Showcasing the Creativity of our Students: IB Visual Arts Exhibition

We were delighted to attend the recent exhibition of three of our Senior School Voorschoten (SSV) Year 13 International Baccalaureate (IB) Visual Arts students, Nila, Anna-Lou and Vera, showcasing the results of two years of hard work in preparation for their IB Assessments. The exhibition was well-attended by their peers and teachers, as well as proud parents!

The students were happy to engage with those in attendance about their work, taking them through the process of creating each piece, the mediums and techniques used as well as the overarching themes of their work.

Student Nila on the themes of her work:

The focus of my exhibition is illusions, both positive and negative.

"The main idea was that the pieces representing positive illusions would be quite ‘childlike’ and very simplified, without using a lot of words. On the other hand, my two pieces representing negative illusions contain a lot of words, using lettering and calligraphy, making it more confusing to the eye and forcing you to look a bit closer to see all of the details.

I can’t believe I’m finally seeing the results of my work – it’s really exciting to see it in person."

Vera on which of her works is her favourite:

One of my favourite pieces, ‘Ephemeral’, is a textile collage created using a combination of different mediums, like embroidery and painting.

"I also hot-pressed pictures onto the fabric, which was hand-dyed using powder dye. I really like how the colours turned out using this medium.

This piece reflects an investigation into death, which sounds very sombre, but there’s also something quite beautiful about it at the same time – it’s an experience that everyone will go through at some point and it’s a natural part of life. It’s meant to symbolise the idea of ‘ashes to ashes’ – a return to what once was. With my work, I hoped to humanise and destigmatise the idea of death for the viewer.

It’s difficult to pick just one medium that’s my favourite. I think the one I’m most comfortable with is watercolour, but really – I like all of them!"

Anna-Lou describing her work:

Some recurring themes of my work are memories and the passing of time. For example, one of my pieces, ‘Frozen in Bloom’, is about how something so natural is being preserved, while everything around it is changing and time is passing.

"To create the piece, I put flowers into old Tupperware boxes which I filled with water and then froze them, taking pictures in direct sunlight so that you could see all of the flower’s details and the bubbles in the ice. I printed my photographs onto plastic film, with a painting inspired by Monet’s famous ‘Water Lilies’ behind it.

I used a different number of mediums and techniques for each of my pieces, including video, acrylic and ink pouring, photography and digital collage. I also used a lot of similar, complementary colours throughout my work."

Head of the Art Department, Graham Rogerson, later addressed the students, remarking on their resilience and energy to see the production of each of the pieces through, throughout some difficult circumstances over the past two years.

Many of the exhibition attendees remarked that the quality of the students’ work was outstanding and each of the pieces poignant and thought-provoking.

A huge congratulations to our IB Visual Artists – we can’t wait to see what you do next as you embark on your journey beyond the BSN! A special thanks to the SSV Art Department for supporting the students throughout the process.

Read more about why we believe Art can play an important role in students' education in 'The Vital Role of Arts in Education', written by Graham Rogerson and originally published on I am Expat in March 2022.