ETHOS • FALL 2020
case that there were two videos (a video game and a video animation) displayed, frozen screenshots were placed instead. From the virtual exhibitions we took screen shots that accompanied the students’ portfolios to the examiners. In addition with a lot of excitement we managed to share their exhibitions through videos captured from the virtual spaces, showcasing them in the website for the rest of the ACS community.
This year our IB visual Arts students were: Suami Dekker (HL), Nefeli Naoum (HL), Sabrina Saboya (HL) and Tural Abdullayev (SL). They all worked with their own distinctive style and dealt with different issues; personal explorations, visualization of time, environmental concerns and social imbalance. The following texts are part of their curatorial rationale:
Virtual IB Art Exhibition 2020 by Sophia Soseilos, Academy Visual Arts Faculty
O
ur school’s planned Visual Arts Exhibition on the 31st of March was cancelled due to covid-19 and the closure of the school. It was a very stressful period for us since the Exhibition was not only an event anticipated by the students, their parents and friends but mostly because it was part of the student’s final exam. The Exhibition is one of the three IB Visual Arts components worth 40% of the total grade. According to the IB expectations the selection and arrangement of artworks need to convey an understanding of the relationship between the artworks and the viewers as justified in their curatorial rationale, thus the choice and impact of the settings are very important. Due to the new unfortunate circumstances and following the new IB suggestions we explored alternative options. Through collective effort students were empowered to continue utilizing technology to find technical solutions for best virtual results. Most students created their exhibition digitally and one student set it at home which she then documented. The artworks were digitally placed in a pre planned order with some difficulty on the 3D artworks. In the one
“Through my art, I explore myself, I am trying to form a connection with myself and my body, but also not only be limited to myself, I am trying to understand the universe around me, and my own subconscious. I like to be vulnerable, and to show my thoughts, in a way it is a catharsis or a confession of the different faces that I have, and that everyone explores in their own way when they are honest to themselves. These contradictions that I find in myself, I challenge myself to shed light on, and in the process I discover more about myself.” Suami Dekker “My art in the past two years has revolved around the visualization of time. I explored this subject by breaking it up into cyclical, linear and vertical time. Western societies have established a linear format of time, based on sequential numbers as opposed to cycles that define time, based on experience. Such cycles are clearly seen within nature (cycle of life, cycles of seasons, etc), as well as the universe (i.e.: cycles of the moon/sun- planet movement). Parallel to these, there is the physics understanding of vertical time which exists within planes that co-exist. I aim to visualize time through my experiences, both in two-dimensions as well as three. My process led me to define this notion, with a focus on death and mourning.” Nefeli Naoum “Humans coexist with animals and plants but due to our activities, this balance is disrupted, leaving Earth in urgent threat. Many species are close to extinction. Pollution is everywhere. Oceans are full of plastic, debris and oil spills. Forests are diminished. Since I was very young, I have been conscious about the environment and animals in particular. I knew I had to fight for the voiceless. I stopped eating red meat when I was eight years old and became vegan at thirteen. I convinced my family to go vegetarian by educating them through brutal videos, showing the negative effects our actions cause. Seeing these catastrophic acts took a very big toll on me; I knew I wanted to make a change. Every piece in this exhibition shows my concern relating to the notions above. I not only feel passionate about my work, but I am able to use
