IB Visual Arts HL case studies
IB Visual Arts HL · Put your knowledge to work in context.
IB Visual Arts HL is the Higher Level route of the Diploma Programme's portfolio-based arts subject, taken over two years and assessed entirely through submitted coursework rather than a written examination paper. It suits students who want sustained, self-directed studio practice - whether or not they intend to study art at university - and it is normally chosen as one of a candidate's three HL subjects. The IB Visual Arts HL case studies are 5 cases and about 2,854 words.
1The Biography-Heavy Comparative Study
An HL candidate has 14 screens in a comparative study comparing Frida Kahlo’s The Two Fridas (1939), Kahlo’s Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940), and Shirin Neshat’s Rebellious Silence (1994). Six screens narrate Kahlo’s bus accident, marriage and politics; two screens list formal elements; one screen places the works side by side; two screens quote museum websites; three screens connect the works to the candidate’s own self-portraits.
678 words, about 3 min2The Unverifiable AI Source
An HL candidate’s comparative study has 12 screens and compares three works: Utagawa Hiroshige’s Plum Estate, Kameido (1857), a 2023 AI-generated image made with Midjourney that imitates ukiyo-e, and a 2019 photograph by a named contemporary artist. The AI image is cited as ‘anonymous digital artist, midjourney.com’.
596 words, about 3 min3The Portfolio That Looks Like a Mini Exhibition
An HL candidate submits 22 process-portfolio screens. Fourteen are high-resolution photographs of finished paintings, each with a title and size.
529 words, about 3 min4The QR-Code Process Portfolio
An HL candidate working in digital animation and projection has 19 process-portfolio screens. Seven screens contain only QR codes linking to Vimeo time-lapse videos.
503 words, about 3 min5Twelve Works, Nine Slots
An HL candidate has 12 resolved works: five large oil paintings (120 × 150 cm), three ceramic sculptures, two digital prints, one collaborative video installation, and one unfinished painting. The school gallery has 18 linear metres of wall, no ceiling suspension, one power outlet, and is locked overnight.
548 words, about 3 min