How did you come up with the theme of power?
So for me, art is really important because it can help us express our thoughts on social issues and personal issues. Therefore I wanted to approach the DP Visual Arts course with the theme ‘Power’ because I thought it would allow me to visualise a lot of social issues that I care about and help with my own personal issues in life.
What is your favourite piece and what do you like about it?
I have multiple favourite pieces but probably the most special to me is ‘Slaughterhouse’ which talks about police brutality as I think this is a very important topic and I like how I was able to convey this and also ‘Fragility’ because this piece took me a long time to make and I am very proud of the outcome of it after working for many months.
What process did you go through to create an artwork?
So the general process for creating artwork starts with an idea or a theme and then with this theme I will then research an artist and research the topic. Usually this will help to inspire me with an idea and then from that idea I'll start doing sketches and process work and start experimenting with mediums. This is generally what I did for most of my pieces and then usually an idea will come to me through the process work and then the final piece is created.
What are some of the challenges you had to overcome and how did you overcome them?
The main challenge for me was motivation. There are many times where I lack inspiration and enthusiasm towards art but when you find that inspiration, this barrier can be overcome. I chose to do power because I knew that there would be a lot of topics to talk about that interests me.
Would you recommend the DP visual arts course for the upcoming students and do you have any piece of advice?
I would definitely recommend doing the DP Visual Arts course for other upcoming DP students. This course is very different to other art courses because there's a lot of freedom which is great for any developing artist. This course definitely helped me grow and learn as both an artist and a person while exploring different art techniques and mediums but also different aspects of life.
A local artist came to visit ISSH, what were your experiences with him?
The local artist who came was called Carl Röhrig. He worked with us and I definitely really enjoyed this, as it allowed us to create a piece that was guided and directly inspired by an artist. We got to explore many new techniques and mediums that we have never looked at before. With the help of a professional artist, it was very helpful and I ended up creating a piece that was very beautiful and something that I was very proud of myself once I completed the piece.