Water, in All Its States

We are delighted to announce that our secondary students from both streams have recently worked on a common theme in visual arts: "Water in All Its States."

This initiative has allowed our young artists to explore the richness and diversity of this subject through various art forms. Their creativity and dedication will be showcased in an exhibition running from 17 February to 18 March, 2025, where you will have the opportunity to discover their original and deeply expressive works.

This exhibition explores how the artists have embraced the theme of water through its imagery, symbolism, and different forms. It also highlights numerous creations that question our relationship with this vital resource and features nearly 500 artworks. These creations—drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs, digital art, animated videos—aim not only to represent water but also to encourage a dialogue about its conservation and significance for both the environment and society. The exhibition aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 14, which addresses overexploitation and ocean pollution.

What will you see ? 

In High School (both streams) under the guidance of Ms. Bezançon two main themes were explored: Ocean Pollution / Water & Emotion

In Terminale Art Speciality & Year 13 IB Visual Arts

Each student created a meaningful and socially engaged artwork to raise awareness about environmental issues. Drawing inspiration from mythology, they explored marine pollution and its ecological consequences or modernized the myth of Narcissus by reflecting on the current context of social media.

One student was particularly moved by the devastating floods in Valencia, Spain, last October and chose to create a highly realistic painting based on a press photograph published in newspapers.

In Première Art Speciality & Year 12 IB Visual Arts                                                                       

Students worked with watercolors and acrylic paintings to express emotions such as tranquility, melancholy, or turmoil, using textures and colours inspired by Impressionists, Fauvism, and other artistic movements.

By studying different photographic compositions, they sought to capture the beauty and fragility of water in its various forms, while also illustrating the impact of pollution and climate change. Inspired by photographers and artists Steve McCurry, Josef Sudek, Willy Ronis, Bill Viola, and Fujiko Nakaya, they focused on framing and lighting techniques.

Some students specifically aimed to raise awareness about ocean pollution, denouncing human impact on water and marine life, following in the footsteps of Chris Jordan.

In Year 10

Students explored various exercises and techniques, producing: Highly realistic observational drawings of a glass filled with ice cubes, Watercolor seascapes, Collages representing a crab, Wave patterns to depict movement.

In collège, in the French stream and under the guidance of Julien Jouaud, the students highlighted marine pollution through their creations, in connection with SDG 14.

In Cinquième : Animal sculptures in plastic waste

Using plastic packaging, the pupils created sculptures of sea creatures. Using collage and modelling techniques, they denounced marine pollution through their creations.

In Troisième: Press and Editorial Cartoons on Plastics

The students chose subjects relating to the over-exploitation of the sea. They produced creations designed to touch the viewer and arouse emotions, accompanied by research and sketches.
They also disguised photocopies of plastic bottles with rich graphics all around. They created sets using shapes, shadows and contrasts.

In Seconde Art option : Posters on Ocean Pollution      

Pupils in seconde produced 13 posters to denounce the over-exploitation and pollution of the oceans. The designs, in black and white with a choice of colour, used all authorised media and are presented in large format.

In the International Stream of the Middle School, under the guidance of Bruce Woolley, the students have been exploring a range of ways of representing water in all its forms.

In Year 7

The students used images of Hong Kong's waterfront as a reference, and were influenced by the colourful, textured works of British artist Angie Lewin. They finished their compositions with watercolour paints. They also used tracing paper to filter parts of their drawings to give the appearance of water. They developed individual designs to take advantage of this technique.

In Year 8

The students worked on the artistic movement of Cubism. They selected water-related creatures and presented them in Cubist style, showing fragmented views of three-dimensional subjects with two-dimensional qualities.

In Year 9

The pupils were influenced by the surrealist works of Max Ernst, particularly those in the ‘Natural History’ collection, which depict imaginary creatures and use the rubbing technique to show textures.

There's no doubt that this exhibition will raise public awareness of the environmental issues surrounding water and pollution, while showcasing the creativity of our young artists. We encourage you to come along and support their work!