04-24 08:57发布于安徽
CISH Students Excel at 2025 WAS Culture Festival in Changzhou
April 18-20
From April 18th to 20th, students from the Canadian International School of Hefei took part in the Wycombe Abbey Culture Festival in Changzhou – a three-day celebration of creativity featuring music, visual arts, and theatre. The event brought together International and Chinese schools from across the region to showcase talent and connect through the arts, and CISH students shone brightly on this international stage, particularly in the Visual Arts category.
In a competition featuring outstanding submissions from talented students across multiple schools, CISH artists achieved exceptional results, winning both first and second prizes in all four categories they entered.
The Award Ceremony was a proud and emotional moment, as students stepped on stage to receive their accolades in front of peers, judges, and proud teachers. The sense of accomplishment and joy was shared not only among the winners but by the entire CISH community.
• Benny Lee (Grade 10) earned First Prize in 3D Sculpture Installation Art, showcasing his ability to transform complex concepts into a compelling physical form.
Artist Statement: Homo Sedens presents an exploration of the contemporary human condition, illustrating the relationship between individuals and their sedentary lifestyles. It depicts a man physically merged with a chair, symbolizing the pervasive and often unconscious integration of passivity into daily life and invites refection on how modern conveniences and technological advancements have fundamentally altered human behaviour and identity.
The man in Homo Sedens is not simply seated; he is consumed by the chair, representing how urban living have led to a lifestyle dominated by inactivity, where the act of sitting has transcended mere functionality to become an intrinsic part of human existence.
The merging of man and chair can also be interpreted as a loss of agency, where individuals become passive participants in their own lives, confned by invisible societal structures, questioning whether humans are truly in control of their destinies or merely adapting to the conditions imposed upon them.
Homo Sedens is a statement on the present human sedentary condition. My sculpture stands as both a testament to contemporary life and a prompt for change. It is not merely a critique but also a call to action, encouraging viewers to reclaim mobility and agency in their lives.
• Jane Choi, a 2023 CISH graduate, returned to represent the school and won First Prize in Photography for a powerful and emotive photographic series that left a strong impression on judges and viewers alike.
Artist Statement: In Biodiversity (Vanitas), I explore extinction, dominance, and the fragile balance of life through a photographic meditation that draws on the symbolism of Vanitas. A collection of skulls and fossils – birds and mammals to prehistoric amphibians – rests before an open book, Codex Extinct Animalia, a fctional yet plausible study of forgotten species. A human skull looms over the others, symbolizing our species’ immense infuence over nature, a monument to intelligence, power, and, paradoxically, our own vulnerability.
A simple, unadorned wooden cross hangs above the book, hinting at the weight of human belief systems and their historical role in shaping our relationship with the natural world. A snake slithers across it, an ancient symbol of knowledge, temptation, and cyclical renewal. This interplay speaks about humanity’s complex dynamic with nature: reverence, exploitation, and the constant struggle between dominion and coexistence.
The fossilized remains whisper of deep time, reminding that while extinction is natural, its acceleration is unprecedented.
Biodiversity (Vanitas) refects on our place in this continuum, where themes of Vanitas – life’s transience and the inevitability of decay – are ever-present. Like the relics of lost species, we, too, may one day become mere remnants in the codex of lost species.
Jane also displayed two of her painting made during her two-year studies in the New Brunswick Visual Arts course.
1:
Artist Statement: Island Rebound is a refection on ther esilience of Earth’s landscapes, inspired by the satellite image of Akimiski Island in Canada. From above, this landforms appears as a dynamic interplay of shifting tides, sediment fows, and organic textures – an island in constant dialogue with water.
Through layered pigments and circular gestural strokes, I sought to capture the rhythms of erosion and renewal that shape its shores. The muted blues and earthy tones echo the delicate balance between land and sea, while abstracted patterns suggest the hidden forces at work beneath the surface.
