School of Visual Arts presents “Catalysts in the Morning Dew,” an exhibition of works by students selected by a jury of their peers. Organized by SVA Galleries, “Catalysts in the Morning Dew” is on view Friday, May 18, through Tuesday, June 5, at the SVA Gramercy Gallery, 209 East 23rd Street, New York City.

“Catalysts in the Morning Dew” features work that is inspired by socio-political themes throughout the world. Each of the artists’ chosen subject matter gives viewers access to these topics of geographical and social concern, leading to reflection and critical questioning of society. Works include illustrations, paintings, photographs and mixed media collages.

Vasileia Anaxagorou’s (BFA Fine Arts) paintings, inspired from her perspective of having come from Cyprus to New York City, explore the way landscapes morph under political, social and geographical influences.

Sam E. Anderson’s (BFA Photography and Video) work considers the Anthropocene period and how humanity is compromising our planet’s natural environments, notably through cities and the destruction they cause, in spite of the beautiful spectacle of modernity.

Vicky Azcoitia (MPS Digital Photography) metaphorically captures the stage of late pregnancy through photographic documentation of ferns, relating their physical transformation to her own experience of giving birth to a child.

Johnnie Chatman (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) uses photographic constructs and idioms of the American West and Western landscape photography as elements of allegory. In doing so he interrogates black identity as it reconfigures itself against historical and contemporary narratives of being American.

Sofiya Kuzmina’s (BFA Illustration) illustrations reflect on questions of origin as an immigrant, dealing with the severe cultural changes experienced across multiple countries while acclimating herself with New York City.

Raquel Loeza (BFA Photography and Video) photographs homes in Oceanside, New York, that were abandoned due to the exorbitant costs of recovery from 2012’s Hurricane Sandy highlighting the ongoing struggle to recover from increasingly intense natural disasters.

Working with the organization “Remember Nhu,” Grace Spencer (BFA Photography and Video) uses photography to document victims of childhood sex slavery in order to bring awareness to the issue and represent the faces of those affected by this global epidemic.

Hai Fei Xie's (BFA Illustration) woodcut series "Of Mice And Men" illustrates the rough-hewn and darker elements of the story. Fei borrows thematic elements from John Steinbeck's writing to create her own interpretation and unique style of storytelling.

Naixin Xu’s (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) photo series “New Tibet” depicts surreal and iconic Tibetan scenes and the effects of Tibet’s relationship with mainland China. The settings show modernization of cultures once insulated from external change and influence for centuries.

Hanwen “WenWen” Zhang (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) presents a “micro-history” of the development of China by juxtaposing photos from his childhood town with his father’s family photographs.

Juried exhibitions are a way for SVA’s student body to recognize the achievements of their most distinguished classmates. Artists are selected from a large pool of applicants to the annual SVA Galleries call for entries, whose submissions undergo a rigorous examination of presented materials, including documentation of work and artist statements.

Exhibition

Catalysts in the Morning Dew

SVA Gramercy Gallery

Reception