The purpose of my artwork is to display the damage the human civilization is causing to Nature. A black and polluted city is dripping on a flower, representing nature, and feeding the fire burning and killing it. I chose to depict this because I am a strong enforcer of taking care of our planet and believe that we need to learn how to avoid global warming and destruction of natural habitats.
Clay assignment- creating monsters
This assignment consisted on different introductory exercises before learning clay specific vocabulary, clay skills and technique.
One of the first introductory exercises consisted on students modeling clay with their eyes bended. The objective was to model monsters that reflected the different songs that they were listening to.
The mission of the Creating Monsters assignment was to investigate contemporary culture through monster metaphors. We operated in the space between fear and desire, between self and other. We observed and discussed about monsters and shadows from a psychological point of view. Moreover, through the discussion of the monster genre in stories, images, and movies, we gained awareness that political, cultural, racial, sexual, and economic differences tend to be portrayed as monstrous deviations from a comfortable normalcy. The idea was, not onlu to learn the basics of clay, but also to gain a greater understanding of ourselves as well as how culture constructs and uses monsters to contain its deepest fears.
M.S ”Capti” .
14 x 12 x 15 cm
Clay (before fired and glazed)
This piece is a representation of my fear of being trapped and not having another option but to admit defeat. Capti, named after the latin word for “trapped”, is a monster that is undefeatable. In your moment of most vulnerability it comes to finish you off. You can try and kill it, but once you cut a head, five more grow in its place. This happens until the person fighting the monster gives up and then finally, after taking away your pride, the monster will kill you.
A.R “Centar Centar”
15 x 22 x 4 cm.
Clay (before fired and glazed)
Centar Centar originally lived amongst the deepest part of the forest, hunting and eating form unfortunate souls that dared enter his layer. With the absence of his head, he's unable to think or process, therefore, in any situation, he will react with his senses usually anger and violence. My intention for this piece is to transform how people look at him as an anomaly, to one that is more friendly and acceptable.
M.D “Slenderman”
12 x 5 x 20 cm
Clay (before fired and glazed)
My monster, Slenderman, is a symbol of loneliness and emptiness. His simple and skinny build demonstrates the negative energy he gives off. His blank face portrays the feeling of emptiness the monster provokes inside of others.
C.M “The wither”
Clay (before fired and glazed)
This creature is a hostile mob from a video game I play.
In the game he has 2 heads when being activated but in my piece I decided to give him 3 heads revealing his true form that nobody has seen .
P.D “Sagetarius”
9 x 6 x 4 cm
Clay (before fired and glazed)
The form and pattern of my monster is inspired from a type of Russian flowers, sage. The intention I had with this work was to create a monster that was welcoming. For this reason, in the back of the monster there is a sofa, a lamp, and a table. This creates a comforting environment, that invites people to enter in it.
V.V “Isolated”
4x5x14cm
Clay (before fired and glazed)
The intention behind this piece is to capture the common fear of being alone. The short size of the hairy monster is intended to portray how such a small thing can have such a big psychological impact.
All final monsters after being glazed and fired.
Creating masks assignment
This assignment consisted on several introductory exercises in which we observed and discussed the use of masks throughout history. After researching, brainstorming and sketching students created their own masks using clay for the negative form and mache paper mixed with plaster for the positive one.
The created masks represent among others: a reflection of the creator´s personality and/or culture, the deeper self of each student, how each student would like to be seen, how people see each student (outside) vs. who each of them really is (inside).
A.R “The plague mask”
17 x 15cm
Paper mache, plaster and acrylic paint
My intention for this piece was to question the use of masks; they are used to cover the individual features and qualities. This could mean that the individual is uncomfortable with himself, therefore, he covers himself looking for a new face. The purpose of the plague mask is to question whether covering our identities and acting like someone else is correct.
M.D “Hope”
Mixed Media (plaster, clay, acrylic paint)
My mask is a symbol of the hope that exists in dark situations, even though many times it is hard to find. It is based on the Day of the Dead, which is a celebration for the loved ones who have perished. This holiday celebrates a morbid thing, death, but people stay happy and lively anyways. My mask depicts a dead face decorated with vibrant colors, which portrays the idea that there is a possibility to bring light, color, and of course, hope, to any kind of situation.
V.V “Eccedentesiast”
20.5 x 23.5 x 8.3 cm
Paper mache, plaster and acrylic paint
The bright colors in the mask are intended to portray happiness and evoke a feeling of childish behaviour within the patterns of the piece. Also courage is reflected in the animal chosen for the mask, a puma, that symbolizes bravery. In the teeth of the animal, a human smile can be seen as the mask does not cover the mouth of the person that wears it, thus reflecting the idea of an eccedentesiast, a person who smiles a lot.
P.D “Why are you hiding, Louis?”
20 x 6 x 14 cm
Paper mache, plaster and acrylic paint
The intention I had with this work was to communicate to the viewers that the quantity of money a person has does not determine who they are. One can have money and design brands such as Louis Vuitton, but this is not a quality that defines who they are as a person. Money in society nowadays creates a mask for people and allows to hide who they truly are. Rather than people liking others for their personality, they like them for materialistic purposes.
M.S “The cracked Jester” .
9x10x4 cm
Paper mache and plaster with acrylic paint
This piece is a mask of a medieval jester, a person whose job was to make others laugh. In my piece the jester is cracked and has lost its happiness and ability to entertain. What is a jester that cannot make others laugh?
Stop-motion assignment
This assignment consisted on learning the basic skills of the stop motion technique.
We started by watching several stop motion examples of well-known artists, analyzing and discussing about them.
After several introductory exercises, students started to create their first sketches. Once we discussed each idea collectively, students began creating their stop motion´s scripts and storyboards. Once all this was resolved the filming began.
These are the results of the students first finished stop motions:
A.R “Digging up the truth” ” The intention of this stop motion is to question why humanity has the constant habit of lying about their current life situation, whether it is denying the truth or just not wanting to accept their part in that reality. Facing “truth” is seen in this piece when the characters spot the plastic piece (shark) and many feared from it and ran away, inferring that they don't want to be part of it. I know that it might be hard to accept reality but accepting the situation can allow you to be happier in the present and hope for a better future.
M.S “The balloon that did not want to be” This stop motions shows a comic portrayal of suicide in order to prove that it is useless. The action shown is a balloon that tries to take his life with useless attempts since after all: it is only a balloon.
V.V “Soul Glass”. This short film portrays how the media and manipulation of information can make us create fake scenarios in our minds. The newspapers convey how misinformation can often make one idolize and picture experiences we like to have in order to escape from a reality full of bad news. For instance, the idea of having a “soulmate” and finding it. What if soul mates are just a product of the imagination? Is there really a person with whom one has a strong affinity, or is that just a made up romantic idea invented by the media?
P.D “Oda a la Cuchara”
The intention I had with this stop motion was to portray in a visual form Pablo Neruda’s poem “Oda a la Cuchara”, and the communist ideas it contains. Scarcity is a very big problem in the world and can be solved with one, little, shared spoon. If everyone shared their spoon, the problem would not have such a big effect.
C.,M Stop motion assignment