4 minute read
Alexandra Starostina
IB Year 13 Visual Arts Exhibition
During my younger years my actions were dictated by the concepts of good and evil. I was told about sins and how I would pay for them when I burn in hell after I die. I was taught how to be perfect , or more correctly how to appear that way.
Advertisement
For many years I was told to hide myself and my opinions because they were not correct in the eyes of god, because if I even admitted these things to myself, not to mention speak them out loud I would suffer a fate worse than death. My goal with this exhibition was to explore myself and the concept of sins. I do realize that for many their spirituality and religious belief give them empowerment, however I had experienced a corrupt form of manipulation which derived from the use of, in my case, Christianity. These artworks were inspired by my personal journey and the way I perceive the concept of sins.
There are things that are undoubtedly sinful and plain evil in the world, although for this exhibition I focused on the ‘ seven deadly’ sins. I strongly believe that there is nothing bad or sinful in expressing emotions and to me pride and lust, for example, are just emotions, just like joy and fear are. Although I do agree that in excess things like greed and sloth can become very bad for the person and their relationships with others, no one is born perfect and we all make mistakes and everyone should have a chance to redeem themselves.
Most of the artworks exhibited already tell a story individually but there are a couple that unveil into a bigger storyline. It starts with the “Garden of the Sinners’ which depicts an angel who failed to protect the human she fell in love with. For which she had been banished from the ‘heavens’ having her wings taken in ‘We’re All Bound to Fall’. Finishing it off with the ‘ Kiss of Death is Gentle’ which depicts the same person coming to terms with her new life and even being able to thrive. The story behind it is a very romanized version that differs greatly from any biblical references and descriptions of angels. The idea behind it is to show that no matter how ‘pure’ or good natured a person might be they are still not immune to making mistakes and facing the consequences. After everything is done and said the thing that matters the most is how you deal with it, you can choose to give up or to embrace the mistakes, learn from them and move forward.
Besides having my own original pieces and characters in my exhibition I also decided to include characters from modern media that deal with the issues of what intentions can be considered good or evil and the idea of redemption. The collection of artworks ‘ There’s a Monster Inside All of Us’ are digital portraits of characters Jinx, Mel and Victor from the show “Arcane”. The show itself is very focused on character development and greatly showcases how views and motivations might change depending on many different factors, especially upbringing. Jinx is the main antagonist in the show , although she is psychotic, impulsive and a menace to herself and others we cannot help feeling sympathetic for her because of her backstory. While trying her best to help save her friend and family with her invention she ends up accidentally killing everyone she loves except her sister. Mel is a leader who strives to protect the people, even though her intentions are good it does not mean that she achieves them in a good way or that they yield the best results. Many times she uses manipulation and grooming in order to get what she wants or believes is the correct course of action. Victor is a scientist who tries to avoid death and in the process he adopts ideas that could be seen as immoral. ‘Stay’ includes two characters from the show ‘She-ra’ one of the characters starts off as one of the main villains but gets a redemption arc showcasing that it’s possible to move forward and forgive. Furthermore these characters are one of the first openly LGBTQ couples in an animation show from Dreamworks. The names for both these artworks are quotes from the shows.
AM I A GOD Digital Painting 84.1x118 cm, February 2021
MONEY HEIST
Digital Painting 42x59cm, January 2022
WE’RE ALL BOUND TO FALL
Digital Painting 59.4x84.1cm, August 2021
THERE’S A MONSTER INSIDE US ALL Digital Painting 42x59cm, 42x59cm, 42x59cm, February 2022
BEWITCHED
Watercolour and Acrylic on Paper 42x59cm, March 2021
GARDEN OF THE SINNERS
Oil on Canvas 50x70 cm, February 2022
KISS OF DEATH IS GENTLE Oil on Canvas 120x120cm, February 2022
