Calendar

Exhibition

Presented by SVA Galleries

Next Up: Switchboard

January 14 - February 1, 2025
Thin white lines entangled with each other create a voluminous form against a black background. The lines overlap most heavily in the center, making it appear denser. Thin white lines entangled with each other create a voluminous form against a black background. The lines overlap most heavily in the center, making it appear denser.

Mina Kim, Atomic Flower, 2024, photolithograph, 18 x 26 x 1 inches

Mina Kim, Atomic Flower, 2024, photolithograph, 18 x 26 x 1 inches

SVA Chelsea Gallery

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

Reception

Thu, Jan 16; 5:00 - 8:00pm

On the wall above the front desk at the SVA Chelsea Gallery, the exhibition’s title “Switchboard” is displayed in vinyl lettering. Past the front desk, student works of various mediums are displayed.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

This wall contains the name of the show titled “Switchboard” alongside the names of the artists included in the show

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

In the first gallery space, a large wood sculpture stands in the middle of the room. Surrounding this sculpture are black-and-white inkjet prints and oil paintings.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

Five drawings are hung up on a wall. The first drawing consists of ink on paper with a black frame while the following four drawings consist of charcoal on paper with tan frames.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

A large wood sculpture stands tall in the first gallery space. Various artworks including drawings and a print of the wood sculpture with students demonstrating how the sculpture can function are also displayed.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

On the left wall of the gallery, near the corner of the main space, is a print of the wood sculpture that resides in the middle of the gallery space with students demonstrating how the sculpture can function. On the right wall, there is a blue and yellow painting.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

Two paintings are illuminated on a wall in the first gallery space. On another wall, a black and white inkjet print is displayed.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

In the first gallery space, four black-and-white inkjet prints are displayed. From left to right the first print consists of four people on a bench. The next print consists of two bikes leaning up against a fence. The third print shows a woman smiling, and the fourth print shows three children.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

On the left side, there is a black-and-white inkjet print with three children. To the right on a separate wall, there are three multicolor inkjet prints with black frames.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

In the first gallery space, a wood sculpture stands in the middle of the room with various drawings and prints hung up on the surrounding walls.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

In the second gallery space, an orange and purple oil painting hangs on the left wall. On the wall to the right, there are various small acrylic paintings. These small canvases are hung up in rows of three and columns of four.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

Pedestals holding a plate and ceramic sculptures sit in the middle of the second gallery space. On the furthest wall to the left, there are three watercolor-on-paper pieces. On the wall to the right, a screen is displayed playing videos of an art making process. A small painting hangs next to the displayed video, and an orange and purple oil painting hangs at the very end of the right wall.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

Four sculptures on pedestals sit in the middle of the second gallery space. On the left wall hangs three colored pencil on paper drawings. The middle wall showcases three watercolor-on-paper pieces. The right wall shows a screen playing videos of an art-making process.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

A glimpse of the first gallery space is shown in which three oil paintings are displayed. On the following wall to the right, there are three watercolor pieces hung on the wall.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

Three sculptures sit on three pedestals in the second gallery space. On the wall behind these sculptures, there are three colorful drawings on paper.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

Three ceramic sculptures on pedestals sit in the second galley space. On the furthest wall to the left small acrylic on canvas paintings are hung up in rows of three and columns of four. The wall behind the three sculptures showcases a pen drawing and three colored pencil drawings.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

A pedestal holds a sculpture in the second gallery space. Three walls surround this sculpture. The wall to the left consists of an orange and purple oil painting. The middle wall showcases small acrylic on canvas paintings that are hung up in rows of three and columns of four. On the wall to the right, a pen drawing is displayed.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

In the third gallery space, a sculpture that consists of orange crocheted thread and pine needles falls from the ceiling to the floor in a small resting pile. Around the corner from this piece, a wall displays three inkjet prints in black and white and color. A resting place sits at the end of this wall, and the farthest wall in the back displays a spinning color pencil-on-illustration board sculpture.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

On a wall, there are three pieces hung up. There's a gray and white acrylic-on-linen painting on the left and the following two pieces are photolithographs consisting of similar imagery with opposing colors.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

In the third gallery space, an orange crocheted thread and pine needle sculpture falls from the ceiling to the floor in a small resting pile. On the wall across from this sculpture, there is a gray and white acrylic-on- linen piece and a photolithograph that mainly consists of the colors black, white, and some oranges.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

In a corner of the third gallery space, a white crocheted thread piece hangs between two corners. The sculpture spells out “the beach” and “the cobblestones” through its shadows created on the wall behind the piece.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

On a wall, three pieces are illuminated with intense light. The first two pieces on the right are inkjet prints. The colors of these prints consist of blues, oranges and blacks. The third piece on the right is a spinning color pencil-on-illustration board sculpture.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

In the corner of the room to the left, a small ceramic sculpture is displayed on a pedestal and a poster with the 3D rendered model of this sculpture is hung up on the wall behind the sculpture. On the same wall, two inkjet prints are hung consisting of liminal imagery with the colors blue, orange and black used throughout both prints.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

A dark interior illuminates a 3d animated video that is projected on the wall to the left. On the furthest wall to the right, a blue vinyl print on aluminum is displayed.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

A glimpse of the first two rooms is shown on the left-hand side. A mixed media piece hangs on the wall to the right.

“Next Up: Switchboard,” SVA Chelsea Gallery, January 14 – February 1, 2025

SVA Galleries announce a revitalization of their annual slate of juried exhibitions with “Next Up,” a series of shows on view at three of the College’s gallery spaces. In this reimagining of SVA’s long-running tradition of showcasing emerging student talent chosen by a prestigious group of notable alumni, “Next Up” will comprise three simultaneous exhibitions, each representing a component of the series’ central theme of connection—between peoples, histories, ideologies—across a wide range of medium and practice. “Next Up” offers visitors the chance to journey the trail through the College’s galleries from the east to west side of Manhattan, making connections of their own between these diverse, multidisciplinary shows.


The 19 artists and designers of “Next Up: Switchboard” seek to resolve severed or forgotten connections. Whether reflecting upon familial and diasporic erosion or the body's fragility, the works on view pair personal and community experiences with materials that amplify meanings. Some pay tribute to the rich histories that have led them to the present moment, while others establish new connections through their work via active observation and interaction. Each creator integrates elements of resilience, psychology, and memory into their work, emphasizing how inextricable the human psyche is from a complex yet beautiful web of influences.


Juried exhibitions have been crucial to the fabric of SVA for more than 30 years as a way for SVA students 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. “Next Up” was inspired by the “playlist” experience with each exhibition meant to be seen as part of a greater whole. This campus- wide event will showcase the work of more than 30 students representing eleven departments, including BFA Design, BFA Fine Arts, BFA Illustration, BFA Photography and Video, BFA Visual & Critical Studies, MFA Computer Arts, MFA Fine Arts, MFA Illustration as Visual Essay, MFA Interaction Design, MFA Photography, Video & Related Media, and MFA Products of Design.


Exhibiting artists include Issa Nader Elias Abu Aita, Ronnie Ahlborn, Leyla Cui, Lester Jingyi Dou, Tao Tao Holmes, Guoguo Ji, Mina Kim, Suzy Lee, Ziru Lin, Fangzi Luo, Evan Peltzman, Maya Satterberg, Zai Thakoor, David Wang, Emily (Xinya) Wang, Jessie (Qian) Wang, Jianshen Wu, Ying Zhang, and Jingyi Zhu.


Jurors are selected to represent the wide range of SVA's creative community. Each of them has become successful in the worlds of design, fine arts, illustration, and the moving image.

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Free and open to the public