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Wow! A silent gasp passed through my lips as I entered the hall displaying a section of the St Christopher’s School annual senior school art exhibition.
“You are viewing in excess of 1,000 exhibits and 144 exhibitions,” explained Joe Mulleague, one of the arts faculty members, and I had to remind myself that these works of art were created by students who were aged just 16, 17 or 18.
My thoughts were echoed by HE Jamie Bowden, British ambassador to Bahrain, who said as he opened the exhibition: “It is in parts very challenging, even disturbing. It certainly makes you question what you are looking at and why you are looking at it. It is in parts very beautiful but what is striking about all this is the imagination, the creativity and the thought that has gone into all the work, which I think is very remarkable.”
The exhibition displayed the best works of 72 students from the years 11, 12 and 13. Their course work and exam pieces (on the study of boundaries, freedom and wraps) have been placed alongside a detailed research folder, which is informative and visually pleasing. Students have worked with paints, oils, crayons, sculptures and created 3D and 2D images.
While some studies are personal, some touch upon the organic, man made, abstract, political and the social. One of the works represents cephalopods (sea creatures) as their subject of study and another had interpretations of urban sociology. Another, very interesting study, has used ‘alcoholism’ as a means to represent how addiction can take away an individual’s freedom while another has used ‘cannibalism’, as a subject matter that defies and disturbs people’s boundaries.
“You can never predict the outcome of an individual work. As teachers we try and visualise an idea of variety in the exhibition that can create quite diverse and interesting work and reflect the student’s strengths,” says Clare Hunt, Head of the Arts department. In her fourth year at St Christopher’s, she has found that students find Art a popular subject, challenging and enjoyable, and a space where they can explore their individual artistic expression.
“A healthy proportion of these students continue their studies in arts,” says Joe Mulleague, while many others may pursue related subjects in architecture, media studies, publishing, illustration, theatre, fashion and interior designing. The options are endless, he agrees.
The students were given eight weeks to prepare their exam pieces and three months to prepare their course work. They get 26 hours a week at school when there is intensive brain-storming and training on mixed media.
The students have no restrictions on how they want to develop their pieces. At the end of the year they are assessed for maturity, development and analysis of the subject and how successfully does the final study realise the concept. Awards are given for the best improved study and best student for each year group.
At the exhibition, as a viewer, one is flooded by a myriad of expressions, each more challenging than the other. It is difficult to judge or give a prognosis but be amazed at the mind’s ability to express.
I was left with just one thought as I spoke to the artists and their teachers at this colourful exhibition. If all children were given the opportunity to study art alongside the freedom to think, absorb and convey their feelings in such a way, we could have a more understanding world.
There are now endless possibilities open to these fortunate and talented students of St Christopher’s to use the skills they have gained for the good of Bahrain and beyond.
This is an exhibition not to be missed. To view please contact the school on 17788155.
