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Empowering Expression: ISKL’s Inspiration Art Collection Celebrates Student Voice

Inspire art collection collage artworks black and white

Many believe that art offers a window into the soul – a way to express what words often cannot. Here at The International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), our Inspiration Art Collection honors this idea by showcasing the creativity and voice of our Grade 12 IB Visual Arts students.

Launched in 2018 with the opening of ISKL’s Ampang Hilir campus, the collection is funded by ISKL’s Inspire Campaign, ISKL’s philanthropic program that enhances student experiences in academics, the arts, and athletics. 

Each year, one artwork is selected from the graduating International Baccalaureate (IB) Visual Arts cohort to join the permanent display. These selected works are exhibited in the Admissions Office lobby, offering an eclectic visual legacy of each graduating class and an engaging introduction for families exploring ISKL for the first time. Together, they reflect the evolution of student voices and creative expression over time.

The latest addition to the collection was painted by Yu Ting Fang (‘25). Readers can explore her work, along with each piece contributed since the collection began, below.

Almira Nathania (‘24) - “Berkembang”
Painting in a collection funded by ISKL’s Inspire Campaign, showing Indonesian batik elements with contemporary artistic influences.

Medium: Mixed media painting

This artwork expresses a cultural reconnection, weaving traditional Indonesian batik elements with contemporary artistic influences. The piece features moth orchids, Indonesia’s national flower, as symbols of transformation and growth. Inspired by specific batik motifs such as kawung, parang, and mega mendung, the composition reflects the complexities of a fragmented yet blooming identity and a renewed sense of cultural belonging.

Amanda Soo (‘20) – “The Generation Gap”
Artwork from The International School of Kuala Lumpur Inspiration Art Collection featuring black-and-white architectural imagery of a colonial Malaysian building with vibrant red and pink hibiscus flowers.

Medium: Photography and ProCreate

Layering a historic colonial-era building with vivid gradients and Malaysia’s national flower, this piece contrasts generational perspectives. The building signifies elders and tradition, while the hibiscus in the foreground represents today’s youth. Through its use of symbolism and digital manipulation, the work expresses how shared stories are interpreted differently across generations.

Beatrice Santos (‘22) - “Evolution”
Artwork from The International School of Kuala Lumpur Inspiration Art Collection using flowers to depict her growth.

Medium: Sculptural work

This piece focuses on the constant change in the artist’s identity as she experiences the world around her - not having a set identity, constantly learning, and evolving. She embraces her ever-changing identity and realizes that it is something for her to celebrate instead, hence the use of celebratory flowers. This flower imagery also implies the “blooming” and growth of her identity. She became honest with how she does not know what her identity currently is.

Carmen Graham (‘19) – “All the years to come”
Artwork from The International School of Kuala Lumpur Inspiration Art Collection featuring a young girl walking barefoot along a path surrounded by animals, flowers, and vibrant colors.

Medium: Photoshop

This digital piece contemplates personal growth and the uncertain path ahead. Animals represent the key people in the artist’s life, while a delicate glass path highlights the fragility of existence. The journey into the light reflects the unknown future, and the dripping colors symbolize the artist’s growing self-awareness and commitment to authenticity.

Keisuke Sakamoto (‘21) – “Epidemic Control”
Artwork from The International School of Kuala Lumpur Inspiration Art Collection featuring a vibrant favela with multicolored homes stacked closely together.

Medium: Oil on Canvas

This painting examines the dualities of life within favelas and the societal perceptions they carry. A wall symbolically isolates the community, underscoring how these spaces are often hidden and underserved. Yet through artistic expression and creative hubs, like those founded by figures such as Mauricio Hora, the work illustrates how art can spark inspiration and transformation within marginalized communities.

Riaan Ramachandran (‘23) - “Mind vs Self II”
Artwork from The International School of Kuala Lumpur Inspiration Art Collection featuring two weathered hands clasped together against a background of deep blues and blacks.

Medium: Painting

A continuation of themes from earlier works, this painting delves into self-image and the emotional complexity of personal growth. Vibrant colors represent a range of emotions, while the curved hands offer a message of hope. The central orange circle symbolizes inner confidence and light, capturing the idea that healing and strength can be found from within. The circular motif emphasizes the cyclical nature of life experiences.

Willemijn Hoge (‘18) – “Exhale”
Artwork from The International School of Kuala Lumpur Inspiration Art Collection of a young person submerged underwater, eyes closed, exhaling a stream of bubbles.

Medium: Unspecified

This piece explores the emotional journey of overcoming anxiety associated with relocating to a new country. Each bubble symbolizes the release of a negative thought or struggle, while the underwater setting evokes a sense of calm and stillness. The artwork reflects the process of letting go and finding peace through transition.

Yu Ting Fang (‘25) - “Sunlight”
A watercolor painting of a swan gliding through water painted by an International Baccalaureate (IB) Visual Arts student.

Medium: Watercolor on Paper

Inspired by the gentle movements of light across water, this painting portrays peace, rhythm, and reflection. A swan, representing spiritual connection, glides forward, bringing light into shadow. The piece serves as a metaphor for personal growth and the quiet strength found through overcoming life’s challenges, suggesting that light and harmony can emerge from within.

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