There are no babies’ faces. No scenes of conflict. And only one image of rock ‘n roll.
Instead of doom and gloom, this year’s Emerging Talent 19 — the annual showcase of Grade 12 art in School District 43 — takes on a more positive tone than in years past.
The juried display that opened Sunday afternoon holds pictures of animals and people — often zeroing in on their eyes — as well as cultural references and other colourful, friendly themes.
Evergreen Cultural Centre visual arts manager Gregory Elgstrand, who worked with intern curator Dionne Mok of Riverside secondary school for the project, said he’s surprised by the submissions.
“There is a sense of optimism and personal reflection this time around,” he said.
Among the artists with work selected by retired art teachers Jerry Pietrasko, Keith Levang and Kelly Selden — on behalf of SD43’s Local Art Teachers Association — is Olivia Zeng.
Despite the contrasting media and subject matter, the 17-year-old Gleneagle secondary student has her two pieces exhibited side by side: Harvest Dance, a 48 by 36 inch oil painting depicting a happy scene in a Chinese village post harvest (a nod to her mother) and Voltaire, a charcoal and graphite drawing of the French thinker based on a sculpture.
Like her peers, it’s the first time Zeng has shown her work in an art gallery.
And she said the opportunity gives her confidence to exhibit more especially as she builds her portfolio to apply for Emily Carr University of Art + Design, after taking a gap year after graduation.
Michael Kim, also 17, plans the same post-secondary path.
The Gleneagle student has three pieces in the show that take on such current topics such as gender orientation.
His painting Etc. was inspired after he tried to create a YouTube channel but saw there were only two ways you could identify yourself.
His Braver Than I Am, an acrylic and pencil work, focuses on his best friend proposing with a diamond ring in a public venue, with smartphones capturing the intimate and happy moment.
For Jason Kim, 18, a Port Coquitlam resident who’s completing his IB certificate at Port Moody secondary, he presents a Chinese folk story by way of sculpture. Like Michael Kim, he delves into gender issues and the consequences of a forbidden romance.
Selina Park, also 18, of Port Moody’s Heritage Woods secondary, also presents a modern dilemma — that of digital connection. Her Hysteria is an acrylic self-portrait of her panic when a smartphone battery runs low on power. Her face is ripped with emotional colour.
“It shows how we are so obsessed about our electronic devices these days,” said Park, who plans to apply to post-secondary art schools in the U.S. and Canada. “It’s comical.”
Meanwhile, the public can vote for its favourite Emerging Talent 19 work during the exhibit run. The People’s Choice contest closes Feb. 21.
