DREAMS
by Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School Students
May 2021
DREAMS is an online exhibition created by students in the Art Club and NAHS at Southeast Raleigh High School. Students proposed and voted on topics they would like to work with and put out the call to other students, and the theme of the 2021 exhibition, Dreams, emerged. Students’ interpretations of the theme deal with wishes, goals, nightmares, the subconscious, and surrealism among others.
The Visual Arts Department and art students at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School have partnered with Anchorlight to provide students with opportunities and community connections in the arts. Since 2018 Anchorlight has given space, physical and virtual, to students to curate exhibitions around themes that are important to them. SRMHS offers a wide variety of courses, in both hands-on and digital arts, as well as IB and AP classes, brings artists into the classroom, and connects students to the larger Raleigh arts community.
A Flutter Away
by Aaliyah Destry, senior
Ditigal Collage
I wanted to capture my creative and indestructible character in a surreal piece.
Myself and I
by Asia Curtis, senior
Digital Painting
This is a surrealist digital painting containing elements from my past and my present. This Image is mainly about me holding onto the past and my realization of certain events.
Upside Down
by Ava Pendergrass, sophomore
Digital Collage
This is a surrealist piece conveying how I believe my mind would look if you could see it.
Elucteria En Su Cama De Flores
by Citlali Garcia, sophomore
Acrylic Painting, 11”x14”
The name of my piece is "Elucteria En Su Cama De Flores." Translation: "Elucteria In Her Bed Of Flowers.” This art piece is about my grandmother named Elucteria. She lived in Mexico alongside my grandfather Alfonso. When I was younger, I heard stories about her, because of difficulties in Mexico my mom had to emigrate to the United States leaving her whole family behind. I was born and raised here in the United States, I never got to meet her, and I couldn't talk to her because she didn't speak Spanish at all, she spoke our native language in Hidalgo. Sadly, before I even got the chance to go to Mexico and meet her in person, she passed away on January 21, 2019. When I heard the word “dream,” I instantly thought about her because this is how I saw her in a dream of mine, in a bed of flowers resting. In my dream I remembered trying to reach her, to hold her for a few seconds to finally meet her and give her a hug. She looked peaceful sleeping. I then illustrated this dream into a painting.
Pichicken
by Brittney, sophomore
Stop Motion Animation
When I think of 'Dream' as a theme or concept, I mainly think of wacky things happening in a wacky setting. Just something happening that is not normal. I didn't know how to make something that was simple to do, yet carries a message to the viewer. I also had the problem/fear of just making something messy or just bad overall. I made something that is recognizable (the chicken and pickle sandwich) and just kinda moved it around. There is at least one dream that one person has had that has objects talking or moving around...that might be just me but it fits.
The best way I can explain what the meaning of it is is that even if it shouldn't exist or it's not pleasing to the eye, cherish it as it is.
Glass in the Middle
by Jayden Rolling, senior
Digital Art
This piece is showing the idea of longing and separation. As well as residual discontent. The feeling of being separated from what you long for as if there is a barrier between you and that something. Trying to reach for it but eventually giving up because you know you'll never reach it. You'll always be on the other side of the glass. The death of a dream; an elusive dream.
Monster Piñata
by Joselin Perez, sophomore
Papier-mâché Sculpture, 20” x 16” x 9.5”
This is my monster piñata. Usually, when you have a dream with a monster, it is a bad dream, a nightmare. My monster does not look like a scary monster though. That is because my thought process behind this work related to the movie Monsters, Inc. In the movie, monster Sully becomes friends with Boo. What I am trying to say with my monster is that he is a monster but not a bad monster. He is a happy colorful monster that you can be friends with.
Bottleneck
by Ian Rosales, junior
Film
Bottleneck is about guilt and memory. It's about how the past can come back to haunt us and manipulate our minds into fearing our environment. I wanted to do a film because I want to be a filmmaker, and through this theme, I am able to utilize surreal, dream-like imagery that I love in other films to create my own. I was inspired by films such as Rosemary's Baby, Repulsion, Carnival of Souls, Persona, and all the films of David Lynch. This film really came to me due to the restraints of budget and the isolation of the COVID pandemic.