Island Rebound, part of my Earth as Art series, reinterprets satellite images of Earth as both a meditation on natural cycles and a testament to the planet’s resilience. By transforming satellite imagery into an expressive visual language, I explored our world from a new perspective – one that recognizes both its fragility and its capacity for renewal.
2:
Artist Statement: Untitled is a tribute to the breathtaking complexity of the Tibetan Plateau, where ancient geological forces have sculpted a landscape of astonishing textures and contrasts. From a satellite’s vantage point, the plateau appears like a vast canvas of ridges, valleys, and lakes, woven together in a dance of time and terrain. My interpretation distils these elements into a tactile composition, where layered pigments mimic the undulating topography, and shifting hues– deep reds, greens, and cool blues – convey the plateau’s rich diversity. Untitled – part of the series of works “Earth as Art” reinterpreting satellite images of Earth – balances between abstraction and topography, presenting the land not as a static entity but as a constantly shifting force shaped by time, wind and water, and embodies both the enormity of Earth’s geological history and the quiet, intricate beauty of its smallest details. It is not just an abstraction of a place; it is an attempt to translate the immense scale of geological time into something intimate and human. By reinterpreting satellite images through the language of paint, I aimed to create an intimate portrait of our planet – one that reminds us of the unseen forces shaping the landscapes we inhabit.
• Eva Shi (Grade 7) won Second Prize in 2D Painting (Junior), impressing the panel with her chromatic courage and balanced composition.
Artist Statement: The Bathtub captures a moment of quiet introspection, where a girl reclines in water, her upper body emerging as the only warm patch of colour in an otherwise cool-toned world. The painting’s controlled, deliberate brushwork creates a sense of stillness, reinforcing the atmosphere of solitude. The contrast between her warmth and the subdued surroundings heightens the feeling ofisolation, making her presence both central and fragile.
The bathtub acts as both a sanctuary and a boundary, a space that ofers comfort while also enclosing her. The water, smooth and undisturbed, refects the stillness of her thoughts, suggesting a moment of deep contemplation.Light interacts subtly with the surface, yet its glow does not fully extend beyond her, emphasizing an internalized world where emotions remain contained.
This painting explores the tension between warmth and emptiness, presence and detachment. The fgure, partially submerged yet distinct, exists in a liminal state – neither fully immersed nor entirely separate from her surroundings. The Bathtub linger in this suspended moment, contemplating the delicate balance between solitude, refection, and the quiet persistence of warmth.
• Saskia Koropp Gill was awarded Second Prize in 2D Painting (Senior) for her evocative piece that explored the journey from transition to fnality. Unfortunately, she was not able to attend the Award Ceremony.
Artist Statement: Charon’s Final Crossing envisions a moment beyond myth, where the familiar cycle of passage has ended. The boat, once a vessel for countless souls, now sits empty and anchored for the last time on the golden shore. The shore is silent. Charon’s Final Crossing is no longer just a personal journey – it is a refection of the end of humanity itself. For millennia, the ferryman has guided souls across the river, an eternal witness to the passage between life and death. But now, there are no souls left to ferry. The golden shore, textured and grounded, suggests the remnants of what once was, a fnal trace of existence. Above it, the vast unbroken blue; a sea without travellers, an eternity without purpose.
The absence of passengers shifts the focus from movement to stillness, from transition to fnality and transforms the boat from a vessel of transition to an artefact of extinction. Without souls, the ferryman himself may vanish or he may now drift alone, forever waiting for passengers who will never arrive.
In Charon’s Final Crossing I’ve tried to capture a haunting stillness –where the end has come, yet time stretches on. It is not just about what comes after death or even about death being conquered – it is about the silence left behind when there is no one left to die.
The standard of competition was exceptionally high, with each participating school presenting artworks of remarkable creativity and quality. That made the success of CISH students even more meaningful.
Beyond the competition, CISH students also engaged in the Art Seminar hosted by the event organizers – a thought-provoking gathering that brought young artists together in dialogue.
