Hayley Scowen

Hayley Scowen

‘Smiling Below the Poverty Line’

Drawing

Charcoal

3 drawings

Within my work I showcase children from Papua New Guinea, a developing country with 43.7% of the population living below the national poverty line (statistics from Databank 2018). This suggests that a high percentage of the population lacks access to necessities, such as required facilities and water. By depicting these children smiling and not in a destitute state, which children from developing countries are often depicted as, I am exposing the happiness of the hopeful children. I aim to reveal that although they may be in poverty they are capable of finding joy in any scenario including socialising with friends, at school and wearing traditional pieces. By drawing the portraits, I reveal their culture and daily life which makes them smile.

For my BOW, I utilised charcoal on A2 paper. This enabled me to create contrast through the lack of colour which also emphasises the emotion of each child. By drawing on a large scale of A2 paper, I aim to create drawings with high detail.

Influencing artists: Casey Baugh, Nelson Makamo