IB VISUAL ARTS 2025

JESSIE

Curatorial Rationale

The experience of childhood differs between each individual, influenced by place, culture, and environment. Despite this, the experience of innocence, curiosity and imagination is universal across people, regardless of how they present. In the fast-paced modern world, these experiences can often go over-looked and are reduced to a distant nostalgia later in life. Through my exhibition, I wanted to explore the child-like view of the world through a reflection of my own memories as my childhood comes to a close. I also wanted to incorporate the concept of belonging to place, specifically in relation to nature, as I believe the normalisation of industrialisation and technology has had a huge impact on current youths and children. For most of my exhibition, I focus on the preservation of youth, rather than the loss of innocence, with the intent to highlight both the importance of the childhood experience, as well as the importance of maintaining child-like innocence and curiosity.

There are multiple artists that are overarching inspirations conceptually or otherwise, as well as different artforms. The inspiration for my concept comes from one of my childhood favourite stories, “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. In a short summary, it explores the importance of maintaining a curious outlook on life, and the harm of becoming overly concerned with ‘growing up’ and ‘maturing’, criticising the detrimental nature of adulthood. I also draw great inspiration, both conceptually and visually, from Australian author and illustrator Shaun Tan. His book and short film “The Lost Thing”, explores the pursuit of purpose, and the concept of belonging, both resonating with me, and finding place within my exhibition. Visually, his manipulation of colour to create lively and nostalgic scenes influenced my own creation. I felt the vibrancy in his work not only perfectly embodied and child-like perspective but also evokes a comforting and reflective feelings.

The concept of memories and nostalgia is portrayed through the artworks Photo Memories and Out the Window. Film photography embodied my idea of nostalgia and was a personal link to my childhood. The lens of the camera acted as a gateway into a childish view, along with the collect of various objects from my childhood, creates a holistic collection of experiences that shaped me as an individual. Similarly, Out the Window shows a collection of sense that evoke warm memories of childhood.

The paintings Window and Hill explore perspective, highlighting imagination as a significant part of childhood, and a child’s ability to imagine and fun and colourful world, in otherwise dull and boring scenes. The artworks Beach and Bush and Birds and Bugs, explore a similar concept of perspective by paying attention to the subtle, and ‘insignificant’ aspects of life that often go overlooked. They speak to a child’s ability to finding meaning and purpose in everything, contrasting a common cause of adulthood sadness being a lack of ‘purpose’, and granting purpose and significance to even the smallest of bugs.

The final two artworks Map and Guitar explore the idea that childhood experiences are integral to the development of an individual. The flora and fauna within (Map) explore the influence of nature and place, and the manipulation of an individual’s appreciation of the natural world being brought about through their exposure to it in childhood. It criticises the normalisation of technology and industry as corrupting a child’s mind, the same way it corrupts and pollutes the natural environment. (Guitar), on the other hand, celebrates positive influences on the individual, such as the connection to music and development of future prospects.

My exhibition is displayed in two main sections; works that portray childish innocence and curiosity through perspective and works that explore the nostalgia and the influence of childhood. Displayed left to right, the viewer is first captured by portrayals of childish view, before being pulled into memories of their own. The native Australian flora and fauna spread throughout speak to my personal belonging to place, and the alphabet magnets incorporated in the overall presentation of my exhibition speak to the common phenomenon of childhood artworks stuck to fridges for display.