"The overarching theme of my exhibition is “contrast.” Since it’s such a broad theme, I chose to represent it in a variety of ways. Sometimes, contrast means a bold color palette or a striking brushstroke. For example, "Female Gaze" is a very visually stunning piece because of its simplicity in both composition and color choice. Similarly, the matching sculpture and painting in "Face to Face" contrast themselves in terms of materials and relationship with negative space. Sometimes contrast is a more nuanced relationship between the figures in a piece, like in "Reflection" and "Mother and Child." The contrast of the size of the figures creates two entirely different moods depending on the piece. It can either communicate a sense of protection and love, or it can cultivate a sense of dread or impending doom. Additionally, the image of a skull is present in two of my works, "Reflection" and "Sprouting Hope." Despite the similarities in imagery, the composition of the two pieces are very different from one another. Composition is another point of connection between a few of my pieces. For example, "Sunny Side Up" and "Sprouting Hope" both feature a face prominently in the center of a yellow background. This contrast between foreground and background is something that ties all my pieces together. I always wanted to keep the emphasis on the main figure(s) with little distraction. The use of color (or lack thereof) also provides a common thread to follow from piece to piece.
With the choices of my works, I wanted to communicate a sense of artistic growth and personal maturity. In both composition and execution, I feel that there’s been a great improvement in my art from the beginning of the IB program to the end. My continued practice with acrylic paint has allowed me to feel more comfortable with techniques like shading and depth, which clearly improved when comparing "Mother and Child" and "Sunny Side Up." In terms of composition, my first attempt at creating a two-in-one piece with "Face to Face" was simple and could be more visually interesting. That’s why I chose to revisit the idea of combining two works with my final piece "Female Gaze." Both this piece and Face to Face were initially inspired by works I saw in the Chazen Museum, and I loved the idea of two pieces working together to tell one story. Additionally, "Female Gaze" acts as a visual and conceptual capstone, connecting all the pieces together either through color palette, composition, style, or materials.
Throughout the creation process, I used a few different kinds of materials, mostly focusing on developing and refining my painting skills. I felt that acrylic paint gave me a level of creative freedom that I didn’t get from other 2D media. I did branch out from these with my experimentation with wire sculpture and Japanese ink for "Face to Face." That exploration into 3D was helpful to learn how the piece interacts with the negative space (and used that concept again in "Female Gaze"). Additionally, as I got more comfortable with acrylic paint as a medium, I switched from using pre-stretched canvas to wooden boards. I found the texture of the boards more interesting and easy to work with rather than the moisture-sucking canvas.
The display of my pieces was intentional for communicating my overarching theme of contrast. I decided to arrange my pieces in two staggered lines that would lead the viewer’s eye around in a circular motion to create a sense of unity for the exhibition. The two pieces on either side of the show, "Female Gaze" and "Face to Face," were placed there intentionally. Since they are the only ones that include two separate pieces that work together, I decided to have them bookend the show. Additionally, they were the first and last pieces chronologically. In a way, it ties in the theme of contrast by juxtaposing my earliest work with my most recent work. Overall, I wanted to communicate a sense of growth through my selection, curation, and arrangement of my IB art pieces.