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Article June 14, 2023

Art Inspired: Celebrating global connections through visual arts

By King's InterHigh

We were incredibly excited to host the first of Inspired's ART INSPIRED virtual art exhibitions here at King's InterHigh. In our leading-edge virtual gallery space, members of our Inspired Education Group community from all around the world wandered the virtual halls to view some exemplary artworks by students aged 14-16 across 26 global Inspired schools.

This annual event celebrates student achievement and connects global communities through visual arts. Schools all around the world from New Zealand to South Africa, Mexico to the UK, participated and came together to celebrate in one virtual gallery space. Take a look below for a glimpse of what the VR gallery looked like and some of the wonderful artwork on display: 

With so many outstanding pieces to choose from, our judging panel had a difficult task on their hands selecting this year’s winners in last week’s virtual awards ceremony. Awards were given to entrants recognising their achievements in the following categories:

  • Creativity 
  • STE(A)M 
  • Photography 
  • Skills & Techniques 
  • Special Mention

Take a look at this year’s fantastic winning entries below:

Creativity Award

 Angelina, St. Peter's International School, Portugal

"Is this what sponge cake feels like?" (Acrylic on Canvas):

At times, my afro hair physically became a sponge cake. A cake for which people felt the need to grab a taste of. Most of the paintings I make are mainly falling under a simple theme, beauty. I believe portraiture is the expression of one’s inner self, a glimpse. One’s character is a painting in itself; the way different personalities and components harmoniously (or not) are shaped to be one. What influences my work is my love for interpreting these harmonious components through my eyes, finding and synthesizing what could be a new component.

STE(A)M Award

 Rose, ACG Parnell College, New Zealand

"Attention" (Oil on Canvas): My artwork looks at ideas about children and technology. With the growing use of phones, lots of people are so addicted and focused at a young age. This artwork really captures the essence of it and portrays this through day-to-day life. ​

I did this painting recently where my little cousin was with his friend and super focused on a single phone and I could see the blue light reflecting off his glasses. In my painting I tried to capture the attention of children nowadays when using technology.

Design Award

 Hoang, King's InterHigh

"Icarus" (Collage — Pencil Drawing and Digital Painting): This work was inspired by the prompt, "What makes you angry?" and the DADA movement that started in the 1910s. The artwork is supposed to be a criticism of the unfair school systems' treatment of neurodivergent children and the permanent damage caused by those experiences.

3D Works Award

 Rowan, Sotogrande International School, Spain

"The Last Stand: A Sculpture Symbolising Trees Enveloped by Destructive Resin" (Resin, natural wood): I created a 3D sculpture piece that seeks to capture the relationship between nature and human intervention. The artwork comprises twigs hand-selected and arranged intended to form an intricate structure symbolizing nature's resilience and beauty. However, the twigs are held together on each side by man-made resin, which serves as a reminder of the destructive impact of human activities on nature.

Photography Award

 Tristan, Reddam House Atlantic Seaboard, South Africa

"Serenity"​ (Photography — ICM Technique): I discovered the technique of intentional camera movement (ICM), which I would say embodies my style of photography. For me photography is more than just the image, it is the presence and observation of a particular moment in time or a way to capture the impression I have of nature and the world around me. ​

Skills and Techniques Award

 Fatima, Reddam House Durbanville, South Africa

"Portrait of my sister" (Acrylic paint, Watercolour and gel pens): This work is a picture of my sister that I had painted as a part of my Grade 10 coursework at Reddam House. My chosen theme for this year is expression and this artwork shows expression of culture. I have taken different cultural items/objects/make up to represent my theme well and to convey a message that all cultures are beautiful and unique. ​

Special Mention Award

 Annalisa, St. Louis School of Milan, Italy

"Glasses & Tray​" (Acrylic on Cartridge Paper): This is my final piece in response to the theme of Glass & Reflected surfaces for my IGCSE art & design coursework. This painting is developed from my own photographs and observational drawings where I explored different viewpoints of large arrangements of colourful glass. For colour I was inspired by F. Leighton's Flaming June 1895 and stylistically I was inspired by the work of Janel Fish.​

Congratulations!

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! We look forward to seeing and celebrating more incredible visual artwork next year.

By King's InterHigh

King's InterHigh is an author for King's Interhigh.

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