School of Visual Arts presents “Between Two Thoughts,” an exhibition by current students and recent alumni featuring innovative approaches to conceptual art. Curated by Richard Brooks, assistant director of SVA Galleries, the exhibition will be on view Thursday, July 10, through Wednesday, August 6, at the SVA Chelsea Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th floor, New York City.

Influenced by Sufism and Eastern philosophies, BFA Photography student Yasaman Alipour transforms everyday objects into mysterious, thought-provoking sculptures. For her sculpture All That Remained, the artist removed pages of a book and rolled them into tiny scrolls of text that spill out from the book’s middle.

Anthony Donatelle’s (MFA 2014 Fine Arts) wall sculptures examine the viewer’s role in completing the artwork. Using commonplace materials such as painter’s tape, rubber bands and steel hardware, the artist creates deceptively simple abstract objects, offering open ended interpretations for viewers.

In her video and color photographs, MFA Fine Arts student Sarah Johansen explores how the microcosmic world can allude to something larger. The imagery in her video From the Suburbs of Cassiopeia resembles a colossal galactic event, when in fact it is simply draining bathwater. Similarly, in the accompanying prints, what seem to be celestial bodies are actually microscopic images of the human body.

MFA Fine Arts student Rebecca Kuzemchak presents exquisitely executed black-and-white drawings. For On Spectacle, the artist presents the entire book The Society of the Spectacle in 49 beautifully hand-copied sheets, inviting viewers to reconsider literature in a digital age.

In a series of short videos, Andrea McGinty (MFA 2014 Fine Arts) combines found and hand-shot footage to present devotional tools such as crystals, incense and candles accompanied by pared-down personal narratives. The provocative texts flash across this spiritual imagery, unapologetically detailing intimate relationships, sexual encounters and private confessions.

Ryan Vahey (MFA 2014 Photography, Video and Related Media) presents a series of mixed-media sculptures composed of free-standing wooden boxes, each containing peep holes that reveal elaborately constructed interiors. Using multiple layers of glass, photographic transparencies and paint, the artist creates disorienting environments that play with scale, perspective and perception.

Art Vidrine (MFA 2014 Fine Arts) presents two works, each engaging the viewer in a subtle and unexpected manner. ”Influence” is a series of aerial photographs documenting the reciprocal impact of natural and manmade systems on the landscape. Gaze is a minimalist, interactive wall sculpture created to enhance reflection in the act of looking.

Exhibition

Between Two Thoughts

SVA Chelsea Gallery

Reception