Portfolio Nikol Kapagian
Parts of me
The beginning of my journey into self-awareness. Left: Workbook page, Right: Final piece 150 x 140cm Materials: Photographs modified in photoshop, drawing in pencil, mirrors on plywood and spray paint.
Un-tidy
INSIGHT 1: I am not a girl not yet a woman. Left: Workbook page, Right: Final piece 100 x 50 x 120 cm Materials: wooden armature, newspaper, PVC glue, mirror, surgical gauge, wooden stilts, roses, clothes.
Final piece 100 x 50 x 120 cm
Subway world
INSIGHT 3: We can chose where we stand in a public place 180 x 50 x 200cm Materials: Metal base and bracket, plywood, oil tins, toy cars, cellophane, ribbon.
The ribbon
INSIGHT 5 : Polarisation brings on change. 50 x 70cm Materials: Acrylics on canvas.
EXPERIMENTAL WORK (Subway World) Materials: oil paint 130 x 90 cm 130 x 100 cm
Recycling Art
INSIGHT 6: No idea is unique; it can be evolved further. Workbook page Materials: wood, mirror, paintbrushes, newsprint, led lighting, chicken wire, acrylics.
Left: Final piece detail, Right:Final piece detail
Final piece
Helping Hand
INSIGHT 7: A helping hand leads us forward in our journey. Someone, somewhere will soon make a change. Workbook page Materials: wooden armature, newspaper, masking tape.
Left: Workbook page, Right:Workbook page
Left: Workbook page, Right: Final piece 50 x 70cm
Final piece 70x 110 x 110cm
EMOTIONAL TIPEX
INSIGHT 11: Transmuting deep emotions into colours. Final piece 50 x 70cm Materials: Photographs, tracing paper, paint roller, rubber gloves, ink.
Threads of success
INSIGHT 8 : Success is a tightrope experience. Left: Workbook page, Right: Workbook page Materials: Acrylics on canvas, wooden box, led lighting, cardboard boxes, mannequin hands.
Final piece, 180 x 40 x 110cm
“Karim, can I borrow your chair?�
INSIGHT 9: Assimilating knowledge changes our perspective. Left: Workbook page, Right:Workbook page Materials: Metal frame, strings, silicon
Final piece 200 x 50 x 120 cm
MALE Portrait: EXPERIMENTAL WORK Final pieces 100 x 60 cm, 70 x 50cm
Hidden reality
INSIGHT 2: Poverty and world hunger can be overcome. 100 x 60cm Materials: Processed found images on Photoshop printed on canvas.
Me & her
INSIGHT 10: When deep emotions are transmuted creativity is released. Left: Workbook page, Right: Final piece 110 x 80cm Materials: Oil on canvas.
My diary... The more mature I become, the more I see going on in the world. At least that is the impression that I have got over the past two years. As I learn more both through the media and through my artwork, which reflects the way I see the world around me, I am able to explore my own existence. Moreover, my study of a wide range of artists’ works has influenced me to adopt different styles according to the subject of my own artwork. This is clearly seen through the work that I have produced both for the IB visual art course and for my own benefit. My first project entitled ‘ Parts of me ‘ reflects a superficial view of myself and incorporates sketches, mirrors and photographs, all of which present a picture of my outer self. This work is mixed media and shows the way I looked at myself and the world at the time, without looking beneath the surface. Another significant piece of work for me is called ‘Untidy’, which is a stiletto heel made out of papier-mâché and is over one meter in height. Out of the heel there are clothes and underwear coming out that represent the increasing sexuality of a girl as she transforms into a woman. This piece was strongly influenced by a Greek sculptor called Pavlidis. In my work, I set myself new challenges with each piece that are reflected through the use of a wide range of media and the large scale of each one. Size has grown according to the visual impact of each piece, for example in the Recycling project, where the mirrors reflect the endlessness of art and creativity and how it is constantly evolving through recycling ideas and techniques. My Chair inspired by Karim Rashid has to be life size, as I felt that the simplicity of the fluid design could only be portrayed through a life size scale. The concept of movement and fluidity of form hanging in the air fascinated me. The Helping Hand… originated from the Greek myth of the Touch of Midas, which talks about transforming everything into gold through touch. This made me consider the valuable properties of the hand of an artist through which creativity and beauty are made. The hand becomes the symbol of life, creation, re-birth and acquires an additional scale and status as it embraces the viewer. The development of this is a two dimensional image that includes me and is more autobiographical. I have been looking at traditional artists such as Lucian Freud and Egon Schiele and more contemporary designers and artists such as Karim Rashid and Shirin Neshat. I am interested in the mix of old and new and how the painting techniques of different people can be applied through different subject matters. My main focus has been on expressing my ideas through a variety of media and using texture and ordinary materials in my work.