THE BARGEHOUSE ART EXHIBITION
Showing their work in a London exhibition is an essential part of the IB experience for Upper Sixth artists – and can even change the way they see it themselves .
Above : Work by Alice Reeve Right : Work by Ifedotun Olarewaju
Sitting on the train to the exhibition , the IB Art students began joking about the intricate nothings we would extemporise to keen-eared viewers .
‘ This work represents the liminal space between human existentialism and the cudgel of spirituality , or our lack thereof , in freeing our multiple selves ,’ one student mocked while swirling an invisible glass of wine . We were of course being ironic ; all of us , I would hope , had spent the last two years making work that meant something to us . However , our biting satire of the pretentiousness of art spaces underscored something that none of us wanted to say explicitly – that this whole experience was new to us . I , for one , had never been to an art exhibit where the artist was present . What was I supposed to say ?
When we arrived , the atmosphere was already heady , bustling with students , parents and family friends looking excitedly at the walls . I want to say that it felt like I was experiencing the pieces for the first time with them , but this somehow feels like it cheapens my experience . Like distilling the moment into words like ‘ incredible ,’ ‘ amazing ’ and ‘ awesome ’ means that I have to share it . The art students had
28 ART REVIEW