Teacher statement for the exhibit:
The Alexandria-Rome-Barcelona Trifecta
One of the most significant art events occurred this year at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; the Agenda group exhibition. It's one of the largest and most comprehensive showings of budding and established contemporary Egyptian artists featuring several hundred works in recent memory. I was in awe of the caliber of the artwork. My students needed to see evidence of Egypt's small but thriving art scene. They were as dumbfounded as I was at the sheer amount of excellent works concentrated in one setting. There was a sense of pride among my Egyptian students; it was their own people's and not European or American artwork hanging on the walls. That begs the question; Why aren't Egyptian artists celebrated more often and in greater abundance?
As our planned AP Art trip to Madrid became cost-prohibitive, Rome was a suitable alternative. The Rome vibe was more museum-oriented and historical site-heavy. Rome in three full days barely scratched the surface of catching the greatest hits. With copious amounts of pizza swimming around in our tummies, destroyed feet, and ten of us camping out in an apartment in a local neighborhood, we immersed ourselves in all Rome had to offer.
From an Art teacher's perspective, this year's senior trip to Barcelona was a bonus. In contrast, Barcelona wasn't specifically an art trip. It could be argued Barcelona is an aesthetic experience steeped in cuisine, music, architecture, art, and like the rest of Spain, beauty lurks everywhere. Six of my AP Art students were on that trip, and they surprised me by going to see conceptual and performance art at MACBA, live music in an underground venue, and turning me on to the After the End of the World exhibit at the CCCB. I couldn't have more proud of them.
The collection of work set before you is: The Alexandria-Rome-Barcelona trifecta. My AP Art student's real-world experiences inspire and shape their ideas. They see the impact and the difference they are capable of making through catching exhibitions such as: After the End of the World. Students are the decisions makers of tomorrow, and in a world of uncertainty, we need all the intelligent and thoughtful minds possible. As this event is the end of the line for my seniors, waiting in the wings are my emerging high school artists. I'm optimistic.
c/s
Mr. Bob
Below is a selection of student artwork and excerpts from their artist statements. Special thanks to the Spanish Consulate in Alexandria for hosting the exhibit and to U.S. Consul General, Nancy Corbett for speaking at the event.
Artist: Sofia V.
Excerpt from artist statement:
Have
you ever thought about the process behind the food that is in front of you? The
majority of us would probably answer with a no. When thinking about it
honestly, most of us would find it difficult to slaughter or abuse an animal.
And yet, the thought of others doing it for us makes us feel less guilty and
responsible for the inhumane activity. My intention for these photographs is to
adjust the mindset of the viewers to recognize the countless similarities
between animals and humans. Understanding that animals can fully express
emotions of joy and pain just like us. For that reason, I incorporated
photographs of people portraying a distressing expression and their
relationship with each other.
Artist: Rana E.
Excerpt from artist statement:
Starting
this concentration, I knew I wanted to work with photographs, but I did not
know what to do. At first, I decided on editing photographs by changing aspects
such as: brightness, contrast, etc. I soon realized the bland and muted results.
I began layering images and that sparked an interest in me. I made the images
more complex by removing certain parts of images and pasting them on to others
which led me to creating my first concentration piece.
Artist: Abanoub N.
Artist: Gloria H.
Excerpt from artist statement:
One
time, when I was coming back from Cairo to Alexandria, I was looking at the
streetlights in the car. I thought “I want to be a streetlight”. But then I saw
it flickering, and dying. So I looked up to the sky, and thought, “I want to be
the moon- constant as always, disappearing, but knowing that it will come back
again, reflecting a light, shining the night, comforting minds, admired and
loved.”
Artist: Sarah
Excerpt from artist statement:
While
completing AP Studio Art: Drawing, I came to realize that I have a passion for
placing objects in unexpected places rather than trying to draw from life. I
believe that, with the polarity of the components being the most striking
aspect, a picture is more bound to attract the attention of a passer-by.
Learning about the Gestalt Principles in my engineering class has also inspired
me to alter my design process for the better. The Gestalt Principles support
the theory that a person sees an object as a “unified whole” before perceiving
its individual parts. These principles are associated with similarity,
proximity, closure, connectedness, and continuity. To summarize, a person
essentially tries to make sense of an object by identifying a general idea of
it. Imagine passing by a painting of a field of flowers in your grandmother’s
house. It has always been there, you have passed it hundreds of times, but that
is all it is: a field of flowers. Perhaps the painter thought it was
aesthetically pleasing, and it very well may be. However, all it will achieve
is being an ornamental addition to a certain theme of a room.
Artist: Noura Z.
Excerpt from artist statement:
Life
of any living high-schooler would be difficult in any sense. No matter what
role you are in your school or class, everyone goes through similar problems. I
believed that my problems are portrayed within my artwork for people to view
and deeply relate to. Maybe they might not admit it aloud, but I’m sure at some
level they see the point behind these drawings.
Artist: Hana A.
Excerpt from artist statement:
Birds
are known to be the perfect symbol for the concept of freedom and perspective.
Birds are always able to fly high freely and go wherever they want according to
their own comfort. Nowadays people are not motivated to be true to themselves
and pave their own unique path. Rather than being unique, people are going out
of their ways to become mainstream or follow the trends and crowd. We are
chained to the absurd social barriers and expectations that disable us from our
own unique person. Being a person of different goals and dreams is very ironic
because the norm in my social class is following the crowd. Society is not the
only thing that chains people down. An example is holding onto toxic
relationships. This results in being unable to explore true identity, other
perspectives and moving to a new place and starting fresh.
