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Change is happening all around us. It could be as simple as a change in weather, or as significant as a global pandemic. But no matter how big or small, every change has an impact. This exhibition displays a collection of artwork that shows or represents change from different points of view. The examples of change demonstrated in my exhibition reflect significant points of time in my life that I believe many people can relate to. When selecting the theme for my exhibition, I wanted something broad enough to allow myself to experiment with a lot of different materials and colors. Change seemed to be the perfect theme as it can be interpreted and displayed in many different ways, allowing my creativity to run free. After creating several pieces, some main topics related to change began to appear: the transition from childhood to adulthood, the progression of our daily surroundings, the inspiring stories of loved ones, and the transition from life to death. During my first year as an IB art student, I focused more on artwork relating to the human condition whereas during my second year, the majority of works I created were based on environmental change. The pieces that I selected for my exhibition display a large variety of artistic mediums, including acrylic paint, water color, oil pastel, and multimedia. This demonstrates the variety of experiences, both good and bad, that come with life. In my mind, each of my memories is associated with a different color based on the emotions I experienced at the time. This idea is displayed in my work as my use of colors connects to my emotions towards the topic or idea being expressed. Orange and red are associated with energy and strength, whereas blue and green create a more calming effect and perhaps evoke a feeling of sadness. Regarding the layout of my exhibition, I had planned on hanging up my artwork on a wall, putting my 76 x 102 cm canvas painting titled Another World in the center as it is the largest piece in my show. Moreover, it is one of the most personal pieces that I created, displaying a rabbit of mine who passed away. The piece focuses on the idea of illusions vs. reality and what happens after death. My painting takes on a more positive outlook on the afterlife, revealing a beautiful, mystical, and fantasy-like garden. On either side of this main piece I planned on hanging up the rest of my artwork, grouping them by similar concepts. Pieces related to environmental change would have been placed on the right side of my main painting, Another World, while pieces related to my family experience as a Chinese-American as well as the transition from childhood to adulthood would have been placed on the left side. This would have helped the audience develop a better and more clear understanding of my artwork. I also planned on grouping my artwork by artistic medium, placing The Weight of Our Actions and Hidden next to each other due to the fact that they display similar techniques, incorporating objects into the canvas and painting over them to emphasize the waste produced by humans. Suffering and Lost were also placed together as they are oil pastel paintings with a similar color scheme and concept. Both pieces include strong contrasts in colors as I tried to incorporate orange and blue to emphasize different objects, specifically the suffering animals placed in harmful and dangerous environments. My watercolor and acrylic paintings would have been placed together on the left side of my main painting (Another World) prominently displaying the colors red, orange, green, and blue. Overall, these pieces convey the idea of change through the examination of several different topics that captured my interest during this two year exploration. I hope that my audience can be inspired by my artwork to reflect on the experiences of their own life and how their actions are influencing the lives of others.
Another World, Misha Lee, 76 cm x 102 cm, Acrylic on Canvas
I created this painting for my rabbit who passed away. The foreground depicts a colorful fantasy world while the background displays skyscrapers representing the world of reality. The sky in the background is dark, representing a loss of light in the real world. However, my rabbit has continued her life in another, more beautiful world after coming through the blue, wooden door in the background representing the transition from life to death.
Harmony, Misha Lee, 34 cm x 60 cm, Watercolor
The landscape of our world is constantly transforming. Growing up as a Chinese American, my parents have always tried to give me an atmosphere at home that reinforces my Chinese heritage. I’ve always enjoyed looking at the traditional landscape paintings hanging on my walls at home and wanted to recreate a similar effect. The background resembles a traditional Chinese painting of mountains whereas the foreground displays a modern city. Together, they create a beautiful landscape.
Suffering, Misha Lee, Oil Pastel, 23 cm x 30 cm
This piece was created to place emphasis on the issue of global warming. The lava that the penguin is submerged in is supposed to represent detrimental human actions on the environment and how these actions are taking over the lives of others. Everyday, animals are losing their homes and dying. Humans would never allow someone to destroy another person’s home simply out of greed for power, so why should we treat animals like this?
Lost, Misha Lee, Oil Pastel, 23 cm x 30 cm
Global warming is causing catastrophic damage towards the homes of many animals, one of which being the polar bears. When seeing polar bears at a local zoo during the summer, I couldn’t help but feel pity for them sitting in their scorching hot habitat outside in the grass. The exhibit created for them did not resemble their natural habitat and they seemed out of place. It is critical that we take action on the issue of global warming and change our lives for the better of the planet.
The Weight of Our Actions, Misha Lee, Multimedia (Acrylic Paint and Found Objects) on Canvas, 31 cm x 41 cm
Whether it be using a plastic grocery bag or having a drink with a straw, the choices we make influence our lives as well as the lives of other creatures who call Earth home. The tortoise traditionally represents longevity, yet the number of tortoises in the world has significantly declined. This piece displays the destructive nature of trash produced by humans. The build up of trash has overpowered the tortoise’s shell, causing it to slowly die.
Hidden, Misha Lee, Multimedia (Acrylic Paint and Found Objects) on Canvas, 31 cm x 41 cm
This piece is supposed to place emphasis on the daily actions that we choose to ignore, yet add up to significantly harm the environment. If you look closely at the painting, you will notice embedded paper clips, candy wrappers, bottle caps, and more representing the damage of litter to our environment. These are commonly found objects in local parks left by those who pass by. Together, they will have a devastating impact on the planet and life in general.
Dreams Come True, Misha Lee, Acrylic on Canvas, 20 cm x 25.5 cm
America is known to be the land of the free. While on a class field trip to Beihai Park in China as a middle school student, my mom ran into an American couple and decided to practice speaking English with them. The couple gave her a postcard of the White House, stating that they welcomed her to go to America one day. With my piece, I hope to evoke a sense of freedom and joy from the viewer that my mother felt when she came to the United States years after meeting this friendly couple.
Transition, Misha Lee, Acrylic on Canvas Panel Board, 41cm x 51cm
This piece focuses on the transition from childhood to adulthood. The left side of the painting represents my childhood self, the curved shapes signifying a lack of containment. Warmer tones display my bright and comforting memories of being a kid. On the right side, an older version of myself is shown with sharp divisions of cooler colors symbolizing the rules and restrictions in society I have slowly noticed overtime.
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