Calendar

Exhibition

Presented by MFA Illustration as Visual Essay

The Book Show

November 26 - December 14, 2024
In this scene, a blue-haired dragon boy sits on the curved rooftop of a traditional Chinese building. His long, turquoise hair flows behind him, and dragon-like antlers sprout from his head. Around him, the roof is decorated with stone statues of Chinese mythical creatures. One stone Qilin is chasing two birds flying overhead. The golden glow paints everything in a soft, dreamlike hue. The boy gazes into the distance, surrounded by the protective presence of these ancient creatures.

Yiran Bian, Under the Leaves We Dance, 2024, digital, 11 ½ x 16 ½ inches

SVA Gramercy Gallery

209 East 23rd Street, 1st floor, New York, NY 10010

Reception

Tue, Dec 3; 6:00 - 8:00pm

Wide shot of the right hand wall of the Gramercy front gallery. It shows the posters for “dRAW” and “The Book Show,” as well as the title vinyl for “The Book Show.” to the left is the hallway leading to the back gallery which hosts “The Book Show.”

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

View of the back gallery at the Gramercy gallery from the entrance. There is a large pillar in the middle of the shot, with a warning sign about not stealing the books displayed on a table seen in the middle of the room. On the left and back wall, there are large, colorful prints relating to the books on display.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

View of the gramercy back gallery, showing the back and right hand walls, covered in large art prints, and a display table in the middle holding books, business cards, and other small prints.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

Angled view of the prints on the left hand wall near the entrance of the back gallery. The first three are part of a set, and show glowing fishes, majestic curly haired lions, and streamers of colorful square flags respectively. The next set is of a dog dressed up in various outfits. The next two are solo prints of someone carving a butterfly into a woman’s back, and of a parade of people parading through a large, graphic apple respectively.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

View of the display table in the center of the back gallery and the left hand wall behind it. There are more prints on the wall visible, including one of a quaint tea shop, and a fractured puzzle of a girl surrounded by red and black flowers.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

Closer look at the first four prints on the left hand wall of the back gallery. The first is a set of three, and show glowing fishes, majestic curly haired lions, and streamers of colorful square flags respectively. The next set is of a dog dressed up in various outfits. The next print is of someone carving a butterfly into a woman’s back, and the final shows a parade of people in historical outfits parading through a large, graphic apple with the words “Apple Epic.”

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

Closer look at the final two prints on the left hand wall of the back gallery. One shows a quaint tea shop, and the other, a fractured puzzle of a girl surrounded by red and black flowers. There is also a small sliver of the back wall seen, which has two small prints of a girl at the seaside and sitting on a bench in an art gallery. There is also the edge of a door shown.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

Closer look at the corner prints along the left and back walls. The puzzle girl has short red hair and seems to be wearing a tank top. The puzzle is breaking apart at the edges. The prints of the girl at the sea and in the art gallery, show her with a small stuffed bunny.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

Angled view of the back wall in the Gramercy back gallery. The leftmost print shows a large lizard and duck staring down at a child and a smiling blob creature who are holding hands and cooking something over a fire. The second print shows a large pig staring into the house of a small rabbit who is in their doorway holding a pie. Next to that, is the silhouette of a mustachioed person staring down at a small creature with wispy ears and tail. The final set on that wall seems to be a collection of colorful drawings done on cardboard, the largest one showing someone walking through the woods with a large cat-owl behind them.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

View of the display table in the center of the back gallery and the right hand wall behind it. It houses drawings on a man wearing flannel, a print of a girl with wings flying down to meet another girl, a print of a fox at the apartment door of a hedgehog who is waving a feather duster at them, a print with the words “I WILL BE A DRAGON” with the qualifications of a dragon underneath, a print of a smiling girl and the original drawings of the pages from her comic, and a print for the cover of a book called “Persephone” which is covered in tangled vines and flowers.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

Angled view the right hand wall, showing the prints of the girl with wings, and the hedgehog and the fox, the dragon guide, the smiling girl, and the book cover. There is the corner of the front wall also shown, with a print of a boy in a garden.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

Closer look at the prints on the right hand wall. The book’s title is seen to have been cut out of paper, and the smiling girl has diagrams of her heart, stomach, and head showing what's going on in there.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

Closer look of the display table in the center of the Gramercy back gallery. The closest book has a blue cover and is hand bound, and the second has a picture of a girl and her rabbit at a gallery on the cover.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

Closer view of the display table in the center of the Gramercy back gallery. There is a purple book with a dog on the cover, one with swirling foliage, one with a manor, and one of a boy in a garden.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

Closer look of the display table in the center of the Gramercy back gallery. There is a book with a large, colorful monster on it, and one opened to a page of a warm kitchen scene.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

View of the back gallery showing the display table, the front and left hand wall. The walls are covered in large, colorful prints. In between the two is the door leading out of the gallery.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

View of the Gramercy back gallery from the back of the room. The display table is shown in the middle, some of the right hand wall, as well as the front wall. There are only three prints on the front wall: one which shows a boy in a garden, one which looks like a box of raisins, and one which shows the map of a large manor.

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

View of the Gramercy Gallery window from the street, showing the posters for “dRAW’ and “The Book Show.”

“The Book Show,” SVA Gramercy Gallery, November 26 - December 14, 2024

SVA presents the annual exhibition “The Book Show,” featuring original books by 20 MFA Illustration as Visual Essay students, curated by faculty member Anna Raff. The exhibition will be on view Tuesday, November 26, through Saturday, December 14, at the SVA Gramercy Gallery, 209 East 23rd Street, New York City.


In their first year, the MFA candidates of the Illustration as Visual Essay program are tasked with creating books in a format of their choice, whether it be illustrated poetry, graphic novel, children’s book, or essay. The works in this year’s iteration of “The Book Show” encompass a variety of themes, including narrative fantasy, commentaries on our present-day reemergence into public spaces, reconsiderations of times past, and advancement into unknown futures.


Caitlin Du’s book, "Jialin's World" is a comic about a young Chinese girl trying her best to navigate an American school in California. She struggles to learn English, make new friends, and grasp nuanced concepts such as “culture shock.” Lydia Pinkhassik’s book, “Grandfather’s Pearl,” pays tribute to her grandfather who passed away last year. It includes her memories of their relationship and how that inspired her artistic practice.


Other artists in the exhibit on are Ceili Ayoung, Yiran Bian, YiLin Cai, Melody Chen, Jialu Du, Emma Fisher, Laura Sandoval Herrera, Mary Quinlan Murphy, Xiaohan Pei, Yuxuan Wang, Reena Wu, Anshan Xie, Verum Zhou, Wenqi (Alina) Xu, Yiru Xue, Xinyi Yang, Yilin Zhu, and Yubo Zhang.


The MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay at SVA is designed to maximize students’ opportunities as figurative artists, from the conventional gallery wall to the full range of 21st-century media. The program fuses the development of creative thinking with technical and communication skills. Additional focus is placed on best practices in navigating the visual art marketplace while empowering students to choose making art as a way of life.


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

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Free and open to the public