The International Baccalaureate Higher Level Visual Arts Portfolio
The overarching theme of my exhibition is “passion”, more specifically social issues my peers are passionate about. Attending a diverse school with students from various different walks of life has introduced me to their unique experiences and how it shapes their identities, a number of which inspired my works.
Red string has been used to connect every piece within the exhibition to each other, reflecting the Asian myth of the red string of faith. My family’s iteration of the story is that there is a red string connecting one to every person they meet in life, therefore a red thread runs through all the pieces inspired by the people I know. Furthermore, this also represents the interconnectedness of many social issues such as climate change and poverty.
The chosen works utilize a wide variety of mediums, both 2D and 3D, in order to convey the vast differences between the subject matter of each piece. However, a high contrast motif was employed for most of the pieces, including the colors red, green, blue, and white in various shades. By establishing an overarching color scheme, the exhibition is tied together as a whole in a cohesive manner without pieces fighting for attention.
A number of pieces were created using mixed medium techniques. Typically, mixed medium pieces were made to show separation between the different topics depicted. For example, the contrast between the black and white charcoal layer and red gel layers separate the human subject manner from the text written about her. The 2D shapes drawn on the mirror behind the 3D sculpture distinguish between one’s true self and their perception of themself.
A large black piece of fabric was draped over the boards, originally painted white, for the exhibition. A dark background was chosen to further highlight the bright, high contrast colors used within each piece while also making the red string more visible. A space with three boards was chosen to emanate a symmetrical composition with faux-central perspective lines created by the red strings drawing the viewers’ attention to the centerpiece. A black plinth was chosen for the sculpture due to the same reasons. Lastly, a QR code was added at the bottom of the exhibition, leading to a website with my curatorial rationale as well as a detailed description of each piece.
The aim of the set up of the exhibition was for the viewer to be surrounded by my works, reflecting the manner in which we are constantly surrounded by the issues each piece represents, my art merely brings these pre-existing topics into focus. I have always been interested in a myriad of social topics, but each chosen work focuses on a specific issue that was derived from my friend’s experience with it, providing topics that stem from a wide range of geographical places and ideologies.
Exhibition Gallery
Artist - Amanda Yingcharoen
Instructor - Lucy M.
Models (in order of appearance) - Marie B., Ruzica V.
Images on this page are NOT finalized
Yingcharoen, Amanda. Signs of Passion. 2022. Acrylic paint and embroidery on stretched fabric, XX cm
This is the centerpiece that ties together the entire exhibition. The red string was chosen to allude to the Asian myth of the red string of fate, signifying how all the personal stories inspiring the art are intertwined and also the interconnectivity of the social issues they represent. The hands in the picture are posed in a way that spells out “passion” in American sign language. Each hand on the piece belongs to a different friend who inspired a piece in this exhibition.
Yingcharoen, Amanda. Are You Sure. 2022. Ink/charcoal/graphite on A1 paper,
59.4 x 84.1 cm
The piece visualizes the legal system’s mistreatment of sexual assault victims. Phrases written behind the subject are often said to victims, and the titular question, “Are you sure it happened?” was taken from my friend’s personal experience.
Many victims describe their experience as feeling like they’re lit on fire, alluded to by the flames behind the subject. Burning flowers represent how society see these women as being deflowered in the most violent way possible. Red was chosen due to the color’s significance in a Peruvian court ruling against a woman wearing red underwear during her assault.
- Based on the passions of Marie B.
Yingcharoen, Amanda. Glasgow is Burning. 2021. Intaglio drypoint on PVC sheet printed with Akua ink on card paper, 14.8 x 21.0 cm
The first of two pieces that reference the climate crisis, “Glasgow is Burning” focuses on negative human impact on the environment due to the carelessness of the general populous. Butterflies represent the ecology and they’re being lit on fire and destroyed by humans. The title references the hypocrisy of the COP26 conference taking place in Glasgow, in which world leaders emit unnecessarily high amounts of carbon dioxide while travelling to a climate conference.
