Visual Arts

"Creativity and the arts have shaped my life ever since childhood. In school, I was able to explore the immense scope the arts take form in, for example metalwork, eurythmy, painting, pottery, and fashion design. After I started at DIS, I was able to delve into what excited me most. There were so many mediums to try out, the possibilities were endless! I appreciate the time given for each student to accomplish creations they are proud of. Personally, I found my connection to fashion instead of any other mediums, I feel as if I can express myself through my style. I am looking forward to designing more fashion in the future, but for the meantime, enjoy my exhibition projects. :)”

"I decided to take VA as an additional learning experience to my prior knowledge in the area of arts and literature. The visual arts were taught to me as a state of mind, where no matter what you are feeling and how you think, you are present and capable of transforming ideas into physical pieces with personal reasoning and meaning. The further I came with my artworks, the more I yearned to experience the process of creating art through various mediums. I figured photography is my ideal fit as I can realise my ideas, once they cross my mind. Many hours of research and attempts have been spent figuring out how to form artworks which align with my visions. Once I graduate, I will look back on my experiences and admire my progress with dignity, then without dignity, art is nothing but smudges of nugatory shapes and colours."

"Well, the initial reason I took VA was because all the other group 6 subjects seemed to be less interesting for me. But with my experiences in VA so far, I can say that I am taking VA because it helps me to balance myself between my life and other DP subjects. Also, I really like the free atmosphere in our Art class!"

"To be honest, the reason why I chose VA is because we need to do an exhibition instead of an IB exam. However, it was actually a tougher subject than I thought as a person who is not used to expressing my ideas or even thinking of what I want to do. There have been times when I’ve just stared at a blank white piece of paper thinking what I should do during the entire class. However, all this time of effort and reflection has made me develop myself and it enabled me to awaken a little bit of my artistry that was buried deep inside. Even though I’m not going to pursue art in my future, I will take the ability of expressing myself and thinking beyond."

"I decided to take Visual Arts in the Diploma Programme to gain skills to more freely express myself, discover my artistic style and develop techniques. Moreover, I wanted something different and more creative than the classic school subjects to take a break from constant studying, essay writing and all this stress related to it and instead paint something or work on something visual. I am very interested in music, so approaching arts from another genre of art such as paintings and photography, which I developed in the VA classes, gave me a more differentiated point of view on arts. In these two years, I have tried classical oil painting, watercolours and ink, photography, pastels, pencil drawings and digital media, from which my favourite turned out to be ink painting. When I started ink painting, it immediately gave me a clear direction of my style and a clear theme that I continued to follow. The skills I gained in taking creative risks in artworks, planning the exhibition, or a proper way of journaling my process will surely stay with me after graduation, as I plan to continue creating in both areas of music and visual arts."

"I chose the class of VA higher level because since I was a child I have loved to create new things that can be used as decoration. Previously in the IB Middle Years Programme the design class interested me a lot which inspired me to decide on a future career in art. I knew that the art class in the Diploma Programme would benefit me because of the focused work between design and creation. So far, I feel that VA has taught me to develop my analytical skills of art pieces and to reflect them in my own art making. Furthermore, it is also a subject that allows the student to unload and unwind from the stress of other content-heavy subjects."

"When I was younger, I wanted to study fashion design after graduating from school. Although my plans have changed, I am still interested in art, but with a focus on femininity. I enjoy working on art projects that involve photography and painting, while always exploring the overall theme of femininity. I have been most inspired by photographer Helmut Newton and painter Nadie Waheed, as they both explore socially critical issues related to gender equality and femininity in general. Thanks to the constant help of Ms. Greite and her dedication in general, I was able to develop my own art style by trying out different techniques, getting to know other artists than the two mentioned and visiting several museums in Vienna, each dealing with a different artistic approach. After graduation, I will continue to work with photography as I realized during the two years of VA in the Diploma Programme what an influential tool photography is when it comes to expressing feelings and opinions."

"I originally was not planning on taking VA in 10th grade, but this decision has helped me to have a creative form of expression for what I like doing. One of the most memorable moments was going to Vienna, and seeing many of Michael Jean Basquiat’s works on display in the Albertina. I used his work to explore his personal and cultural identity. Inspired by him, I opted to represent intertextuality and interculturality that I and many others have experienced. Although I adhered to my comfort zone of acrylic on canvas, and digital art, I also dealt with photography. I don’t plan on having an artistic career, however, this opportunity has provided me with balance during the Diploma Programme."

"The arts have always been my companions as I spent a large part of my early childhood in museums staring at the artworks I liked. My mother worked in museums and her passion for art and curation certainly did influence me. However, I chose the subject of Visual Arts not just because of these interests but also because I liked how different it was from the other classes. I did not need to be instructed in what I should create but I had a level of independence in my choices allowing oneself to become critically aware of concepts and to think creatively. My interest in the arts is going to stay with me regardless of what I am going to do in the future. After all, cultural education is the best preparation even for jobs that have not been invented yet."