IB Art Exhibition 2023

THE BRITISH SCHOOL OF MILAN ABOUT

Creativity enriches the life of the mind. It is also a necessary skill in the modern world, where imaginative solutions are required for complex problems. The British School of Milan celebrates creativity in all its forms - intellectual, imaginative and aesthetic.

The school's Art department enjoys an outstanding reputation in this respect. It was identified as ‘exceptional’ by a recent Inspection; it has been recognised as a Centre of Excellence by the Edexcel Examination Board, and examples of the high standard of artwork achieved by our students are on display throughout the school.

The IB Art Exhibition provides the Art department with a unique opportunity to show the local and international community in Milan some of the finest work produced by our graduating Year 13 students, some of whom will progress to Art and Design courses at prestigious universities and colleges around the world.

We are delighted to showcase the art in this brochure. We hope that you enjoy looking at and appreciating it as much as we do.

Dr Chris Greenhalgh Principal & CEO The British School of Milan

Angles

Graphite on paper

33cm x 24cm

Spillage Acrylic on canvas 30cm x 40cm

3 moons

Acrylic on canvas 40cm x 40cm

Protection

Acrylic on canvas

30cm x 40cm

Endangered

Unsettled Acrylic on canvas 40cm x 30cm

Connessi Graphite on paper 23cm x 16cm

by danger

Acrylic on canvas 60cm x 80cm

Foot Acrylic on canvas 40cm x 30cm

Drawing Graphite on paper 20cm x 28cm

Graffiti Acrylic on watercolour paper 30cm x 40cm

Abstract

Acrylic on paper 41cm x 58cm

MIMOSA PEDERSOLI

Tempera on canvas

70cm x 60cm

Still

Contiguity

Tempera on paper 30cm x 42cm

life

Graphite on paper

30cm x 42cm

Out of the box

Id, ego, super-ego Tempera on canvas 50cm x 70cm

No

Endless tube Acrylic on canvas 30cm x 40cm

Erosion Watercolour, pen, markers and salt on paper 50cm x 70cm

anarchism Plasticine, paper, acrylic 12cm x 39cm x 12cm

Marine treasure

Watercolour on paper

21cm x 29.7cm

I found the IB Visual Arts course like a journey where I was constantly collecting my own thoughts, ideas and inspirations and manifesting them into life. The process starts with initial sketches, developing into visceral artworks. This approach was both a learning process where I bettered my skills and knowledge of art, and a way of exploring what I am capable of, whilst acknowledging the process of creation. I gained inspiration from other areas of knowledge such as literature through associated imagery of my pieces, starting with Monet’s water lilies, which inspired me to create a face floating on the surface of the water, linking images from Ophelia; the character who ended up drowning in a bathtub of plants and flowers in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, both my sculpture and Ophelia being a face showing upon water, as if just drowned. I was largely inspired by nature, hence all the elements of nature in my pieces, such as my sculpture of a crescent moon, made from air-dry clay. Artworks like Monet’s paintings of water lilies and lily pads, Christo’s plastic wrapping around trees influenced my pieces in myriad ways, I created my painting of wrapped-up plant and merged the idea of plastic from Christo and nature from Monet’s water lilies to make flowers out of plastic bottles, resulting in the effect of recreating nature through recycling, along with the idea of creating something natural using unnatural materials.

The IB has strengthened my passion for fashion design. Through it, I developed a professional approach and have found unique ways of integrating diverse media. The first piece I produced was a graphite drawing that built my skill set and started my investigation in compositional arrangement in order to create strong juxtaposition in my work. I discovered the value of contrast through the influence of Yayoi Kusama’s vivid use of colour. Her work was responsible for generating my ideas in successive studio pieces and she has undoubtedly shaped the conceptual message of my first acrylic painting, “Unsettled” which highlights the confusion caused by mental illness. I then explored another aspect of this concept in “Restrict” which conveys the sensation of constraint through the distortion of form. Form was then used to represent the physical and mental constraints of social expectations through the contrast in my next studio piece titled “Endangered by comfort”. Throughout the visual contrast of sharp shapes and soft organic form, the juxtaposition between the vicinity of danger and safety was enhanced. In these artworks, the motif of danger and comfort is prominent and relates to my own experience of needing to challenge myself. However, the motif of danger is not explicit in my works but rather it is expressed through symbolism and the connotation certain forms carry. In my observational drawing called “Connessi” which from Italian translates to “Connected”, the malleable property of fabric brings comfort and emphasises the danger from the sharpness of scissors, suggesting the closeness of harm and safety. As for “Unsettled”, the distortion within the reflection carries the value of misunderstanding or neglect for mental illness. Similarly, the symbol of the distorted straitjacket in “Restrict” connotes the danger and constraint created through internal conflict. Ultimately, “Endangered by Comfort” communicates the individual harm from avoiding challenging circumstances, and metaphorically portrays the relationship between harm and the self through the figure’s aculeated arms and soft form surrounding.

