My own work
I have always been a very creative person. I am the only person in my family who has ever shown such an interest in art, fashion and design. As a result, I took visual arts all throughout high school. In grade 11 and 12, I also took visual arts as a higher level subject for my International Baccalaureate Diploma. By the end of senior year, I had put together an exhibition displaying a collection of my work. My main focus was fashion and the human form, thus the majority of my pieces were either inspired by renown fashion designers such as Christian Dior and Raf Simons, or included the use of textiles to recreate the idea of wearable art. The symbolical meaning portrayed and that connected all the pieces in my final exhibition was the idea of social issues.
By representing the concert of modern day social issues and challenges, I wanted to create a connection with the viewer through my work. Most of my works were targeted towards millennials in western society. I wanted to convey a powerful messages through my work in order to evoke familiarity in the viewer’s personal behaviour and own activities, which was the foundation of my work. My pieces were inspired by the human form, some even wearable, allowing the audience to relate themselves with the underlying message and the meaning conveyed. Driven by the ideas behind the work, I used non-traditional materials as well as traditional materials, enhancing the symbolical meaning.
My exhibition was about self reflection on human behaviour, the overall intention being able to comprehend the social facts surround us and influencing our lifestyles.My collection was meant to be an eye-opening experience allowing viewers to contemplate their own behaviour, actions and mentality, and how these contribute to the wellbeing of society as a whole.
THE PRODIGAL
Cotton T-shirt, Receipts
75cm x 45cm x 28cm
Inspired by Alexander McQueen and Christian Dior’s works, this was the first dress I created using materials that typically wouldn’t be associated with fashion. I created this dress, The Prodigal to portray human consumerism using receipts as my medium. By using an abundance of receipts, representing the spending habits in the western world, this piece emphasizes the symbolic meaning of consumerism, materialism and greed. The purpose is for you, the observer, to reflect on your personal spending habits and to contemplate the actual value of materialistic objects.
BURNING SUPERFLUOUS
Chicken wire, Spray paint, Red plastic film
160cm x 200cm x 180cm
Inspired by the works of El Anatsui and Soo Sunny Park, I created Burning Superfluous as a continuation of The Prodigal, conveying the consequences of consumerism and greedy actions. Designed to be an interactive piece, hanging from the ceiling, exhibition visitors can enter into the middle of the piece.
This piece was a vital contribution to the meaning of my exhibition representing the idea of how people in western societies are being engulfed by the substantial waste, a result of our need for more, which is slowly but surely destroying and killing the planet.
TEPPICHKNÜPFEN
(translation: carpet weaving)
Cotton t-shirt, Wooden board, Wool, Theatrical blood
100cm x 70cm
In grade 2 I learnt about child labour and about how young children in India and other third world countries were forced to weave carpets in horrible conditions for 14hrs everyday, for very low wages and a bowl of rice at the end of the day. I wanted to capture this staggering memory, exposing myself for the first time to the harsh realities of the world. Meanwhile, I also wanted to visually contrast the life, priorities and worries of child workers with those children fortunate enough to grow up in western and privileged societies. Consequently, I wove a skirt using a technique similar to that of carpet weaving.