- Based on the passions of Signe D.
Yingcharoen, Amanda. Pierce. 2021. lino-print ink on card paper,
14.8 x 21.0 cm
The latter of the diptych referencing the climate crisis. Once again, animal iconography, now feathers, represent the retaliation of the ecological world around us against humanity. “Pierce” can be viewed as a continuation of the previous piece, with the feathers stabbing the subject’s lapel representative of recent extreme ecological disasters, such as storms and floods, caused by consequences of negative human impact on the environment.
- Based on the passions of Signe D.
Yingcharoen, Amanda. Self Reflection. 2021. DAS air-dry clay sculpture,
20.3 x 38.0 x 35.8 cm
The former of two pieces inspired by my friend’s journey of self-discovery in relation to her religion, Christianity. “Self Reflection” takes the Christian iconography of stained glass windows and changes the subject matter displayed into the figure itself, substituting a window for a looking glass, or a mirror. This is representative of how religion affects one’s perception of oneself, with the saturated stained glass paints literally affecting the way viewers see the sculpture compared to its natural white surface.
- Based on the passions of Zoe H.
In conjunction with Self Reflection, this piece explores the importance of religious identity using the symbol of stained glass windows. Half the model’s face is painted in geometric shapes, showing her religious side. The one open eye symbolizes how religion has exposed the subject to the Christian worldview. In contrast, the left half has rounded shapes. The image was taken in a church to show resonance between the colors of the stained glass windows in the back and the subject’s facepaint.
- Based on the passions of Zoe H.
Yingcharoen, Amanda. Eye of the Beholder. 2022. Photograph of water-based facepaint on model, 21.0 x 29.7 cm
Yingcharoen, Amanda. American Dream. 2021. Colored 80 gsm paper collage on 220 gsm card paper. 63.6 x 24.2 cm
American Dream explores the issue of homelessness in LA. The drawings on the Hollywood sign are paraphrased from graffiti on Skid Row. The letters are inverted to evoke the view from behind the sign, symbolizing how this side of the city is hidden away. The contrast between the colorful letters and B&W background forces viewers to pay attention to the issue at hand. The name alludes to people moving to big cities with high aspirations, but end up on streets in a perpetual poverty cycle.
- Based on the passions of Kana S.
Yingcharoen, Amanda. The World's Health. 2021. Oil on canvas. 40 x 60 cm
The pandemic’s exacerbation of global healthcare inequality is shown in this piece. It depicts a closeup of a syringe, with volume markings along the left side and different viruses in the back, symbolizing the race for a vaccine. Now, the market is saturated with numerous vaccines of varying efficacies, but many countries still struggle to acquire supplies for their citizens. The crowded composition of the viruses alludes to this sense of rush and panic as people scramble to get a shot.
- Based on the passions of Yuna S.
Yingcharoen, Amanda. Polarize. 2022. Collage of printed 80 gsm paper and masking tape. 60 x 60 cm
Polarize focuses on racism and segregation. The collage technique duplicates square sections of the original B&W photo four times, with 2/4 squares inverted. High contrast pieces are placed next to each other to create a checkered pattern, representing the polarization of different races and ethnicities. Despite modern living spaces diversifying, separation still exists due to the discriminatory systems employed within these spaces, shown by the adjacent squares that remain distinctly separate.
- Based on the passions of Fatima T.
Yingcharoen, Amanda. LAUNDRY Project. 2021. Acrylic paint & textile medium mixture applied to polyester fabric & cotton. 30 x 300 cm (top) & 17.5 x 35 cm (skirt)
Sbai Arai explores global inequality through the scope of the textile industry. The top is a traditional Thai garment, representative of the exploitation of Southeast Asian workers to produce fashion for the Western world. The skirt was inspired by the Givenchy Spring 2019 collection, symbolic of high fashion. Here, the traditional piece is placed over the more commercially valuable one as a sign of empowerment of cultural textiles.
- Based on the passions of Ruzica V.
