Second DISD vernissage enchants visitors

With the title "Art: I do! I can!  I am!", the DISD vernissage celebrated its second edition of the art exhibition at the German International School Dubai in Academic City on February 15th. "The title of our vernissage invites us to think more closely about what art and art teaching can achieve," said head of the art departement Dr. Barbara Mayrhofer-Diaw, opening the vernissage. "Art is a universal language that connects us and interprets the world around us in a unique way. I am delighted that we have so many creative talents at our DISD," said General Manager Sener Erkol and congratulated the art teachers Dr. Barbara Mayrhofer-Diaw and Walaa Tawfik on the successful exhibition. "Their passion and commitment have inspired our student to further develop their artistic skills. Thank you very much for that!"

A particular focus this year was on identifying with art and engaging with art historical contexts. The fantastic portraits of the 11th graders showed how to artistically place themselves in other works of art and relate them to themselves. The eleventh graders integrated their own portraits into well-known portrait paintings and thus identified with the artwork. The photographic tableau vivants of the 12th graders also fulfilled this aspect of identification in a special way. The twelfth-graders had studied selected works of art in theory and then imitated the content of the picture by re-enacting it. By using modern objects from everyday life, they expanded the composition of the picture and linked the old works of art with their current lives. The photo exhibition delighted the visitors.

The large paintings with colored pastels by the eighth graders were also met with enthusiasm. The colorful sea creatures on black paper opened up the sensory and sensual experience of contrast and illustrated the effect of color on our perception.

"Of course, art lessons also particularly promote critical thinking and the often-cited problem solving," explained Dr. Mayrhofer-Diaw. Our fifth-graders demonstrated their problem-solving skills with their kinetic sculptures. After weeks of work, they tried to make a simple wire with small objects as weights balance on a base until it moved around its own axis while balancing on its center of gravity. They also had to find a suitable name for the sculpture and think about and formulate what brings balance and happiness to their lives. "This higher-order thinking, which is so important here as part of the Progress practice, was given a special significance in this art project," explained Dr. Barbara Mayrhofer-Diaw.

The fact that student students also learn fine motor skills in class was demonstrated by the exhibition of linoleum plates from Year 8. Activities such as drawing, cutting and painting promote the development of dexterity. This skill was encouraged by printing and cutting out the motifs from the lino plates and the impressive results were one of the exhibition highlights. "If your child wants to become a doctor one day and has to demonstrate the finest dexterity during the complicated surgical procedure, then they will need precisely this fine motor skill, which we train here," explained Dr. Barbara Mayrhofer-Diaw. In addition to the fine motor skills, the vernissage was impressed by the diverse achievements of the art lessons. Different materials and techniques were used to enable sensory experiences and promote cognitive skills and critical thinking. The 6th graders experienced touching, feeling and working with a wide variety of art materials with their clay works and were able to experience an ancient cultural technique at first hand.

An interactive art program with remote-controlled cars encouraged people to create together. The remote-controlled cars driven by visitors drove through blobs of paint and left colorful traces on a surface. This process-driven art form is part of "chance art" or "process art" and the collaboratively designed artwork now adorns the entrance area at the stairs to the upper floor of the secondary school.

The exhibition of our young artists from the kindergarten and the art CCA at Primary School celebrated its premiere. The mussel group had studied Jackson Pollack and their pictures, painted just like him, were inspiring. The starfish group painted their version of Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt and presented their works to the enthusiastic visitors in the foyer.

The following video shows the wonderful works of art.