Seoyoon (’26) has been nominated for his artwork Orbit of Self by Ms. Steel. According to Seoyoon, he intended his enormous artwork to represent his identity as a Korean. “I think what made Orbit of Self win a Judge’s Award is that it attracts the viewers’ eyes immediately by it’s gigantic size. Furthermore, I think it’s much more symbolic [compared to my other works] and truly communicates my identity as a Korean,” Seoyoon stated. Indeed, his seemingly larger than life artwork, perfectly captured his experience as a Korean through the collection of board stereo foam. “First, I was just trying to make a normal portrait, but Ms. Steel gave me the idea of these circles. With these circle objects, I came up with the idea to connect the circles to make a whole, new shape out of the foam,” Seoyoon recounted. Ms. Steel’s advice worked out very well for the student, as the artwork won the Judge’s Award for Innovation and Creativity. Reflecting on the most difficult part of the process, Seoyoon said, “I think all artists can agree, but thinking of the idea was the hardest part [for me]. Furthermore, the carving of my face into the pieces was really difficult as well because I didn’t want to harm my face, of course.”
Hector (’26) has been nominated for his painting Red Sun in the Sky by Ms. Steel for it’s political commentary on Mao’s reign on China. Speaking on why the painting was the one that was awarded first place from the judges, Hector said that “I think the reason I won was partially because it’s the most straightforward piece I have out there [in my collection].” However, despite it’s clear message, the cruelty and suffering the painting attempted to portray was not lost to the judges. “I added the bag just to show that first of all, he [Mao] is the one in charge, and second, he is the one that is responsible for all this misery and death.” With Mao towering above his people, holding a bag of what is implied to be blood and maimed body parts, Hector makes it principally clear who is to be blamed for all the suffering and trauma caused to his people. Additionally, when asked about the most difficult part of painting the scene from both a technical and mental perspective, Hector said that he tried his best to push himself outside of his comfort zone. “At first I wanted to use gouache, however due to limited supplies, I was forced to use acrylics.” Hector recounted that despite his strong dislike towards acrylics, he found the process to be a unique experience. Ultimately, Hector transformed both his technical limitations and personal discomfort into a piece that confronts viewers with the brutality of “The Cultural Revolution.”
Jihei (’26) has been nominated for his abstract painting Koi by Ms. Steel for winning the People’s Choice Award with 32 votes. “A lot of other students focused on realism. However, my paiting was more expressionistic. I think that was the biggest difference,” Jihei said. Indeed, Koi’s abstract nature made it a black sheep amongst all the artworks in the exhibit. For Jihei personally, painting such an abstract concept was very difficult for him as he stated himself to be much less bold and expressive during the process of making his other artwork. “I tend to get very neat and slow and try to drive myself to be subtle… For me, the most difficult part was constantly reminding myself to be more expressive and bold with Koi.” This deviation from his usual process paid off immensely, as his unapologetic and colourful interpretation of the fish appealed to viewers. “It was originally supposed to be just another abstract drawing… However, my friend Seoyoon gave me the idea of a koi, and so I think that was a big change from my original concept.” That spontaneous shift in direction ultimately gave Koi its distinctive identity, allowing Jihei to step outside of his artistic comfort zone and create a piece whose vibrant energy and emotional openness resonated strongly with viewers across the exhibition.