Refracted Perceptions: The DP22 Visual Arts Exhibition

The DP2 Visual Arts Exhibition, Refracted Perceptions, at Katedralskolan took place on March 19-22 at Staffans Gränd. This event marked the culmination of the DP2 IB Visual Arts students' hard work, showcasing their artistic growth and creative exploration over the past two years. The exhibition served as a platform for students to present their final pieces to a broad audience, reflecting their individual themes and artistic journeys.

This year's exhibition featured 16 student artists, each presenting a unique collection of works. The pieces explored a variety of themes, including architecture, perspectives, philosophy, memory and change. The students experimented with diverse media such as collages, videos, interactive digital models, paintings, sculptures and photography. These pieces demonstrated the students' ability to convey powerful messages through their art, and it was evident that all students were thoughtful in curating their exhibition, each piece seemed to have a purpose and left a lasting impression on the viewer.

Upon entering the exhibition, visitors were greeted with a thoughtfully curated space that allowed them to walk around the exhibition with ease and examine the works up close and from afar. The atmosphere was lively and social, with pieces arranged to create a nice flow from exhibition to exhibition. Visitors responded with awe and amazement, expressing admiration for the creativity and effort behind each piece. Some artworks featured interactive elements, such as immersive videos where visitors were required to put on headphones to get the full experience and even a digital model (by Tang Tang DP22) that allowed visitors to explore his art piece in a game-like setting, adding another layer of engagement to the exhibition.

After the premiere of the exhibition, the DP1 Visual Arts students were given a private tour by the DP2 students themselves. It was a great opportunity for them to share some words of wisdom regarding how to go about curating the exhibition, finding an artistic muse to spark your imagination and not being afraid to experiment and try new things. It was interesting to hear the personal thoughts of the artists as well, as they introduced their works and described the process behind making them, it became clear just how intentional their artistic practice is. A lot of the students drew on inspiration from their favourite artists, others shared their passion for a certain artistic medium while others aimed to abstractly convey deep messages through their art. 

Many student artists shared their personal experiences and inspirations behind their works.  One artist, Isabella described their piece as a reflection on the importance of architecture in real-world contexts, stating, "At first I was primarily interested in creating beautiful, aesthetic pieces that were appealing to the eye. I wanted to highlight the beautiful aspects of architecture. However, as my exhibition progressed, I realised that it is also important to look at architecture in real-world contexts, how architecture can also be used to hinder people and limit their movement." Another artist, Neeha, explained how they overcame challenges such as picking a theme to base their exhibition on and stepping outside of their comfort zone in order to bring their vision to life.

For many, the IB Visual Arts course was vital in shaping their artistic identity, allowing them to develop technical skills while exploring conceptual depth.

Art teachers and staff were impressed with the level of creativity and dedication displayed in this year's exhibition. Ioanamaria, the DP Visual Arts instructor, commented, "It is extremely rewarding to be around young artists developing an artistic voice of their own, and discovering how important it is to trust their subjective way of seeing the world. The artists graduating this year have been courageous, emphatic and talented. It was such a privilege to witness their journeys!"

The DP2 Visual Arts Exhibition was a testament to the students' talent, perseverance, and artistic growth. Through their works, they challenged perceptions, evoked emotions, and sparked conversations. As the exhibition came to a close, it left attendees with a deeper appreciation for the power of visual storytelling. With another successful year of IB Visual Arts completed, the anticipation for future exhibitions continues to grow.