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Colourful creations and delightful designs will be showcased this week as the 11th annual British School of Bahrain (BSB) art exhibition pulls back the curtain on Sunday.
After an intense period of coursework and examinations, 26 GCSE and A-Level students from Years 11, 12 and 13 will finally have a platform to reveal their masterpieces to the public, including proud friends and families.
Poonam Ridgway, BSB’s Senior School head of art, said: “The students have tackled a variety of themes this year ranging from ‘Apart and/or together’ at GCSE to ‘Flaws, perfections, ideals and compromises’ at A-Level. The work exhibited shows the diversity of personal responses each individual took in interpreting each theme.”
Each student will have both coursework (worth 60 per cent of the final grade) and work from the examination unit on display. Their final examination pieces will also be on display, which are pieces that have been completed under exam conditions and within a very strict time constraint; 10 hours at GCSE, eight hours at AS Level and 12 hours at A2 Level.
Students are also required to submit a work journal which documents their journey of exploration and development of ideas.
Visitors to the exhibition will be greeted with an eclectic mix of styles and inspirations thanks to each student having their own individual influences.
Bhavika Bhatia, 16, used her experiences in the kingdom to shape her exam pieces. She explained: “Living in Bahrain provides so much exposure to various lifestyles and nationalities – being in the middle of all this is a huge advantage. These influences can be seen in my work as I explore themes regarding culture, heritage, femininity, individuality and emotion.
“It’s crazy to think that the little girl who used to doodle spirals and little faces at the back of her textbooks in Year 7 is now on her way to art school in New York to pursue her biggest passion as a career!”
Sri Lankan Fathima Afra Ansar, 17, explored abandonment and the sense of loss in her work and said: “I was heavily influenced by my upbringing as a ‘third culture kid’. I was unable to experience first-hand Sri Lankan culture because I moved to Bahrain with my family when I was just two. Therefore I felt like an outsider when I visited Sri Lanka, and an outsider living in Bahrain because the language and traditions of Bahrain were foreign to me and my family.”
On the lighter side of things, Iraj Abdul Aziz, 16, will be showcasing 11 pieces based around concepts such as beauty in culture, reflections and shapes, while Schnelle Alvares, 16, chose to explore Arabian culture and patterns in her coursework board, and flowers in her exam offering.
* The exhibition will be open to the public from 3pm to 5pm until June 10, with a launch to be inaugurated in a ceremony attended by secretary general for the Royal Charity Organisation, Dr Mustafa Al Sayed. For further details, contact 17610920 or visit www.britishschoolbahrain.com
