Prague British School IB Visual Arts Exhibition 2015 - ESCAPISM

On Thursday 30th April students, former pupils, family and friends gathered at the Behal Fejer Institute in Prague 6 to celebrate the opening of the 2015 IB Visual Arts exhibition. All were impressed by the ambition and variety in the work, and the students had a great time talking about their pieces.

Seven young artists from Spain, Russia and the Czech Republic displayed their skill and creative energy in an array of styles and media. Two years ago they entered a brand new art studio at PBS, possessing imagination and curiosity, yet eagerly awaiting action and industry. Each emerged having nurtured and grown a private artistic identity. Their work demonstrates this journey and impresses in its increasing ambition and maturity.

The International Baccalaureate’s Visual Arts course is demanding in many ways, but particularly the extent to which students must plan and think for themselves. Unlike other courses the teacher is required to let go of the class during the second year. These seven students have not been led, they made their own path; they have not been pushed, they jumped themselves; nor have they followed a manual, for there is no manual for creativity. The work on display is the outcome of their escape from direct tuition into simple creative freedom.

In the works of Sofia we find a love of landscape and the varying ways in which we experience it. Similarly, Tomas explores our city’s urban landscape using a bold range of mixed media techniques, arriving at a strong personal approach in a consistent combination. Alisa observes strangers in public places, developing her own narratives and speculating on the paths that led them to her gaze. Her paintings increasingly become celebrations of tone and colour. Photography is central to Eleanora’s work but you can see she is not refined to one medium; she is a maker interested in equality, often exploring and exposing deep personal emotions. We see a more figurative approach in the work of Valerya, as she plays with costume and dress from historical periods of her own interest and importance. Anna begins in this way, but takes new directions in the form of sculpture and design to fit her playful exchanges between fictional characters and the real world. Aurora’s paintings demonstrate her appreciation for her materials in combination with nuances in the human form. She investigates mythology, synthesising studies of the people and places around her with well-worn tales, and ultimately develops a rich, personal graphic style.

‘Escapism’ denotes the students’ feelings of moving onwards and upwards, but it also encourages the viewer to leave behind preoccupations, and experience the world through the artist’s eyes. You can see photos of the exhibition opening at www.pbschool.cz/ibart