Perfection for Profit
Sarah Chan, Singapore. “The monochrome hands represent the food industry’s morally ambiguous decisions in advertising and the polychromatic burger represents a perfect burger that exists only in advertising.”
Colorless
Nicole Liao, US. “In Africa, albinos are persecuted because their body parts are thought to have magical and auspicious powers that can be used for potions. Thus by presenting an albino kid caught in horror, a sense of isolation is created between people.”
Evicted and Refused
Miguel Azzopardi, Malta. “This is a comment on the plight of Syrian refugees who have been forced out of their country due to civil war and are being refused in other countries. The wire that wraps the painting draws emphasis to the multiple challenges faced by Syrian refugees.”
Vivid China
Max Shang, Australia. “The context of this sculpture is that I miss living in Australia. Being in China for 4 years, the aspects of living here have blended in with my ‘Australian-ness.’ This is represented throughout this art piece by painting red and gold – or Chinese colors – with several sculptures on the Sydney Opera House.”
Don’t Judge a Clown by His Facepaint
Kara Woo, South Korea. “This painting is supposed to represent the way that people have superficial personas that do not fully communicate their inner state of mind. The clown is supposed to be the epitome of optimism and light-heartedness; however, he wears a grim expression and doesn’t seem to be enjoying the act of creating balloon animals.”
Do We Even Notice?
Hedda Olsson, Sweden. “Factory workers bear dirty, unhealthy, and unsafe working conditions. As foreigners, we come to China and relish in the luxuries we can have, sometimes at the expense of not noticing those around us. My painting shows images of factory workers against a wealthy foreigner wearing the fruits of their labor.”
Dear Mr. Trump, My Name Is Annesta Batuwangala and I Am American
Annesta Batuwangala, US. “My painting focuses on the US presidential election and the impact it may have on the American minority population, which includes my family. The small megaphone represents the voices that may not be heard because of President Donald Trump while the people in the background in the US represent all existing minorities.”
Photos courtesy of Western Academy of Beijing
