An Ocean of Strangers

High School Illustration

2026

Chelsea Kim, Surrey, BC
Program: Studio Arts
School: Earl Marriott Secondary

This artwork uses an underwater subway scene to illustrate the pain of social alienation. The main character's heavy diving suit symbolizes the isolating armour used to survive in a society where they don't fit. A crowd of goldfish represents regular society, using collective pressure to push the misfit out of the group. This forces the character into the tentacles of a looming octopus, which represents the internal burdens, chronic anxiety, and fear of judgment that come with being different.