AZLAN KHAN VISUAL ARTS

MYP IV
GLOBAL CONTEXT:
PERSONAL AND CULTURAL EXPRESSION PORTFOLIO
2023
UNIT 1 “UTOPIA AND DYSTOPIA”

UNIT 01

Key concept: Perspective

Related concept: Boundaries, Genre

Global context: Personal and cultural expression

SOI: We arrange certain elements to convey
meaning.

MYP IV
PORTFOLIO
 utopia
/juːˈtəʊpɪə/ “an imagined place or state of
meaning “no place” in the Greek perfection”

MOOD
language

BOARD
“UTOPIA”
a blend of green paraidise and
architectural perfection

My idea of a utopia would be of a

society that consists of a paradise-like
natural blended with advanced human
technology and architectural prowess
co-existing together to form a superior
living space and environment for
human beings. I see this ‘blend’ to be
the best description of an idealistic
utopia - as technology and human
advancement would not affect the
world negatively, but instead positively
resulting in a more peaceful and
equal world.
 An imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-
apocalyptic

MOOD
BOARD
“DYSTOPIA” dystopia
/dɪsˈtəʊpɪə/
However, my idea of a dystopia would be a
wasteland environment, devoid of life and
vegetation, with twisted imagery and
withered trees, to illustrate death and
suffering. Dystopia to me is everything
utopia is not; cruel and barren.

I wanted to represent gas masks in my

dystopia as people wear gas masks when
the world itself is toxic, leading to suffering
and difficulty of survival. I also chose an
arachnid-like monster to sow the monstrous
and foul things that inhabit my Dystopia.
These factors are what I believe define
Dystopia for myself.
chaos, punishment & suffering
 DYSTOPIA
To further understand the concept of ‘utopia’ and ‘dystopia’, I created
two acrylic paintings on canvas exploring their respective themes. In
doing so, I was able to explore my own personal artistic potential and
measure in regards to the themes and concept at play.

For the utopia painting, I created a landscape incorporating futuristic and

idealistic architecture amidst a picturesque green space. In parallel with its
UTOPIA
theme, this allowed me to show a beautiful and ideal living space for humans
as well as a clean, green and liveable world.

On the contrary, my dystopia painting was all the opposite of this, showing
pure chaos and human dystopian fear in every form.
UNIT 1 “UTOPIA AND DYSTOPIA” CONCEPT

In this process sketch, I heavily wanted to evoke emotions of fear in my

UTOPIA & audience , hence, I tried my best to include images and items that would
DYSTOPIA do so. For instance the large and closely placed spider, isolated gas mask
and desolate background truly present everything conceptually behind a
dystopia. All these elements evoke feeling of desolation, melancholy and
Merging together the solemness - all of which are exactly the opposite of a utopia.
themes of utopia and
dystopia meant presenting
a struggle between the COLOR PENCIL PROCESS EXPLORATION OF DYSTOPIA
human desire to achieve
utopia and the fear of never
reaching a point of eternal
dytopia on Earth.

This meant that I had to

ensure that my final
outcome presented a
balance between these two
parallels, with one not over- CONCEPT SKETCH
powering the other.
I wanted my final outcome to
present a battle between
utopia and dystopia.Upon
conducting research, I found

MYP IV
that the human obsession to
reach a utopian experience

PORTFOLIO and level on Earth is

unattainable, and in doing so
we may be creating a
dystopian reality instead.
FINAL
OUTCOME
“UTOPIA AND DYSTOPIA”

My final outcome incorporated and further built upon the utopian

and dystopian themes that I had researched and already artistically
expressed.

I wanted to illustrate the human struggle in reaching utopia, which

requires the construction of ideal and futuristic architectural
buildings and element while maintaining a green and serene

“ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 24‘ X 12“ DYSTOPIA”

surrounding landscape - both of which are incredibly difficult to co-
create.

Hence, in the search for utopia, one may actually be closer to creating
his/her own dystopia through invisible contributions to global
warming, perhaps political unrest and thus, chaos.

