While our IB Art Show looked a bit different this year, Grammar IB Art students still had an opportunity to engage with each other and their teachers as Grade 12 student Abi Morum'20 showcased her final pieces via Zoom on April 16 (see photos below). Congratulations to Abi on her excellent presentation in which she shared inspiration and insight into the deeper meaning behind each piece.
In the words of Abi:
"Over the past two years I have been creating pieces through the IB art program each with their own different meaning initially, but now all seem to have a factor in common: COVID-19. The pandemic altered how I was able to complete my IB art program, as I had to turn my sister's bedroom into my makeshift art studio. I also had to present my art show from my backyard, over Zoom, instead of in the atrium at the school like I had hoped to. Even though these were obstacles I had not anticipated, I was able to overcome them with the help of the school to ensure that I was able to succeed like all past IB art students.
My piece, "Dezza Alta", started with a reference photo that I took when I visited Italy a few years prior. I began this piece because I wanted to do a large landscape as I had not done anything of the sort yet and I wanted to challenge myself. Now, it has almost turned into an homage to Italy as they have seen the drastic effects that COVID-19 can present. Dezza Alta was also inspired by Peter Doig’s piece Orange Sunshine because he took a landscape and distorted it by using only shades of red, orange, and yellow. I altered the reference photo I had and used photoshop to edit it into a neon sunset.
The "Salutations Series" symbolizes the importance of words during this time as social distancing is enforced and how as physical contact is discouraged, conversations are now more meaningful. Salutations Series was inspired by comic book pop art, with the vibrant colours, use of dots, and bold lettering. I started this series almost accidentally as I wanted to take a break from Dezza Alta and do something that I could complete quickly as my large piece was taking a while to finish.
My wearable art pieces, "Torn and Broken", were initially inspired by the separation of families at the US-Mexico boarder but its meaning has also shifted since the pandemic. They show the struggle of trying to get over borders as flights are cancelled and border security is increased, to stop the spread of COVID-19. Torn and Broken, my wearable art pieces, were inspired by the designer Rei Kawakubo. Her clothing is extravagant but straddles the line between art and clothing. For the skirt of the dress of Torn, I used photocopies of eco dyed paper that I made using flowers and leaves and boiling them in between layers of paper. For the top of the dress I used photocopies of photos I had taken of plaster faces nestled in flowers I had made out of security blankets. For the other dress, Broken, I used CDs, cut them up, and hot glued them to a dress that I had made out of a clear, plastic table cover, to make a mosaic-looking dress.
I would have to say my favourite part of taking IB art was just being able to have my own space where I could escape from my academic courses and have time to be creative. I have always loved art and I am so glad that I was not forced to choose between taking an academic course and being able to take art. Even though there is a lot more that goes into the IB art program than just creating work, I found all of it to be enjoyable because it did not feel like work and it just came naturally. I found that the key to me truly enjoying myself in IB art was just to stay true to the ideas I formed and to have fun as I created the pieces."
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