“I create [art] around subjects that I naturally gravitate towards.” – Momo Yang (‘24)
“I love the freedom to create. In the world of art, there are no rules.” – Bianca Withers (‘24)
On January 11th 2024, the art exhibition of Momo Yang and Bianca Withers graced the Library stairway. The diverse array of paintings, sketches, and designs uncovered the astounding talent of both artists.
Bianca
The piece “Buenos Aires: A Postcard” was inspired by Bianca’s bittersweet memories of her time living in Argentina, and she painted as a way to “keep a little bit of Argentina with [her].” She explained, “I could’ve painted my house or my school, but I felt that it wouldn’t encapsulate my whole experience…Painting this piece was quite difficult, not necessarily because of the technical skills required, but the question of what to paint.” Bianca left Argentina right before COVID, and didn’t get to say goodbye to anyone or anything. She explained that she hasn’t returned ever since, so painting this piece as a reminiscence of her time in Buenos Aires has been extremely meaningful.
One of Bianca’s favorite pieces, “A Compilation of Chronic Doodling,” was created by looking through old notebooks and finding random doodles. “Sometimes I feel like I can’t help but create art. If I have a piece of paper and a writing utensil, I will doodle on the page instinctively,” Bianca explained.
Bianca started art when she was five years old, and developed a passion for it after she was inspired by a classmate in fourth grade. “She was a really good artist and all I can remember is thinking that I wanted to be just like her. Ever since, art has become one of my main hobbies.”
Bianca described this piece as one of her favorites, and explained how she loved getting creative with watercolor. One of Bianca’s favorite aspects of art is the creativity that it allows, which is reflected in the various mediums and styles that are exhibited in her collection, such as oil paintings, sketches, sculptures, watercolor, and photography. “My art is a product of my current interests. Perhaps that’s a theme in itself,” she said.
Visual Arts Chair Ms. Wepsic described, “Bianca’s art has always been full of patterns and detail…Bianca came into the studio when we were wearing masks each day and keeping some distance. Although there were barriers, she diligently expressed her unique concepts and worked towards finding her style and creativity.”
Bianca explains that after coming to Bishops, her artistic palate has definitely expanded, and she was able to explore “non-traditional” art. She said, “I feel like having an art exhibition is essentially closure. It’s a way to showcase my progress and show how my art has changed throughout just three years.”
Momo
“Momo’s art has always had a certain mysterious look and easily transports you to a new realm of reality. I noticed this from day one years ago,” Ms. Wepsic said.
“‘Star’ is a digital painting of this blenny fish I would watch all the time in the Science Center fish tank last year. Blenny is very dear to me,” Momo said. “I think I’ve always been making art, but never that seriously….I’ve been trying to work more on making art that has meaning to me.” The comfort of the deep blue and magenta hues of the painting perfectly encapsulates the value the fish holds for Momo.
Ms. Wepsic explained, “If you know Momo, you know what a kind and caring heart they have. This is clearly reflected in their relationship with art.”
This piece, titled “Boy and Cat,” was the most meaningful piece to paint for Momo because the art medium that they used, acrylic paint, was something they weren’t as used to. “The art medium I’m most comfortable with is digital art, which comes with perks like togglable layers and an undo button,” they said. “The process of making it was a sort of test of my painting skills…I tried painting with acrylics for the first time, which was quite ambitious for me. The physicality of paint and playing around with mixable colors was really fun, and I like how it turned out.”
Ms. Wepsic explained, “There is a consistency in both their work ethic and mannerism. What has developed is their openness to trying new media and approaching art with ambition and grace.”
Momo explained how they create art around subjects that they naturally gravitate towards, and animals have been a through line in their showcased pieces, despite Momo having no original plan to stay true to one theme.
Another one of their favorite pieces, “snail,” incorporates a geometric yet simple style, and the girl’s silhouette exquisitely matches that of the bug on her hand. “‘Snail’ is quite a fun piece in general…it turned out much nicer than I thought it would,” Momo said.
Ms. Wepsic concluded, “For anyone who doesn’t know Momo or Bianca, they should. It’s hard to explain but both of them are so clearly their own person that they support anyone feeling confident to be themselves. Their art clearly reveals aspects of their personalities and shares that with all of us. I’m thankful they chose to exhibit this year.”
