ISKL 2019-2019 CulCon Artwork

Akinya A.

Dubai You Have Never Seen  |  Photography

There is a magnificent part of Dubai which has preserved the old city, lying beyond the gloss and the sparkles of modern buildings. My older brother, Asan, introduced me to the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. The neighborhood was built in the mid 19th century, using stone, gypsum, teak, sandalwood, fronds and palm wood. It is filled with houses, alleys and public squares further characterising the living complex. The clouds in the sky keep shifting, like the world around us. We are often so concentrated on the beauty of modernity, we forget about the wonders that were functioning for centuries before.

Amelia U.

Blue Kiss  |  Digital Photograph

In my photo Blue Kiss, I like how I have changed the water from a grey to blue. I think this improves the picture a lot making the lips pop. I also think the freckles on the face makes the picture much more interesting and adds more detail. The waves at the bottom add movement to the pitcher also how only one shoulder is exposed improves the composition.

Miriam W.

Curtains of Darkness  |  Photography

By really amplifying the contrast the attention is drawn to the bright face and the white flowers which sit on top of a black bed of water, the model’s facial expression is also obviously not moving but if you were to imagine the moment the photo was captured you would think that his expression is frozen in place. With all these factors in place, I was hoping to create a feeling in the viewers’ minds that something is a little off about the image.

Miriam W.

Hallucinations  |  Digital Photography

This piece was originally created as double exposure, so when introduced to this concept of printing on transparent layers it brought up this idea that you could create a physical double exposure. The same photograph was printed in four different sizes, to create this effect that the image gradually gets smaller as you look towards the middle. On the outside you can only see one layer and everything is clear but as you move inwards the concentration increases while still keeping the clarity of the picture which creates a psychedelic kind of effect with all the individual layers and three bright colors.

Miriam W.

Another Dimension  |  Digital Photography

Another dimension is a piece created by layering several images on top of each other creating a double exposure. These pictures were taken while on a sightseeing tour of a mosque, and the piece now accurately shows how you feel when visiting a mosque – overwhelmed because everywhere you look there are repeating patterns and domes of all shapes and sizes. The effect that I was trying to create was to give the viewer a sense that they were actually standing in this mosque with the domes surrounding them and nearly overwhelming them.

Ayari O.

A Little Happiness in the World of Water  |  Digital Photography

This photograph was taken last year in Langkawi with my Canon camera. I thought it would be cool if there are water droplets around the person, therefore, I asked the subject to just splash the water. I used continuous shooting so that there is a high possibility of getting the best shot. It came out really good after all and I think my decision was good because it was actually the only photo that came out good. Others were a little out of focus. I made it black and white as I wanted to emphasize the water droplets and create some contrast.

Natalie J.

Blurred Buildings  |  Digital Photography

This photograph heavily uses editing techniques to have an interesting composition.

I increased the saturation and used the technique of multiple exposure.

It was a simple project that turned into one of my favorite pieces.

Natalie J.

Teenage Girl in Society  |  Digital photography

A teenage girl in society is oppressed of her freedom through social norms; such as, how her body should appear and what to eat. They are pressures put on by society and ingrained in a teenage girl’s mind. These are mostly simple things that not much thought is put into or are disregarded as unimportant, but in reality are present in her daily life and influence who she is. I kept a consistent subject (the same girl) so that, even though the photos contain a different message, they still have a common element to be part of the same collection.

Laila R.

Love Letters of Arabia  |  Digital Photography

This artwork has a lot of personal meaning behind it, the books in the back are different love stories the top right story is a love confession, and all the other books around the red roses are about love. The book on the far left, the page open is a paragraph about divorce or faded love, that’s why I placed the pink rose made it lighter to show that the love’s been faded. These books are in Arabic, which is my native language so I feel very connected to this piece.

Shaun T.

Punch!  |  Digital Photography

A punch of water, a Lightroom filter and the click of the lens. Looking at your reflection through the looking glass making a mess of yourself. At least you didn’t break the glass but rather stained it with a punch of water. The room is wet all over but you’re still standing. Everything seems black and white now but you make the best of your situation. And with a punch of water, complex emotions and a camera in tow, get ready for a PUNCH!

Aisha S.

I Am Incomplete  |  Paint (acrylic)

I wanted to capture the emotion of feeling incomplete in this painting. The old man, although wise, feels he is not finished and still has many years left to create his character and who he is to become. That is why the piece is both physically incomplete and emotionally incomplete to show the feelings of inadequacy that we all feel and that we are not all finished, as nothing is truly ever done.

Joo Young L.

Basketball Shoes  |  Watercolor, Poster Color

The basketball world and the shoe world are intercorrelated. During my junior year as a basketball shoe addict, these two worlds were the only things I was devoted to. I would buy basketball shoes without a care in the world. However, this highly matertialic and expensive shoe is not mine, but belongs to a friend. Basketball only lasted so long until I stopped playing for varsity. The devotion is now a lost memory. I painted this piece in a hyper realistically, but all that materialism didn’t last at all. This piece symbolizes how much I was addicted to the nothing.

Joo Young L.

Sarah’s Favourite Dish  |  Watercolor

When my oldest sister was hospitalized, she couldn’t eat any of her favorite dishes. I wanted to combine all of her favorite dishes in one piece so she could enjoy a laugh when she was going through a lot. I wanted to capture these delicious delights of joy and love as realistically as possible with watercolors. I bought all of her favorite dishes painted it from an elevated position. I purposefully painted from a birds-eye view so that it would like from Sarah’s point of view. I hoped this gave you a more old-fashioned mukbang Sarah. Get better soon!!