They participated in spirited discussions on pressing and complex topics such as:
• Should art be a competition?
• What should art education look like in the future?
• How should we view contemporary art and the dynamics of the art market?
• What is the role of AI in art creation?
• What do young artists envision for their future?
These conversations allowed students to refect deeply on their artistic journeys and philosophies, enriching their festival experience and fostering cross-cultural dialogue with peers.
Participation in the 2025 WAS Culture Festival was not just a triumph in terms of awards, it was a testament to the creativity, intellect, and passion of CISH students. Their success refects the school’s dedication to nurturing artistic talent and encouraging students to think critically and express themselves meaningfully through the arts.
Congratulations to all our participating students and their mentors for representing CISH with excellence, creativity, and thoughtfulness in the 2025 WAS Culture Festival in Changzhou.
A Monumental Triumph of Musical Excellence: A Glorious Evening in Changzhou
On Saturday, April 19th, our student musicians made a lasting impression during the festival’smusic competition. Performing in the Chamber (Senior) Category, our ensemble The Red Hot Chickens – featuring Carol Rebelo Medeiros De Barros, Colton Wang, Pietro Ciccarelli, Chris Kim, Bowen Yang, Laetisha Lee, and Minjoo Kwon – delivered a polished and powerful performance that earned them frst place. Their blend of musicality, teamwork, and stage presence captured the spirit of the festival.
In the Piano Solo (Senior) Category, Aileena Wang and Chris Kim impressed with two standout performances. Aileena’s expressive interpretation of Chopin’s Etude Op. 25, No. 1 showcased both control and emotion, while Chris’s performance of Reminiscence demonstrated remarkable musical sensitivity and technical skill.
Meanwhile, in the Solo Performance (Intermediate) Category, Hu Chenyanxi (Dorothy) wowed the audience with her classical guitar performance of Albéniz’s Asturias. Her confdent playing, clarity, and emotional expression made her one of the highlights of the day.
The music competition was a key part of the Wycombe Abbey Culture Festival and a true celebration of student artistry. Our students performed with focus, fair, and a deep love for their craft, representing CIS Hefei with pride and passion throughout the weekend.
Sunday, April 20th Spotlight on Creativity
Theatre Lab at the 2025 WAS Culture Festival
On Sunday, 20th April, fve students from the Canadian International School of Hefei took part in a vibrant and inspiring Theatre Lab at Wycombe Abbey School, Changzhou, as part of their annual Arts Cultural Festival. This marked the fnal day of an exciting weekend in which 14 of ourstudents participated in visual arts and music competitions, showcasing their talents alongside peers from schools across the region.
Representing our school in the Theatre Lab were Minjoo Kwon (Grade 8), Hana Ge (Grade 10), Laetisha Lee (Grade 10), Pietro Ciccarelli (Grade 11), and Morris Hung (Grade 11) – each of them fully engaged in the opportunity to explore and grow as performers.
The Theatre Lab ofered a rich variety of drama experiences through three dynamic workshops, each led by a diferent specialist.
The frst session, An Actor Prepares, was rooted in the techniques of Konstantin Stanislavski.
Students explored the idea of “being in the moment” through partner movement exercises, engaged with a powerful monologue, and experimented with performing it in a range of locations around the school—creating powerful and varied interpretations shaped by space and emotion.
The second workshop introduced students to poi, a performance art that blends rhythm, movement, and coordination. With focus and creativity, students learned the basics of spinning and timing, discovering a new physical language of expression.
The fnal workshop focused on melodrama and improvisation. Students embraced bold characters, big emotions, and spontaneous storytelling, challenging themselves to think quickly and perform with energy and confdence.
Throughout the day, our students demonstrated enthusiasm, courage, and a genuine love of learning. They represented CIS Hefei with pride, creativity,and curiosity, bringing their voices and talents to the wider arts community.
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