Tahara and Ilee

Hi we're Tahara and Ilee, we did HL International Baccalaureate Visual Arts. This blog is for us to continue with experimentation as well as sharing our work from the course.

[ilee-tahara]

Selected studio works from our exhibition 

-Ilee 

[ilee-tahara]

Tahara's Candidate Statement for IB Visual Art HL

Throughout the IB visual arts course I have investigated the themes of Vanitas and Memento Mori (remember you will die), which eventuated in the study of the afterlife. I approached the artwork from both physical and spiritual aspects to show the deeper components involved in the study of life and death. My aim was to produce thoughtful personal perceptions and beliefs regarding the topic.

I explored a range of media including painting, photography, sculpture and installation. Using the influence of Cy Twombly, Joan Snyder and the Starn Brothers to name a few. I experimented with several of their techniques such as dripping, scratching over photographs and enlarging Polaroid images.

After travelling to Vietnam, I became interested in the cultural beliefs of others regarding the afterlife and was fascinated to research into Buddhism and to incorporate it into my work. I was able to identify similarities between my own Christian based belief system and Buddhism. My strong impressions of Vietnam have influenced my work as seen in my paintings and photographs.

I have included symbolic references in some of my works. For example the skulls, which depict death contrasting with the flower that depicts ‘life.’ Likewise I have used the darker and lighter colours in a similar manner.

I took on the challenge of my theme and at times found it difficult as it is largely based around concepts and belief systems which I then had to generate suitable imagery towards.

The mystery of life and death is open to interpretation. However I attempted to present my works in a visually appealing and stimulating manner that could provoke thoughts on a subject that is often feared or avoided. 

[ilee-tahara]

Ilee's Candidate Statement for IB Visual Art HL

Candidate Statement

 I began the IB visual arts course by investigating the mind of a child. I was drawn to this investigation based on my opinion that children are protected and innocent yet eventually, society will find a way to invade this innocence. The haunting works of William Kentridge and Marlene Dumas provided me with an understanding of how I could portray this.

 My focus expanded from children to my own father’s past as a result of his childhood during the Khmer Rouge regime. I explored this idea by conveying the loss, guilt, deprivation and destruction within my father as a result of his shattered childhood. I was inspired by the works of Lesley Oldaker, Anselm Kiefer, Elizabeth Rees, Zhang Yuan and once again, Dumas. In addition to oil on canvas I also utilized emulsion paints, charcoal, and mixed media.

 The mantle of grief that has pervaded my family provided me with the incentive to express this emotion in my paintings; ‘Happy Birthday?’ and ‘The Birthday Party’ using Pop Art techniques of Greg Sand and Peter Blake. My interpretation of Gary Collins’ style also played a large role in the execution of the latter work.

 As my father grew older, he embraced the role of a father. This inspired my most recent exploration, the roles within families, including my own. In this area of my investigation, I employed the photomontage aspect of Pop Art exemplified by Richard Hamilton I also applied gestural painting as in the works of Christian Nicolson.  

 I was much more explorative in the last months of the course, I employed collage – paper and acrylic gel transfer, digital manipulation, photography and by the end of the course I had developed a painting style that became more confident in my handling of paint, resulting in more evolved and sensitive works. 

[ilee-tahara]

Hi we're Tahara and Ilee.

We did the HL International Baccalaureate Visual Arts course of November 2013. This blog is for us to continue with experimentation as well as sharing our work from the course.

[ilee-tahara]

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