SVA Continuing Education and Artist Residency Programs present “Metamorphosis,” an exhibition that brings together 16 artists from diverse backgrounds to showcase a variety of subjects and media. From vibrant abstract paintings that capture the fluidity of emotions to intricate sculptures that challenge our perception of everyday objects and materials, the exhibition explores how 16 artists morph personal experiences into visual artifacts. Artists in the exhibition include Chelsea Cwiklik, Ali Fortunato, Lindy Giusta, Laura Green, Reshma Issac, Swati Jain, Jay Jansen, Arom Ju, Christine Lee, Lynn Haygood Lee, Yooyeon Nam, Dustin Oriente, Inna Vologzhanina, Busra Tunc, Lynn Ubell and Zeyong Zhang.

Swati Jain, Arom Ju and Christine Lee challenge our perception of everyday objects and environments in their work. Jain and Lee’s surrealist tables question our use of this household object by integrating human legs and unexpected objects. Ju paints a highly saturated interior from almost a birds-eye view. The surreal interpretation of a built environment allows Ju to create a world beyond the one we know. 

Busra Tunc, an artist and architect, uses unconventional materials to explore the built environment through her sculptures and installations. She experiments with unexpected elements to craft immersive experiences. Similarly, Jay Jansen transforms the perception of materials by incorporating hair into her artworks. Hair—a material laden with personal and cultural significance—undergoes a profound shift in meaning when detached from the body and repurposed in her creations.

Reshma Issac and Inna Vologzhanina are invested in the retelling of narratives and redefinition of stereotypes; Crumbling Mountains, Mighty Women (2023) by Issac is a short documentary of women in a small Indian village pushing back against government (in)action and demonstrating their resilience in the face of adversity. Pulling from traditions of still life and female nude paintings, Vologzhanina subverts our expectations by depicting women in relaxed and empowered positions.

In Bag of Peaches, 2024, Dustin Oriente turns fruit into an exploration of gender and body dysmorphia. Similar to how Vologzhanina references a long tradition of still life painting, Oriente also considers our relationship to images of fruit in art; usually grouped in a basket or on a table, fruit symbolizes fertility and plentifulness, meanwhile in Oriente’s photograph, the two peaches, placed in a plastic bag, hang on their own and translate to a more literal representation of genitalia.  

Within the realm of feminine narratives, Ali Fortunato, Chelsea Cwiklik and Laura Green infuse their art with a profound sense of personal resonance. Fortunato paints cell-like clusters to explore her relationship with wellness, fertility and disease. Working across various media, Cwiklik portrays various aspects of femininity, grief and loss. And Green, a mother of four, paints everyday life scenes with her children. 

In A Coffee Date, 2023, Yooyeon Nam paints an eerie scene of a dark interior. One figure appears to be dead with a hole in its torso that is parallel to the openings of the coffee cups on the table. Instead of depicting a clear narrative, Nam evokes emotion in her work using color and cute characters that juxtapose the eerie scenes.

A few artists are working with abstraction, using intuitive painting or drawing to express personal narratives and personal connections to the outside world. Zeyong Zhang’s digital paintings capture the symbiotic relationship between the natural and spiritual worlds. Lynn Haygood Lee and Lynn Ubell’s abstract paintings are explorations of color and form, with many layers that bring together a complete composition. Though not entirely abstract, Lindy Giusta’s portraits rely on the artist’s intuitive practice with unexpected colors and forms coming together to create evocative portraits full of emotion.

Metamorphosis serves as a testament to the diversity and depth of artistic expression within our collective human experience. Through the works of each artist, the exhibition illuminates the power of art to transform personal narratives into universal truths.

Sibilla Maiarelli is the Founder and Director of New Collectors, a Lower East Side gallery that exhibits work by emerging artists. She leads bi-monthly gallery walks to shed light on the burgeoning art scene in the LES. Maiarelli has curated a range of exhibitions including three exhibitions with students from the School of Visual Arts, two benefit exhibitions, an exhibition in augmented reality and two exhibitions from open calls. She has organized and moderated panel discussions and has been a guest lecturer at the SVA summer residency and Berkley College.