Paradise Queen
by Madison Jones, senior
Digital Collage
In this surrealist piece, I guess the butterflies mean I'm free spirit. The background is outdoors, like a rainforest has alot of nature and waterfalls. In my option the rainforest is a good place to meditate. I wear the crown because I'm a leader and not a follower. I have a lot of people that look up to me, and I always stay on top. In my head I run the world; the world is mine like Nas said. The snakes are there Because I have enemies all around me 24/7. Evil lurks behind every corner. There are people out there who are jealous of me and will try to bring me down. The square is my wall that I have built up so those demons can’t get me. The white whole in my mouth means there is pureness inside of me. The Red eyed tree frog blends in with the tree making it hard for their enemies to see them. Their bright colors are a defense mechanism, so when their eyes open their enemies get scared. The Iguanas use their tail for balance. I know i'm young, but I go through so much BS in this place we call life; it ain't easy being a black individual. I’m always looking over my shoulder, you gotta balance everything society gives you...when in the long run I just wanna live happily.
Untitled
by Kyra Brice, freshman
Digital Collage
When I was thinking about the theme “Dreams,” I thought of the goals/dreams you set for yourself in your life. So I made a collage of my goals I’ve set for myself.
Fight to Survive
by Maria Luisa, sophomore
Digital Collage
So Many times, I dream of a place where I'm alone with creatures. I dream that I'm happy there and have no contact with humans. For me, I really Like that dream because that is what I want to do in real life; just have time to myself far away from humans in the woods. In that dream, I am in my own world. A world I created. It is like something you don’t ever want to wake up from, but you have to go back to reality once you do wake up.
Untitled
by Nataliy D., senior
Digital Drawing
My piece can be considered to be on the nightmare side of dreams. My thought process was trying to show the fear of spiders. My piece shows me screaming because I'm terrified of the spider that's coming. Which is a nightmare in itself.
Untitled
by Nataliy D., senior
Digital Drawing
Like my other drawing, this drawing also falls under the "Nightmare" side of things. My piece is meant to show what everyone fears: not having control and just giving up and essentially "falling" from the sky. I started off knowing I wanted my character falling from somewhere and went from there. I'm trying to show the feeling of being alone and feeling that we will just give up and take a leap.
Dare to Dream
by Oreoluwa, senior
Digital Photography
As a kid I often buried myself in my mind, and I would transport myself to places that I couldn't dare to be in reality because doing that undoubtedly brought me peace. The photo of me in the image was taken last year which was arguably one of the worst years of my life. I felt every bit of chaos and uncertainty the world had to offer and one of the few things that kept me sane was my mind. So, whenever I felt anxious, I would close my eyes and go to the very place I always went as a kid. And that surely brought me comfort again. Sometimes the impossibilities of dreams can give a sense of peace that you would never have imagined.
Let It Sink In
by Perla Marielvis Gerez Hernandez, senior
Sharpie Drawing, 8.5” x 11”
This drawing was about how I usually feel when I'm dreaming, about feeling observed and so very little in the immense space of subconsciousness. The fishbowl represents what I'm dreaming. The girl drowning inside of it is my persona, with a distorted sense of scale and priority. The hands holding it are a part of the fishbowl, as these were the facts holding what will appear in my dreams. The eye is just a way of portraying being watched or observed from above.
