IB VISUAL ARTS 2025

NATE

Curatorial Rationale

This selection of works aims to demonstrate the process of rehabilitation for a prisoner back into society. My works focus on the ways structure and design can help this process and inmates can thrive in a new post prison life. I chose my exhibition concept because my mother, who is a psychologist told me about the sad reality of ex-prisoners returning to jail due to not fitting into normal life after incarceration. I have always had an interest in architecture, specifically purposeful architecture, and as a result, I wanted to see how the design of spaces could help this transition.

I was inspired by architects Tadeo Ando and Kavan Applegate, in particular their use of the environment to create calming aesthetic qualities in unique architectural forms. I aimed to recreate the stages of rehabilitation through design, starting with the prison system. I began by creating my work, The Plans, a 2D plan drawing of new prison cells, redesigned to incorporate more open space and improve prisoner wellbeing. This directly transitioned into my next work, The Facility, which was a 3D concept  model of the cells. By making The Plans drawings into concept models, I was able to help focus the viewer to specific design features. Once prisoners are released from prison, they often find that they do not have a safe place to live. The Initiative aims to tackle that. It is a digital plan of a share-house that will be built for ex-prisoners to call home. The aim of The Initiative is to create a feeling of freedom, contrasting with the prison. This is done through architectural properties, such as open plan living. I brought this design to life in The Home. The idea behind creating the concept models is that it makes the building plans real and believable, as though this concept could easily be implemented  into everyday lives. The last stage of connecting with society; a job. By making The Office, I incorporated parts of The Initiative’s design into the space, to make it feel like the workers are in a safe, supportive environment, conducive for productivity. I specifically had a focus on incorporating flora into this design, utilising outdoor space in the inner-city suburbs. The next work, The Workplace, is a concept model of The Office. Within these designs, I wanted to focus on how the environment plays a role in this process. I wanted to interiors of all buildings to feel flexible, safe, and comforting, while also creating a place to rebuild trust.

 A common material used between all models was plywood, which creates cohesion between models, just like the stages of this rehabilitation process, however, I wanted to contrast the plans between each, utilising both manual and digital drawing, ensuring that these planning drawings are different. To create some variety in the exhibition, I made the photography series, Buildings of Hope, where I aimed to showcase both extraordinary and mundane architecture, and demonstrate how important humans are in creating life in architecture. I contrasted colourful, simplistic digitally drawn figures on top of my black and white photographs, conveying to the viewer that architecture is nothing without human life. The next variation was the paintings, The Reflection, inspired by Mark Rothko. These emotive paintings symbolise interconnectedness, as when put together, they form one large painting. Each of the paintings are connotated with one of the three buildings, further connecting this process between the 3 structures.

Through developing this exhibition, I have gained both architectural skills and structural critical thinking. I have been able to understand how design can be utilised to form a solution to a problem. My exhibition aims to encourage viewers to think about the architectural spaces they use in their lives - home, school, train or even the bathroom, and how it makes them feel. To me, architecture is more than just buildings and structures, it’s a way to solve problems and convey emotions, exactly what I am trying to achieve in my exhibition.