WCAAD Student Art Projects of PORTFOLIO PREP/Advance Teen Art Courses (5)

Student Name: Irene Zhou

Title: WOMAN 

Work type: Installation art

Category: Fine Art

Size: Approx. 10ft x 10ft

What does it mean to be a woman?”

Why should women be subjected to stereotypical roles of motherhood and housewives, unrealistic beauty standards, or societal expectations of a “female”? Why is there pink tax? Why does the idea of nuclear family still remain in the minds of many today? Irene’s questions her role in society and her responsibility as an artist to engage and question societies reluctance to change gender roles.

“As an advocate of the female community, I created WOMAN. “Her” torso hangs from above by a thread (the way women are often compelled to live), we can see her battered body revealing its patches of hidden sorrows… The image of Marilyn Monroe evokes how women were viewed as sex symbols in the past; this notion prevails today as female celebrities get sexualized by fans and women get catcalled on the streets. The money cramped within her abdomen symbolizes how women are expected to have successful careers while also being loving mothers who bear children. As Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022; it became apparent that our country is still more conservative than we thought.”--Irene Zhou

Inspired by James Turrell's multiple works of perceptual art, Irene incorporated lights and fabrics in her installation to produce a disorienting ambiance. She also emphasized modern elements like Andy Warhol did with pop-cultural colors in his contemporary pieces to resemble advertisement strategies as women like Monroe were exploited as the epitome of female beauty and sexuality, such historical events instituted public consumerism of this standardized persona of a “female”. The space of induces response much as a consumer product does. It is almost theatrical, stereotypical and in your face as the themes of inequality linger in the atmosphere intended to act like a commercial, as if women exist for others’ attention (a modern take on Debord’s theory of the Spectacle).

Student Name: Kendrick Lee

Title: Utensils of Life

Work type:  sculpture(clay fake teeth, acrylic)

Category:  fine art/3D

Size: 15x9

There is a history of fine art sculptures that use utensils, including sculptures made from silverware and decorative, non-functional utensils designed as nonfunctional. Kendrick Lee creates a sculptural artwork that is surreal and encompasses the idea of utility, consumerism and our mortality among other complex ideas.  The work has humor, eroticism, and psychological aspects, exploring themes of identity. It subverts the utility of the object we are most familiar with exposing the inward body with outside items with parts of the human body spliced and manipulated into common goods that are used for nourishment.

At the time of this concept Kendrick was unaware of the work by a surrealist in the 1930’s. You can say the work can be compared  with Méret Oppenheim's surreal sculpture titled Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure) 1936, which consists of a fur-covered teacup, saucer, and spoon.  Using the pelt of a Chinese gazelle she covered a cup and saucer with fur to negate and render the object useless.  

This work was produced by Oppenheim when Picasso joked with her about wearing a fur covered bracelet she made. Picasso said to her anything can be covered in fur. The idea of something we employ with utility, symbolism, status, and other Signiant relevancies questioning normalcy with ideological and cultural expectations of touch versus taste can bring the viewer into contemplating an inner dialogue. 

Both these works create tension from the familiar, comfort and a domestic use that is used to sustain us especially as it goes into our mouths with intimacy.  Kendrick understands the element of depiction and exposing our most vulnerable parts used as  something that sustains us, now is destabilized with the disturbing visual, scale and tangibility and familiarity.

Student Name: Grace Yang

Title:  Rebirth

Work type: Oil on canvas

Category: Fine Art/Illustration

Size: 16x16

Art can often explore the theme of death and rebirth through visually impactful imagery through cinema, sculpture, paintings and so on. Artists often play with symbols or metaphors instead of a direct depiction due to the sometimes-darker theme and or subject matter and have share a message. Influences can range from various cultures and eras as these can relate back to ancient divine narratives to contemporary visual allegories. Art can connect time and space for a modern retelling of these present-day pictures. 

Grace Yang’s artistic interpretations of death and rebirth characterize her intrigue to provoke, and hold captivate the audience in engaging them to stop and look at the picture deepen through contemplation of mortality, youth(beauty), and the gaze the figure engages with the viewer. 

According to Grace, this painting is about how pain and beauty can exist in the same body. The ribs are open, the skin torn, and the crows are like agents of decay, feeding on what’s left. Yet inside the chest there are flowers blooming suggests that even after being hurt, something gentle and alive can still grow from the wound. The figure’s calm and distant expression make it seem like they’ve accepted this process of being broken down and transformed into something new.

Student Name: Bryce Lim

Title: Spindle creature from the animation “Encounter”

Work type: animation character sheet

Category: animation 

Size: varies

A character design page, or model sheet, for animation is a crucial reference page that showcases a character's complete visual identity. It provides animators and artists with the information needed to maintain consistency throughout a production, featuring detailed illustrations of the character from various angles and in different states. This can include facial studies and extreme emotional articulation 

In this character (creature villain) design sheet, Bryce depicts a series of variations that show the character from multiple views to establish their three-dimensional form and proportions accurately. This poses sheet can showcase the character's body language and how they typically move.  Finale design includes a clear concept of the character's look, personality, and role. Draw expressions creates key emotional range. 

Student Name: Ashley Xiang

Title: POS:)TM

Work type: Design

Category: Industrial Design

Size: Variable

Ashley Xiang has created a welcoming Kiosk named POS:)T. The :) is a happy face correlated to happier experience. A kiosk machine in a college campus is intended to welcome new and existing students, staff and visitors. This welcoming kiosk on a campus is an interactive, self-service station that provides essential information and services to help them navigate the university life and feel inclusive.  Overall, the most important aspect in the kiosk is to lessen anxiety and depression. Her design is intended to be sleek and approachable with in the college. The user experience showcases supporting visuals and graphics.

