RED

By Aysel Anami Olya

Student Life

“If one says ‘Red’ (the name of a colour) and there are 50 people listening, it can be expected that there will be 50 reds in their minds. And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different. - Josef Albers, Interaction of Colour (1963)

Colour is a gateway for expression; bundles of thoughts and emotions depicted through a single hue. Red, one of the most vibrant occupants of the colour wheel, is nothing short of a visual representation of intense passion. Whether it be through the depiction of love or by implicating anger and war, it establishes its presence like no other. Take a minute to think: what does the colour red truly represent? The same question was asked of the grade 12 Visual Arts majors, whose beautifully curated exhibit “RED'' is currently displayed in the Wave Gallery.

The exhibit explores the themes, ideas, and associations with the colour red. The artists were asked to depict a reflection on how they view the colour red through mediums of their choice. Their pieces range from paint, textiles, sculpture, and digital media.

Yukki Jiang and Jorge Cruz Toro’s collaborative piece depicts the colour red as “a yearning to do everything. Where one craves to achieve so many things that they overlook what they are doing in the present and end up ruining it.” The artists have created an animation that presents this feeling of yearning through visual elements. Jiang and Cruz Toro add an element of self-composed music to the composition, displaying the synchronised lyrics and animation side by side in the gallery.

Josef Albers’ idea- see quote above- is reinforced as Phillip Novikov’s textile piece takes a different approach and utilises the beauty of fabric to showcase his associations with the colour red. Novikov’s artwork portrays the colour as an intense swarm of emotion, allowing the observer to determine if it is anger, hatred, or love. The fabric portion of the piece hangs from the ceiling and walls then finds its way to drape over a mannequin. A cardboard box acting as the head of the mannequin holds a collage of different facial features, further strengthening the artist's theme of being overtaken by an emotion.

Through the beauty of the colour red and the varying meanings it holds within individuals, the construction of a multitude of unique pieces came to life. For those wanting to reinforce or absorb new takes on the colour red, these individual and creative pieces found in the “RED” exhibit will be up in the Wave Gallery until winter break.

2023 - A.A.Olya