Year 7 and Year 9 students recently had the opportunity to venture outside the classroom to visit the mammoth 11th Annual Shanghai Biennale Art Exhibition, titled, “Why Not Ask Again”, which featured 102 separate exhibitions within the Power Station of Art complex in the former Puxi-Side Expo area.

This year, the exhibition’s theme focused on art concepts exploring the contrasts between “Peace and Conflict”, with over 100 artist exhibitions over 3 floors. Students explored various and sundry types of art ranging from mixed media art, to “live operatics”.

Year 7 students had a staff organized trip which focused on large scale art installations, with the intent of introducing the younger students to alternative and non-traditional forms of art that would be seemingly unusual. One noteworthy exhibition was a two story “crash site” of a large aircraft. Students were able to walk inside of the ‘airplane’, and descend a staircase from inside down to the second floor of the exhibition.

Year 9 students toured through exhibitions that were equally non-traditional, experiencing live-performance art, through actors who were, themselves, constructs of art. An additional exhibition was experiential, meant to be appreciated without the sense of vision. Curious students would walk into a room, and sit, and experience art, through flashing LED lights, entirely with their eyes closed.

Many of the artworks explored themes within the concepts of peace and conflict, challenging the students to face realities existent in the world using art as a medium to connect real-life experiences with the viewers. 

The art exhibition tour was meant to help students start off some of their own independent projects, and to provide sources of inspiration on how they might explore different forms of art in accordance with their capabilities and interests. Students at YCIS benefit from an education which provides them with tangible experiences to further enhance, and help internalize, the concepts they are taught. The YCIS international curriculum provides students with the tools to be able to confidently express themselves through mediums they are taught, so that they might be producers of art, rather than simply consumers. To learn more about the art programmes at YCIS, please click here.