The kiosk features like a multilingual option for international students and visitors. Braille and headphone jacks. Text-to-speech functions for visually impaired users. Interactive maps and directories help users find buildings, classrooms, offices, and other facilities, simplifying orientation for first-time visitors and prospective students. Events listings and schedules for extracurricular activities, sports, and performances. Emergency alerts and safety updates. Important announcements, such as class cancellations or deadlines, access to student services.  

Student Name: Jonathan Chu

Title: Tisk

Work type: Entertainment Design (Environment)

Category:  Entertainment Design

Size: variable

In this concept world for entertainment design (game, animation, live action, or theme parks) set in the late Twenty-First century Siberia, Jonathan Chu writes about a world confining itself into tighter settlements as the poor rely on wealthy individuals for protection.

Surrounding this city-tower, heavily mined regions leave an abundance of toxic debris. By isolating themselves, the Officials, primarily powerful traders, run this chain of towers as each city generates material from the poor population. Food supply and other resources are all managed by the leaders as currency is eradicated and replaced with trade. Zoya, the protagonist, grew up as an orphan in Tower-B as her area primarily mines coal from the nearby mountainous region. Realizing the secret abductions of her loved ones who were deemed "radical." Her choice to defect from the heavily guarded city meant her lifestyle as a scavenger followed with discoveries of other tribes. With her new goal to destabilize the Officials and loot the trade lines to provide the poor.

In the environmental designs Jonathan attempts to emphasize Zoya's life by taking inspiration from industrial complexes and slums as it gives a peculiar yet impoverished setting. Located on the base of the tower, height is significant to show the hierarchy from poor to rich. He considers perspective, color and compositional design to create a theme and mood. 

Student Name: Alice Zhou

Title: Transylvania Brochure

Work type: Graphic Design brochure

Category:  Graphic/Illustration Design

Size: 6x12

Inspired by all things“gothic,”AIice created a fantasy advertisement brochure graphic for Vampires looking for a city without pesky humans in Transylvania. Her process mostly consisted of painting digitally to make this artwork handheld. According to Alice, “I wanted to make everything seem as believable as possible, I did so with the help of references. After I finished designing, I printed the piece out imitating the feel and size of a brochure.”

The word "gothic" refers to three separate, yet, related concepts: medieval architectural style, literature from the 18th century, and a modern subculture we see evolve in movies, music games, anime/animation and other visual and performing arts. The term's origins trace back to the Goths, a "barbaric" Germanic tribe in the Roman Empire. During the Renaissance, Italian writers dismissively applied "gothic" to medieval art, contrasting it with classical styles. This art style is characterized by dark themes and decaying, menacing settings that create an atmosphere of mystery and play with the human psyche and fear and myth. 

As this project developed, I know through our conversations that not only should this concept need an idea, illustration and fun, but to be a 3 dimendional and interactive to drive the imagination for reception.

Student Name: Vicky Du

Title: Human/Insect Hybrid 

Work type: Clay sculpture

Category:  Sculpture and Creature Design

Size: 12x4

From her original story, Vicky designs and tells us about a scientist and her world. She has not only designed but created a 3D artwork submitting a complete 2D and 3D design.

Raised in an era dominated by technology and pollution, Nemora was passionate about reviving endangered species. After her tribe was wiped out by humans, she used years of research on an alien species to conduct experiments to revive her clan. Eventually Nemora encounters divine tree of life, and with this she obtains the trees benefits and experiments to revive her tribe.

Nemora- 23 years old takes revenge on the humans who wiped out her clan. She revives the people of her tribe, turning them into mutated animal, human hybrids. This discovery of a regenerating species allows her to use the plant to conduct various experiments. Nemora dedicates her entire life to perfecting these creatures.’

Creature description: 

June- Test23

Human/Insect Hybrid

Species- Phoridfly

26 yrs. old prior to transformation

Student Name: Stella Wu

Title: The Growth of Cavity

Work type: sculpture with acrylic, resin, wire, foil paper

Category:  Fine Art

Size: 5x9x20

The imagery of a tree to symbolize the negative growth driven by choices with our capitalist consumer culture. Specifically, the idea of eating sweats. and junk food, with roots hidden deep within and decaying our teeth.  This disturbing images of things that are chewed up like gum, candy and other foods, serves as a reminder of how these habits silently shape our health, leaving a lasting yet often unseen impact in our bodies. Not to mention what we consume that often gets unnoticed or unchecked like micro -plastic or food dyes that are bad for us.

Stella Wu’s conceptual sculpture on tooth decay, moves beyond a simple 2D illustration to communicate the physical, psychological, and social impacts of the condition and our obsession to sugar. This artwork employs indulgence, metaphors and unexpected consequences of addictions to sweets. Materials were chosen to make the visual the process of decay tangible and alluring and evocative. Key concepts to represented in this art explore several themes related to tooth decay, which include pain and vulnerability, purity and preservation.

On a more critical level this art can also speak on the inequality of health care. It can be a critique on social and economic disparities leading to poor dental health effects for certain populations.

Student Name: Emily Wu

Title: Masks

Category:  Illustration

Emily Wu: “Inner + emotion = masks, My inner emotions and thoughts remain perpetually covered by layers of masks, cycling endlessly through every passing day. They line up automatically to repeatedly take over my face, like obsessions taking turns forcing me to play the roles etched upon them. I have no idea when I might step out of this cycle, but repeat this endless loop ad infinitum until that moment arrives.”

(By Omar Gallegos，WCAAD Vice Principal and Director of Education)