13-19 ArtPrize 2025

I recently submitted my piece, titled ‘Vaccumes’, to an art competition. It explores how many parents discourage their children from pursuing the arts because they see it as ‘financially unstable.’ The child is pressured to let go of their passions, and the vacuum represents those dreams being pulled away before they can fully take shape. The yellow hand pulling the puppet symbolizes parental control, while the faceless puppet reflects the loss of identity that comes from giving up one’s true aspirations.

This artwork was actually based on a piece I created for my N-level art exam and honestly, I think my N-level version was stronger. I didn’t win this time, but that’s okay. I was in a rush, so it isn’t my best work, and there are definitely things I want to improve: the composition, the rendering, and especially achieving a smoother line art. I plan to redo this piece so it better captures what I originally envisioned.

Even though the whole process was stressful, it was also surprisingly fun. It kind of reignited my passion for art after being stuck in an art block for a while.