MIMOSA PEDERSOLI

I began the course being inspired by the human body, in particular the different compositions that form systems with their respective shapes forms and textures. From this, my interests turned to learning how artists expressed a feeling of being ‘out of place’ through compositional devices, like juxtaposing contrasting elements in order to represent this, I have also drawn significant inspiration from famous artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. I used their studies and techniques to further develop my pieces, like Da Vinci’s precise crosshatching to form detailed anatomies of the human foot. This led me to target the anatomy of different body features including the bones and muscles of hands. This allowed me to understand the different proportions within the human body. I then decided to study and investigate different facial features and how their expressions are able to connote diverse emotions. I then introduced a new concept of destruction represented through the sharp geometric shapes. This was the result of one of the sculptures I was studying shattering. Through destruction I was able to create juxtaposition between the acute point of the geometric shapes and the smooth well-rounded edges of the human body. Through the integration of collages, I was able to create pieces influenced by my previous studies and works. I observed in detail artists such as Mona Hatoum and Yuichi Ikehata, which both focus on the destruction and dismantling of sculptures, linking to my initial idea of ‘out of place’. Overall, the IB has allowed me to cultivate my practical skills while focusing on ideas that have always intrigued me.

The concept behind my artwork was the mind. Through my artworks, I explored the myriad complexities of the human psyche, the conscious and the subconscious. I expressed this through my use of disparate compositions, warped forms and surreal imagery. Initially, my artwork was a more literal configuration of the brain, with depictions of different organic forms that resemble the organ, but it then transformed into a more abstract portrayal of the human psyche. Indeed, my initial works arose from the pursuit of scientific objectivity, such as observational studies, whilst the latest surfaced from the desire to capture a feeling, a mood, or a state of mind. As my journey progresses, one can see the subconscious slowly dominates the conscious, as experiences from the past, present and future appear in my paintings. This led me to look at Surrealism, analyzing artists such as Salvador Dalí and Yves Tanguy, as it sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind and brought to the surface subconscious thoughts. I slowly stepped away from the world that was visible in front of me, challenging the confines of the human mind, and connected with imaginary, fantasy and dream-like ideas in my own mind. For example, in Out the box, instances of Surrealism started to permeate the composition, most notably seen in the illogical array of forms and the birds in the reflection. I started to place greater emphasis on the “unreal” feeling for the viewer, attempting to represent things and concepts that are irrational and beyond the norm. Indeed, in my latest pieces, including Id, Ego, Super-ego and One Surrealist Day, the subconscious has overwhelmed the rational mind, seen with the imagery chosen and lively composition. Therefore, my exhibition revolves around the journey of a human in exploring and gaining a deeper understanding and harmony with their inner mind, until eventually reaching a state of enlightenment.

ELIZAVETA ROMANOVA

I started the course studying underwater effects through different compositions, where I could explore the marine life and its treasures. One of the global issues is that huge portions of plastic end up in the oceans, which breaks down into millions of tiny particles which collide with water and spread. In its decay there is a danger to marine life, as animals tend to eat those pieces, which leads to their illness and death. I was then interested in the reflections, so I began to explore it in different objects, like water, bottles and utensils, where I worked with the composition in order to reach creative reflections. I was inspired by Jeff Koon’s balloon sculptures which reminded me of my childhood and as the original toys were made from plastic this linked to my initial idea. Since balloons have a curved shape, the reflections in them are distorted, and I found another artist named Maurits Cornelis Escher who drew reflections in different objects, like mirrors, or puddles, which distorted the reality. He also had various works with pipes, and as they are made from metal and have reflective surfaces I explored further, looking at different compositions, different light angles which resulted in different shadows. Various compositions of the tubes reminded me of hands, so I researched the anatomy of a hand and found an artist named Mona Hatoum, who has created a sculpture of a hand. With this inspiration I created two hand sculptures, one with plaster and another one with clay. One of the hand sculptures has a fortune wheel, which has a spherical shape, and reminded me of a balloon. I found an artist named Barbara Hepworth, who created sculptures with the similar shapes, so I created a sculpture in her style, named “Alien Flower”. My last work closes the circle of my project, where I returned to the theme of pollution in the ocean, in order to make the audience become more aware of the damage they create and be more respectful towards nature.

