ARTWORKS BY OUR VISUAL ARTS STUDENTS (2022)

On 8 November, the 2022 IB HL Visual Arts students hosted a gallery night. They displayed a selection of artworks which comprised mediums ranging from oil and acrylic paints, colour pencil, charcoal, and paper sculpture.

This series was created by Ryan Ho Xian Zhi.

Title of the art piece Goodbye, Ice Cream Uncle (2022)

Media Oil and Acrylic and Canvas

Dimensions 122 x 152cm

I have always been intrigued by the concept of true identity. When I was younger, I spent a lot of time brooding over my ‘false’ outer face and looking for my ‘true’ self. Looking back, it seems so theatrical and performative. Self-obsession taking the stage to an audience of one, in a never-ending performance of authenticity. What do you do with the faces you’ve discarded like a hollow mask? What happens when self-actualisation is not a process of growth but a perpetual rejection of the past?

Title of the art piece Good Riddance (Time Of Our Life) (2022)

Media Oil and Acrylic and Canvas

Dimensions 61 x 92cm

This piece depicting my sister and I playing together as kids is a response to the changing nature of childhood in Singapore. Realistic rendering of the image using oil paint enhances its life and vibrancy, while the toy glasses are symbolic of a uniquely simple Singaporean childhood. However, the work features several brown and discoloured patches that suggest the simplicity of childhood is gradually being lost and forgotten, fading into limbo.