IB Art Final Exhibition Guide 2019 IB Art Exhibition Guide 2019 | Page 10

Joe Hayward
I began creating my art by looking at the emotion
behind every piece of artwork and the impact it has on
the public. I took to the idea of art being an immersive,
sentimental and, in some ways, simplistic form. Art,
in modern society, is an overload of different images
always being adjusted to the satisfaction of the public,
and the idea of art being simplistic yet immersive is a
relief to the eye, something enjoyable to our senses.
I originally took inspiration from Magdalena
Abakanowicz due to the organic nature of her
artwork, which inspires a powerful sensation of
shared experiences. Other artists, such as Bill Viola,
gave inspiration to the way art captures the subject’s
emotions and triggers the viewer’s senses and
through being highly immersive. I decided to fabricate
the theme of fragility. I believe art is a forever-
changing concept and constantly influenced by the
surrounding environment. I looked at using multiple
types of media such as sculpture, photography and
paints. I also looked at layering different media, for
example my monoprint painting. My photographed
wax sculptures were a creation of abnormality and
mystery. My work is created on a large scale and
made with intent and passion. I took on a rough style
to each piece, creating organic and natural aspects.
My work ultimately aims at creating something for the
viewer to interpret and feel.
Nicole John
In what is considered the ‘digital age’, my artistic
exploration began with a simple desire to showcase
humanity and the human form, raw, unfiltered,
unedited and beautifully blemished in a time where
imperfections are not what gets you ‘likes’ on social
media. In an effort to change this conversation, I
particularly focused on the portrayal of emotions,
using eyes and facial expression as the focal points
of my portraits. My artwork is a social critique of
the phenomenon that is the worldwide takeover
by Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, and how a
bid to appear to have the perfect life is incredibly
damaging, especially to my generation. Behind the
stoic oil paintings screams a voice saying: ‘it’s okay
to not be okay!’ Energetic and elegant, vibrant and
monochromatic, I have used visual contrasts such
as mark-making to symbolise the contrast between
the public faces and the private faces we present. I
aimed to achieve a degree of realism within my works,
and a familiar recognition by the viewer of the human
form, but with an unexpected distortion to challenge
how we consider physicality, and indeed how we may
consider our own social identity.