Chasing the Light
by Perla Marielvis Gerez Hernandez, senior
Pencil Drawing, 8.5” x 11”
This is a lighthouse that is able to move and decide the fate of sailors lost in a storm. It is winged and eyed, as angels are usually portrayed. My thought behind it was how our consciousness usually punishes us in our dreams for what we feel guilty about. What I tried to say with this is kind of a critique of how quick we are to judge and neglect aid to whom we don't think is worthy of it.
demO city
by Sanity, senior
Digital Drawing
A dystopia, a bad future of what used to be a bustling city now overrun by the works of technology and the work of someone with one thing in mind. The darkened atmosphere leads to a nightmare, a dream gone wrong, with only one focus: the center is watching you. The process behind this piece was to create a nightmarish sort of realm with wires taking over, along with a building representing something towering over you. Not all dreams are positive. Some can be warnings of a possible future.
Nulls Forest
by Sanity, senior
Digital Drawing
The perspective: a nightly world that is forever darkened, illuminated by those who live there and the crimson trees. This is a world that is involved with a dream, as everything goes dark, only your true desires, dreams, and thoughts light the way. The thought process was to create a world similar to earth but different in a way, having a dream vibe with a forest that never seems to end, a path with no destination. Dreams continue, showing us a path which would never truly end. Even in dark, when everything seems lost, dreams will show the way.
The Perfect Reality
by Sarah Stamenos, sophomore
Digital Art
This work represents the "imagination” and how our brain can alternate thoughts to confuse the person, leading to a state of not knowing if it is reality or fiction. This work has to do with dreams. It is no longer necessary to be awake to imagine things that are not there. My ideas / thoughts behind the work were that I had to make my perspective of a reality similar to that of Alice in Wonderland, but with less sense. What I want to "say" with this work is that the imagination can take you wherever you want if you really want it.
Algo Abnormal
by Sharytin Hernandez-Mireles, sophomore
Digital Collage
This work is a surreal way to express dreams. This is a mix of my dreams, memories and fears.
The Anxious Lobster’s Internal Life
by Trace Savage Howard, junior
Mixed Media, 18.5” x 34”
With this piece, I’ve taken inspiration from multiple dreams I’ve had over the course of my life which contain or represent important people and events that have shaped my childhood. Annual beach trips, spending time with my grandparents, playing in creeks with my brother, and trips to art museums, all of which have been represented with this composition. The way dreams create a loose assemblage of our memories is a uniquely beautiful and sentimental experience, and my goal was to physically manifest it. I wanted to create a deeply personal look on the things and people I hold dear to my heart using found and natural objects which bear great significance to me. I’ve included mementoes to my loved ones and other people who have shaped my life for the better, including my late great grandmother, Helen, whom this piece is dedicated to for the wonderful inspiration she has given to me and my family.
The Little Elf and the Mushroom Caps
by Trace Savage Howard, junior
This piece was initially inspired by a dream that I had and a stain that I noticed on one of my shirts. I took this idea and gave it more depth by pondering the events that took place around the time that the dream occurred. My pet rabbit had passed away recently, and I had been spending time working in my family's garden to cope with my grief. I've dedicated this artwork to his life and the cherished memories he gave me.
Untitled
by Trace Savage Howard, junior
Digital Collage
With this piece, I am attempting to convey the hectic and dreamlike trance that is found when walking through a forest. Unamenable creatures and odd sounds surround your narrow, wooded path, as you try to make sense of the chaos around you. It's beautiful, all of the wonderful animals and foliage that whiz past, the atmosphere it creates. Like a dream, it looks like a random assortment of strange pieces unconnected by reason, like vines wrapping from tree to tree, a butterfly landing on your head and immediately taking flight again. So dense and indiscernible, it is difficult to view it all at once, individual sights must be plucked and studied: the river is difficult to comprehend, but the salamander nestled beneath a rock can be understood with one quick look. You're glad to leave its claustrophobic grasp, but delighted by the disorienting experience, and giddy to reenter once again, this roller-coaster of dreams.
Untitled
by Anonymous
Digital Collage
A compilation of all of my thoughts, like the explosion in the background, or the blender logo out of my head. I think it is related to the dream theme because of how weird it is. I had a lot of ideas and inspiration, but because of time constraints and technology during the time, I wasn't able to achieve what I wanted to, but at least I have the image. I am just trying to share my thoughts.