Calendar

Exhibition

Presented by BFA Fine Arts

Matters of Identity in an Information Age

February 8 - 25, 2025
Installation by Kylie Rah. The installation is set in a large room. A large foam sculpture sits in the center of the room and is in the form of a sphere with protruding attachments. There are other small sculptures spread out across the flor. A single dark blue-violet light sits in the corner shining on the objects. The overhead lights are off. Installation by Kylie Rah. The installation is set in a large room. A large foam sculpture sits in the center of the room and is in the form of a sphere with protruding attachments. There are other small sculptures spread out across the flor. A single dark blue-violet light sits in the corner shining on the objects. The overhead lights are off.

Installation by Kylie Rah

Installation by Kylie Rah

SVA Chelsea Gallery

601 West 26th Street, 15th floor, New York, NY 10001

Reception

Tue, Feb 11; 6:00 - 8:00pm

Upon walking into the SVA Chelsea Gallery, wall vinyl above the desk reads “Matters of Identity in an Information Age” and several large works on canvas are visible in gallery one.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Large paintings and mixed media work on canvas line the walls of gallery one. A sculpture of a man with feathers, a hanging installation, and two pedestals are present in the middle of the gallery.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

The title wall displays the title, curators, and run dates for the exhibition. To the right, a large painting and a small painting each depict partially rendered figures.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Five long vertical canvases with many small paintings on each hang on one wall. Blurry photos are layered behind them. To the right are two figurative drawings, and beyond them, two surreal figurative paintings.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

In the foreground, two glass globes on ceramic bases sit on top of pedestals. Each globe contains a wilting leaf. Behind them, a sculpture of a man with feathers and chicken legs slouches in the center of the room. Paintings hang on the back wall.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Many paintings hang on the far wall of the gallery. A sculpture of a man with feathers and chicken legs slouches in the center of the room, and to the right, a group of small white plastic sculptures are suspended from the ceiling.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Several large figurative paintings and one installation of sculptural drawings hang in one area of the gallery.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

A wide view of gallery one shows a range of paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

In one corner, two figurative paintings use neon pinks and greens in contrast with dark, blues and blacks. To their right, a red wooden sculpture displays a couple of small graphite drawings, while a box with drawn sides hangs below it. A horizontal canvas depicting figures, interrupted by green shapes, hangs beside.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Three paintings are hung in a row, decreasing in size from left to right. They all use faded grays, text, and symbols. The center painting reads “KANYE WEST” and contains a Star of David.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

In a corner of gallery one, a group of small plastic sculptures are suspended from the ceiling. Behind them, three paintings of varying sizes hang on the wall across from large mixed media works on canvas.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Three mixed media works on canvas hang in a row on one wall. Three paintings depicting imagery related to Christianity, white nationalism, and the United States hang to their right. Two glass globes sit on pedestals in front of them.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Three larger than life photographs of people in different outfits are displayed on a wall. Smaller framed photographs of their faces hang beside them. A line of framed sound wave images runs horizontally across the installation.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

A wide view of gallery one shows a range of photographs, paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works. The gallery’s front desk is visible at the far end of the room.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Looking down the right hallway of the SVA Chelsea Gallery, some works from gallery one are still visible. A painting of a woman’s face hangs on the very back wall of gallery four. A mixed-media textile installation hangs on the right side of gallery two.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

A monitor at the far end of gallery two displays a red, blurry image. On the adjacent wall, a large, sheet-like paper sculpture hangs next to a body pillow-like textile sculpture. Closer, several pink and yellow tools hang with a small dry-erase board.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Looking towards the monitor in gallery two, the sheet-like paper sculpture and pillow-like textile sculpture hang on the right wall. To the left, a pedestal holding a textile book sculpture sets beside two figurative sculptures.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Looking down the left hallway, works in gallery four are visible. Closer, a large sheet-like paper sculpture and a pillow-like textile sculpture hang on the wall in gallery two.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

At the other end of gallery two, the wall is filled with a large textile installation. On the adjacent wall, a green painting on loose fabric hangs beside two blonde wigs, squished flat in frames. Closer, a textile sculpture sits on a pedestal next to two figurative sculptures.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Looking towards the textile installation in gallery two, the painting on loose fabric hangs on the right wall. The pink and yellow tools and dry-erase board hang on the left wall.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Around the corner, a bluish-purple light glows in the gallery three alcove, among several organically shaped sculptures and objects. A painting on a woven substrate hangs in the right hallway, leading toward gallery four.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

A bluish-purple light glows in the gallery three alcove, among several organically shaped sculptures and objects. Across from the alcove, two stretched paintings lift off of the wall.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

A bluish-purple light glows in the gallery three alcove, among several organically shaped sculptures and objects. Across from the alcove, two stretched paintings lift off of the wall.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

A painting on a substrate made of large sheets of thin wood woven together hangs in the right hallway leading into gallery four. In gallery four, small square wood panels hang across from large portraits of women.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

In one corner, a portrait of a woman holding her hand up to block light from her eyes is painted in bright red and yellow. To the right of the painting, several small wood panels are organized in rows.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Many large paintings hang on the walls of gallery four. Some are greyish scenes of city life, while others are large swatches of color. Closer, there are portraits of women done in bright, unnatural colors.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

In the gallery four alcove, three colorful sheets of plastic are stretched across a structure of metal poles. Beyond the alcove, two greyish paintings depict scenes of city life.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

In the opposite corner, two greyish paintings depicting scenes of city life hang beside two large swatches of color.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

Looking down the gallery’s left hallway, there are two large paintings of exterior and interior environments beside each other. At the end of the hallway, paintings in gallery one are visible.

“Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, February 8 – 25, 2025

SVA presents “Matters of Identity in an Information Age,” an exhibition of mixed media works by BFA Fine Arts students, curated by department chair Suzanne Anker, as well as Lizzie Scott, Samuel Sherman, and Gunars Prande. The exhibition will be on view Saturday, February 8, through Tuesday, February 25, at the SVA Chelsea Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th floor, New York City.


From materiality to conception, art has expanded its horizons in a globalized world. It can exist as painting, digital sculpture, gel transfers, ceramics, video, and textiles, among others. Not following an academic style, the influence and bombardment of new technologies has hastened the experience of other norms. The Internet has opened up archives, museum collections, news reports, and photographs from cultures around the world. Such a bombardment of options has created a wide variety of possibilities.


“Matters of Identity in an Information Age” brings together a range of work in concept, memory and critique. In this exhibition, sound is converted to images, AI speaks back, and gel transfers replicate painting. Painting too, stands on its own evoking images of self, society and even death. The wide range of materials in all four galleries is a metaphor for the wide range of options currently open to image-making. The exhibition also represents the fragmentation of focus that the Internet employs thanks to interspersing advertising with news and shopping options.


The SVA Chelsea Gallery is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, from 10:00am to 6:00pm, and closed on Sundays and Mondays. It is fully accessible by wheelchair.

Free and open to the public