The IB Visual Arts Diploma Exhibition this year found itself pushed out of its main venue Tikkurila IB World School auditorium.

The reason was the already notoriously familiar Covid pandemic that rescheduled the whole world. This time also it was the needs of the many that outwaved the needs of the few. School musical Siivet was forced to move their premiere forward and the only time slot available was IB visual arts show.

Since performance and audio based works are already established genres of visual art it was only natural that our smaller group of visual artists stepped aside to the crowded staircase of the school with our show in favor of the winged spectacle.

Under the title Emergency Exit we delivered game design oriented murder mystery installation with a crime to solve (Polina Porshakova.) Painting in the highest academic style with history painting, religious pieces, a group portrait and still life themed animation (Kira Kharitonova). Under the stairs was a lair decorated with old cathode tube TV:s,printed photographs and LCD displays showing the mastery of movie directing in the spirit of Tarkovski (Ivan Ermak).

Architecture, male gaze, gender identity issues and their links to animal kingdom were researched in painting and sculpture (Ren Nurminen). Pop art proved also to be live and kicking with paintings of Thai popular culture as well as Lichtenstein inspired dot painting and occasional corpses and sculls blooming with flowers and butterfly wings (Janika Särkinen). Thanks for visiting the show and hope you find us next year too – wherever the art might be!

Text: Juha Rantanen
Images: the artists