Joo Young Lee

Seoul  |  Mixed Media

During the summer of 2019, I was able to experience life in Seoul. I realized that beneath the publicized image of the city, there were other unspoken aspects – I realized that Seoul, beneath it’s dazzling nightlife and breathtaking skyscrapers, had a darker side; I wanted to express these aspects and my perception of the environment in a unique way. I wanted to show the realities of Seoul that were not introduced in guide books, travel shows or tourist advertisements. I did not want to make just a still life, but a multifaceted art piece, symbolic of how I read my surroundings.

Rianna B.

The Enchantress’s Domain  |  Watercolor and Ink Pen

This piece features an enchantress, who’s icy blue hair spirals around the patterned background. The background changes around the tendrils of hair, making it seem as though the hair of enchantress is the magical force that manipulates their domain. By using simplistic patterns and a fixed set colors for the background, it causes the main focus, or the character to stand out. The reason I chose this piece is because it displays both my love for watercolors and for line art, and by using both of those mediums I was able to create a piece that I feel is worthy.

 HyeRyun K.

Comfort Women  |  Acrylic

This artwork portrays the pain of the comfort women in Korea during World War II. The purpose of the art piece is to raise awareness of the brutality of war and in particular, women’s suffering during the conflict.

Beatrice S.

Junkyard  |  Watercolour and pigment liner

One man’s trash is another’s treasure. Featuring a collection of classic cars from the 1960s, this piece exists simply to marvel at the beauty of these cars. People might think being a classic car enthusiast is just an obsession but, in reality, there’s art and history behind it. Just like everything else, there is something to be appreciated in everything. In our material world, there’s beauty to be found in everything. We simply have to see past the veil of prejudice and bias to see it. It would be rare to see any of these models in person, much less own one, but, hey, that’s the beauty in dreaming.

Beatrice S.

Infestation  |  Pigment liner

Our minds work in silly and marvelous ways. That song stuck in your head? Yeah, that’s all your brain. That TV show you can’t stop thinking about? Also your brain. This may just seem like a bunch of lines made by a bored teenager to you, but to me, it spells out something entirely different. Each individual line represents an obsession of mine. Well, more specifically, my obsession is with lines. Everywhere I look there are lines. If atoms are the building blocks of matter, then, ultimately, lines are the fundamentals of the dominating visual world.

Shivya S.

To Be Alive  |  Color Pencil

To be alive today and living the way we do is a blessing. In a world of poverty, hunger, drastically changing environments and lack of resources, the life we have is pure luck. Despite all of these challenges, humans can always find the light in the dark, something to make us smile or laugh. I found inspiration for this drawing through the people that I’ve met who have faced their own hardships but are still smiling everyday. I chose to use caricature-like features to represent the revelry and celebration of life. I hope this art serves as a reminder to appreciate life.

HyeRyun K.

True  |  Pencil

This artwork pictures an everlasting love of an elderly couple. The theme of this drawing is that true love is not only possible, but can actually last a lifetime. True love is the state of feeling attached to someone, full with happiness, and treating them in a loving manner. True love is not something you can find in an instant. Most people grow up, fall in love, and get married. However, the story does not end there. “Love knows no age”, although, in the end, we may not remember the most beautiful face and body, we will remember the most beautiful heart and soul.

Gargi C.

A Smile  |  Graphite and charcoal

This artwork is made using a range of graphite pencils, graphite powder as well as charcoal pencils. The black and white contrast of the artwork, let me show that a smile doesn’t need colour to be shown. A smile is the emotion blasted from within you. A Smile brings out the hidden deep emotions inside of you. The goal I want to show was that don’t keep the emotions hidden deep inside, but instead express it out. A smile is beautiful and attractive. A smile opens up new opportunities, so don’t keep you burned hidden inside. Sooner or later it’s going to eat you away, instead, open up to someone. Soon it will fly away and a smile will rise.

Anqi C.

F.L.Y. (Future Lives in You)  |  Pencil

The illustration is a bird flying above a city. In the center of the globe is a reflection of a flying bird, which symbolizes freedom. The piece highlights the exciting and nervous feeling of mine and others’ who will be graduating soon, and we carry our dreams to explore the world. The piece is drawn from an aerial view of the city in order to emphasize the vastness of the world. Some iconic buildings reflect the places I lived in. Two roads the faded buildings represent the unknown decisions ahead.

Anqi C.

Workday  |  Pencil

The purpose of this piece is highlighting the working-class society but more delivering a positive message. This piece is drawn when I saw two workers who sat on the side road casually chatting with an apple in hand. Their white shirts already turned to ugly yellow. Faces covered in dust. Yet this doesn’t stop them to put smiles on their faces. The bucket is distorted and the tools are shabby, but the way they put together looks organized. Tools’ physical appearances represent unstable and poor living conditions of working-class people. But their arrangement symbolizes a stable and optimistic mindset.

Seong Yoon B.

Water Buffalo  |  4B pencil

When I think of a water buffalo, I imagine a herd of gigantic animals unhurriedly crossing vast plains. I could see them lazily heading wherever their feet take them, enjoying their lives. That was only until I watched a documentary on wild water buffalo. Every day they battle with other wild beasts for their survival. Every day they never stop walking to search for a safer place. Our lives are the same as theirs. I wanted to illustrate how every day we fight our own battles yet still have sweet and short moments that last in our hearts for long.

Isha A.

Mind Mayhem  |  Watercolor, color pencil, and digital

This piece is inspired by the dream state. Dreams are a representation of our inner thoughts, fears, and desires. The way dreams appear in our mind can seem distorted and the different symbols that portray our subconscious create a tumultuous mayhem in our minds. The distorted nature of this piece and elements from the natural world present the different forms in which our dreams appear. The flowers portray our positive thoughts and outlook on life, while the vines and tree branches symbolize the negativity that may infiltrate our minds and dreams.