A Night of Art

Visitors to this year’s IB Visual Arts Exhibition enjoyed an experience that was immersive, engaging and highly thought-provoking. The four students, under the guidance of Mrs Helen Smart, explored a range of concepts, issues and narratives. Jahnavi Sreevatsan’s entomophobia prompted her to question whether our distaste for certain insects is a result of social constructs. The outcome was a remarkable dinner party, where the source of her fears became beautiful embellishments rather than unwanted pests. The decline of circuses in response to shifting societal attitudes prompted Stuti Roy to create an installation that was in essence, a highly authentic homage to a bygone era. Faye Weaver’s candy-coloured installation might initially have evoked sentimental feelings rooted in childhood nostalgia. However, her pastel colours and apparently innocent forms are employed to deliver a powerful diatribe on how we treat animals. In the other exhibition, Nezar AlKujok delved deep into his diverse cultural ancestry to create a remarkable collection of work.  Anthropomorphic figures served as motifs for his cultural heritage, which Nezar explored in a wide range of forms including a zoetrope, a phenakistoscope, flip books and contemporary approaches to animation. We wish all four artists every success in the next stage of their educational journey after St Christopher’s.