Louisa Wirawan

Theme: In Search of Hope

Distinction, School Category, 2021

Artist statement:

There is a duality in this illustration; I have tried to depict the persisting hope and vividness of life that patients try to keep, but also the long-drawn wait of finding a donor which can lead to the weeds of the garden of hope choking out their spirit. The bright colours depict the persistant hope in life that one in need of organ donation has, how they wish for a chance at life without boundaries. Though the wait is often long and the journey is ridden with obstacles, the garden of hope blooms. The patients continue to look to the stars and search high and low for their chance. Yet as the search for an organ donor ends up fruitless, this hope starts to twist, rooting them in place in reality. Stuck in a limbo of continuing to hope for a better life, the weeds, that depicts their real situation of the difficulty to find a donor, start to grow. Ultimately, this piece represents the fact that hope continues to persist.

About the Artist

Louisa Wirawan, 18
River Valley High School