Graduation - An Art Event by Oddball Emma

Graduation - An Art Event by Oddball Emma

What's your real passion?

My life has always been split into two halves; my formal training, and my true passion: art.

I graduated from my Bachelor's in Computer Systems Engineering in 2021 with the click of a button. The physical ceremony itself had already been delayed because of the pandemic, and my parents didn't make it due to a tornado warning that day. (Talk about bad omens.)

It was really hard for me to fulfill a ceremony for what I felt should've been my biggest achievement to date without the support of the people who pushed me to pursue a prestigious money-making degree over an art degree.

To put it lightly, I was crushed that day, and the accomplishment felt so empty. It still hurts to think of.

While I still work in tech to this day to pay the bills during a hard economic time, I'm simultaneously heavily pursuing my art career, and have never felt more inspired and happy.

With Graduation, I want to mark a milestone for my art career so I can truly absorb my accomplishment and feel it completely, surrounded by friends and family, in a way I never got to for my degree.

Graduation will feature all of my paintings from the last decade, which tell a story through time: my blood, sweat and tears while finishing my engineering degree, my struggles in love, identity, and self-worth, coupled with the degrading state of the world and society.

Despite all that, my work portrays an edge of defiant optimism through their colourful palettes and through their observation; through the cathartic act of creating, I give these hard and dreadful feelings space and invite others to feel them too in order to move beyond them into somewhere more hopeful.

Graduation, hosted by Oddball Emma in conjunction with Anyu Sun and Dawn Ball-Piatkowski from Arlington 5, will be a soiree with an air of celebration. There will be:

• Original works by Oddball Emma for sale, including paintings, sculptures, and other original pieces
• Finger foods (including vegan and gluten-free options)
• Cash drink bar (alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
• A dance hour near the end of the event

So, come dressed in your best graduation apparel and let's celebrate! 🎉

Host or Publisher Emma & Arlington 5 (Anyu Sun/Dawn Ball-Piatkowski)