Calendar

Exhibition

Presented by SVA Galleries

Our Mother’s Mothers

March 20 - April 8, 2024
A figure in a backwards ball cap holds up a long stick, covering their face.

Tyson Houseman, Opwêyakatâmêw, 2024, video still, 9 minutes 27 seconds


SVA Flatiron Gallery

133/141 West 21st Street, 1st floor, New York, NY 10011

Reception

Thu, Mar 21; 6:00 - 8:00pm

Inside the SVA Flatiron Gallery, a large print of a photograph, in which a bathroom window shows a pink and purple sky, hangs from the ceiling. Beyond the photograph, the other works in the gallery can be seen on the walls.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

From the other side, the hanging print shows a different photograph. This photo is one of a woman standing near a window. On the wall to the left, there is a painting of a floral pattern, and further, a paper collage of a blue bird falling downward.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

The two works, the blue bird and the floral pattern painting, hang on the wall to the left of the suspended photograph.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

On the far wall of the gallery, a projection shows a man standing in a forested area. The wall on the right shows a collage of a blue bird falling. The wall on the left shows a painting of a large circular table covered in a bright, floral pattern.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

Past the table painting, a large print of a photo of an older woman hangs on the wall. In the top left corner of the wall, another collage shows a blue bird flying.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

Facing the wall, the photograph of the older woman is in between the bird collage and the table painting.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

Beside the entrance to the gallery, there is an installation featuring a thin wooden structure and small rug and clay pieces. To the right of the installation is a square canvas, painted with a circular composition in pastel colors. The flying bird and the portrait of an older woman are both visible, as well.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

Beside the entrance to the gallery, there is an installation featuring a thin wooden structure and small rug and clay pieces. To the right of the installation is a square canvas, painted with a circular composition in pastel colors.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

Facing the opposite corner, the projection on the furthest wall of the gallery shows a man holding a stick. To the right of the projection, the falling bird collage hangs beside the floral patterned painting.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

Outside of the gallery, wall vinyl to the right of the doors reads “Our Mother’s Mothers.” To the left, there are five black and white photos pinned to the wall.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

In the alcove outside of the gallery, the five black and white photographs are visible on one wall. In the corner, there is an installation of a television, some sticks, and a feather draped in sheer black fabric.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

In the corner of the alcove, there is an installation of a television, some sticks, and a feather draped in sheer black fabric. One of the images that is pinned to the wall is visible on the television screen.

“Our Mother’s Mothers,” SVA Flatiron Gallery, March 20 – April 8, 2024

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Our Mother’s Mothers,” an exhibition of paintings, photography, sculpture and video by five students whose proposal was accepted through the SVA Galleries Call for Entries program. The exhibition will be on view from Wednesday, March 20, through Monday, April 8, at the SVA Flatiron Gallery, 141 West 21st Street, New York City. 


“Our Mother’s Mothers” evaluates matriarchal figures and their complex dynamics within the structures of families and communities. Works on view draw attention to models of representation and the ways that patriarchal systems benefit when matriarchs are villainized, ostracized or oppressed by cultural forces. Finding commonality between respective backgrounds and visual languages, each artist interprets iconography representing the motherly or grandmotherly figures in their lives using their chosen medium. This collaborative, multidisciplinary exhibition seeks to recontextualize, affirm and celebrate the symbols and structures of motherhood.


Artists featured in this exhibition are Tyson Houseman, Tina Mitchell, Guy Nechmad Stern, Jusun Seo and Zoe Toscano, all students in the MFA Fine Arts class of 2024.


Juried exhibitions are a way for SVA students to recognize the achievements of their most distinguished classmates. Artists and exhibition proposals 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.


The SVA Flatiron Gallery is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00am to 6:00pm. 


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