The IB Visual Arts course is an incredibly demanding subject that requires students to reflect on the world around them whilst exploring a diverse range of artistic mediums. It is a personal and meaningful two-year journey, and one of the most rewarding.

This year, we have five Year 13 students who have been an absolute joy to teach. A group with a great sense of humour, talented and hard-working - albeit using every (last) minute available! Most of these students plan to continue further education in the arts sector, and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours.

We also take this opportunity in the catalogue to celebrate:

Year 11 Fine Art GCSE students, some of whom will continue the IB Visual Arts programme next year.

Camilla Cortesi and Isabella Recordati’s CAS project. These talented budding designers entered the Junk Kouture competition and were invited to the finals in Abu Dhabi, where they were featured in Teen Vogue.

Many thanks to our alumni: Caroline Pera for inspiring our future students and Matthew Noble for hosting the IB exhibition this year.

THE ART DEPARTMENT

Kate Michael head of art

Kate Rigby art teacher

GCSE ART AND DESIGN STUDENTS

Angelica Bernasconi Year 11

Alejandra Ciocca Year 11

Anais Lefevre Year 11

Allegra Nappi Year 11

Sofia Rosti Year 11

Ari Mirabelli Year 11

Alyssia Cantano Year 11

GCSE ART AND DESIGN STUDENTS

Victoria Spassaro Year 11

Lara Jucic Year 11

Chiara Germoni Year 11

Rebecca Byrne Year 10

Tommaso Bosetti Year 11

Clara Rose Janman Year 11

ALUMNI

Caroline Pera

Caroline Pera is a French and American artist born and raised in Italy. After graduating from Central Saint Martins in London, Pera has exhibited her work in solo and group shows in Milan, London, Vienna, New York and now Birmingham. Caroline Pera’s new work is a celebration of color and movement. Inspired by nature, the bold yet delicate forms flow organically and voluptuously, never quite settling into a specific state and living a life of their own. The mystery of their undefined nature, leaves the viewer with a sense of wonder and creates a personal interaction with each piece.

Playfulness

Expressive Blues

Dancing Pinks

Purple Flow

A Flurry of Gold Cascading Blues

Glow

Matthew Noble

Matthew studied at Sir James Henderson between 2004 and 2012 and then graduated from the University of Glasgow in Pharmacology in 2016. Even though at school Matthew did not pursue Art at GCSE or IB level, mainly due to pursuing more scientific subjects as he wanted to be a Vet when growing up, in 2018, whilst living in London and finding once again his deep passion for the arts, he decided to found the itinerant project ArtNoble with the aim of providing a platform dedicated exclusively to the promotion of emerging artists.

In April 2021, Matthew decided to return to Italy to transform his nomadic project into ArtNoble gallery, establishing his first permanent gallery space in Milano. Located in Via Ponte di Legno 9, in the city's north-eastern, post-industrial neighbourhood of Lambrate, actually just a few minutes’ walk from Sir James Henderson, the gallery is based in a former warehouse, with its 180 sqm space still maintaining its original industrial elements and being characterised by a metaphysical light and atmosphere due to the presence of a large glass wall.

The gallery represents emerging and increasingly established artists from Italy and abroad, with the aim of becoming a catalytic bridge between Italy and the international art market, in order to create ever new intersections and continuous encounters with the leading protagonists of contemporary art. Throughout the years and due to Matthew’s constant work, ArtNoble gallery has been recognised as one of the most interesting emerging galleries in Italy, being responsible for launching the career of many underrepresented artists, and is starting to be invited to participate in international fairs and exhibition.

CAS

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is one of the three essential elements that each student must complete as part of the diplo ma programme (DP). CAS allows students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning. It provides opportunitie s for self-determination and collaboration with others and fosters a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment. At the same time, CAS provides an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the DP.

This year, two of our IB Art students - Camilla Cortesi and Isabella Recordati - participated in a sustainable fashion competition, Junk Kouture. This competition challenges young people to design, upcycle and create high quality fashion from recycled materials.

We were very proud that their design ‘Masked Fury’ was selected for the final round in Abu Dhabi. The dress was made from plastic bottles, surgical masks and old t-shirts. Their aim is to fight the global problem of me dical waste.

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