It's our first art exhibition

Two high school students in Abu Dhabi present works from their advanced placement studio art portfolios. Rania Habib reports

In an explosion of colour, social themes and blossoming creativity, Zoe Ogilvie and Caitlin Rieckhoff tackled mobile phones, music and flowers in their first art exhibition, Exodus.

Graduating high school students from the American Community School (ACS) in Abu Dhabi, Zoe and Caitlin presented pieces from their advanced placement studio art portfolios along with other favourite works at the Cultural Foundation's Delma Corner from May 18 to 24.

Zoe centred her artwork around the culture of mobile phones in our society, and entertains the question of whether mobile phones are accessories to people or if people have become accessories to their mobile phones.

"The mobile phone was everywhere when I arrived in Abu Dhabi two years ago," says Zoe.

"It's quite different here in the UAE, compared to when I lived in Australia, where I didn't have a mobile phone. When I came here everyone said I had to have a phone, and you see that everyone from shaikhs to taxi drivers have mobile phones."

At the opposite end of the spectrum of life, Caitlin's artwork revolved around how flowers are involved in society, in birth, life and death.

However, the bulk of her exhibited works deal with random topics ranging from music, something that Caitlin says inspires her enormously, to carefree summers, maths classes and fear.

"I had my start in the arts thanks to my art teacher," says Caitlin. "I was a really crazy middle-schooler, and art was the only class I enjoyed and that I kept. For a couple of years I didn't have art class, I would switch into it because I would be stressed out without it."

Art loses out to academics and sport
Caitlin, who will leave the UAE for the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, Canada, does admit that while arts in the UAE schools are not given precedence, they do allow students to explore.

"Our school isn't really gung-ho about arts; academics and sports always take a stand higher," she says. "People do enjoy it, but it's put to the side because people don't really know what to expect from high school artists."

Zoe, who will go to college in New Jersey to pursue an international relations degree, has always loved having art on the side as a means of expression.

"At our school, we have a pretty good fine arts department and even a new fine arts building," she says.

"But in the UAE as whole, I don't think a lot of attention is paid to the arts, which was the same in the small town where I lived in Australia.

"I wish it was better especially in the school system here, because I know people at other schools who do art but not as much as they want to. I'd love to see that improved."