I represented the following in my artwork by showing an ascending

pair of stairs merging the two worlds of utopia and dystopia. It was
important to showcase my painting in first person as this allows the
audience to feel the personal connection between the message in my
painting in regards to its respective utopian (clear skies, futuristic
architecture, green landscapes) and dystopian (fire, chaos, fear,
spiders, gas masks which signal apocalypse) themes.
UNIT 2 “CULTURE AND CELEBRATION”

UNIT 02

Key concept: Aesthetic : Aesthetics deals with the

characteristics, creation, meaning and perception
of beauty and taste. The study of aesthetics
develops skills for the critical appreciation and
analysis of art, culture and nature.
Related concept: Visual Culture

Global context: Personal and cultural expression

SOI: Exploration of various mediums and tools can

advance aesthetic styles and structures.

MYP IV
PORTFOLIO
 UNIT 2 “CULTURE AND CELEBRATION”

ARTIST SHID R

“RED CARPET SERIES”

RA
REPORT

AN
A
Rashid Rana is a Pakistani artist who has a
reputation in the art world for his unique and
groundbreaking artworks. Rashid Rana’s
artwork includes regular paintings, stainless
steel sculptures, photo mosaics, etc. He was born in Lahore, Pakistan in 1968 where he still lives
and works. The National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan,
and the Massachusetts College of Fine Arts in Boston, USA,
respectively, provided Rana with his painting instruction at
“TOGETHER ALONE SERIES”
the start of his artistic career. In addition, he founded the
Fine Art department at Beaconhouse National University in
Lahore, Pakistan, and serves as its director of faculty.

Rana is a well-known artist in Pakistan and around the

world. His artwork has been shown in many exhibits and
auctions.
 UNIT 2 “CULTURE AND CELEBRATION”

Rana is a well-known artist in Pakistan and around the world. His artwork has been shown in many exhibits and auctions. His distinct style of
painting, which combines a variety of media and tackles modern, international issues, has solidified his standing as a major player in the art world
Rashid Rana’s artwork tackles a number of subjects, such as...

Urbanization: Common problems like urbanization are addressed in Rana's works.

A few of his artwork blends the sleek lines of minimalism with the architecture of
“VEIL SE
skyscrapers to contrast with Lahore's modest streets and residences RIE
Faith: Themes of faith are also explored in Rana's works. He reinterprets aspects

S”
of art and cultural history with traditional Muslim daily life.
Tradition: Rana's paintings address topics of tradition. Traditional Pakistani
handicrafts and elements, such the Persian carpets, are included throughout his
paintings
Politics: There is a political aspect to Rana's works. Some of his artwork also
addresses topics of protest and disturbance.

Rana’s work also addresses everyday issues. He creates diverse media

such as painting, collage, photography and installation to express
these concerns and issues.
UNIT 2 “CULTURE AND CELEBRATION”

CULTURE
To illustrate cultural pride and personal
expression, I included the traditional food,
pottery making and cultural celebrations of
the Pashtun people, an ethnic group of
people that I am part of.

MYP IV
PORTFOLIO
 UNIT 2 “CULTURE AND CELEBRATION”

I decided to use these photos in my collage as they are places, where my family is from. The
picture on the left is of the town Hangu, where my mother is from and the picture on the
bottom right is of Abbottobad, where my father is from. The picure of Faisal Mosque on the
right is one of the most symbolic places in Islamabad, which is where I was born, hence, as
an ode to my own cultural upbringing Islamabad, its importance was quite significant.

PROCESS WORK
HANGU, KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN
I decided to create my work digitally because,
that is the way my chosen artist Rashid Rana FAISAL MOSQUE, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN
creates his art, digitally. His way of photo
collages interested me the most as I
particularly liked the way he portrayed personal
stories through his artwork.

MYP IV This was also my first time working digitally with art. While I was inspired
PORTFOLIO heavily by Rashid Rana, I was also eager to learn how to use Adobe
Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop to create artwork.
ABBOTTOBAD, KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN
FINAL
OUTCOME
“CULTURE AND CELEBRATION”

Digital photo-collage rendering made utilising

Adobe Photohop and Adobe Illustrator.

For my final piece I decided to make a photo

collage of Faisal Mosque, with differing singular
photographs of places and cultural expression
and moments in both Hangu and Abbottabad,
the two towns where my mother and father are
originally from respectively. I chose to do this
as it would represent my family’s culture.

Together, these small images come together to

form a larger photograph of Faisal Mosque, a
landmark in Islamabad, where I was born and
majorly identify with.

This artwork also further illustrates the idea that

while I live in Islamabad and was born there, my
cultural roots are what make me who I am,
which is something I should not forget and
deeply celebrate.