Doha British School (DBS) recently inaugurated the IB Art Exhibit, an annual event curated by IB Visual Art students from the school’s Sixth Form Centre.

The exhibit highlights a wide selection of original fine art, photography, graphic arts, fashion & textile design, and 3D movie animation, the school has said in a statement.

The art exhibit "showcases the students’ learnt techniques and skills and how they are able to translate these into wonderful pieces using varied media such as oil paint, fabric, clay or digital platform".

“All the students have an individual theme for their work, something that they decided themselves and are passionate about. This exhibit is an integral part of our two-year IB Visual Arts course and worth 50% of the student’s final grade,” said Katie Dearden, subject leader of Art.

“The students have really tried to communicate their ideas through their artwork and create an insightful experience for the viewer. The standard of work improves every year and we are really proud of what our students have achieved,” added Dearden.

When asked about her piece, Haanin Shafeegue, a Year 13 student, said: “My exhibition presents a journey through human emotion. I strongly believe mental health is a topic that has to be talked about especially in these current times. Due to the pandemic, many people are at their breaking points. The journey that I am portraying finishes with a happy ending to show people that there is always hope and love that can guide you outside of your negative space.”

Also joining this year’s exhibit are Year 11 GCSE Fine Art & Textile Design students, some Year 12 students, and DBS’s representatives to various art competitions in the country.

“For my work, I combined the job that doctors and nurses do and the fact that superheroes save lives. I love how it turned out as it looked action packed and had a good meaning behind it: doctors and nurses are out there saving lives during the time we are stuck inside,” Garv Kalera, a Year 8 student who participated in the BSME Art competition.

"Without Covid-19 and all the restrictions, the annual IB Art Exhibit must have been celebrated with much fanfare, food and gathering. Needless to say, this year has been exceptionally challenging and yet, the works presented in the exhibit were nothing short of outstanding," the statement noted.

“I am extremely proud of the work of our students. These pieces that we see here are not only a reflection of how excellent our students are, but also a testament of their character and resilience during these trying times. At DBS, we set high expectations and standards for our students. These pieces of work are a result of hard work and commitment both from the wonderful teaching staff at DBS and our dedicated students. We can see how our students critically process ideas and how these ideas are then translated practically into these amazing works of art,” said Paul Sherlock, principal at Doha British School – Ain Khaled campus.

Doha British School’s Sixth Form Centre offers a diverse learning pathway – IB Diploma, BTEC, and AS/A Level.

“Through the IB art course, I personally liked following a set-out theme in making my artworks as it gave me a sense of direction throughout the journey. Although meeting deadlines was tough every so often, it helped me manage my time when it came to submitting my artwork. Even with a high workload, I managed to complete it all because of this rigorous course,” said Dina Fraihat, Year 13 student.