Exhibition

School of Visual Arts presents “The Politics of Identity,” “This, That & the Other,” and “Day In, Day Out”: three exhibitions of painting, sculpture, new media and printmaking by BFA Fine Arts students. Curated by Suzanne Anker, Gary Sherman and Tyler Rowland, respectively, the exhibitions will be on view from Saturday, February 10, through Monday, February 26, at the SVA Chelsea Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th floor, New York City.

The Politics of Identity

“The Politics of Identity,” curated by Suzanne Anker, is an exhibition of work addressing global difference. While identity politics in the 1980s and ’90s brought into focus many issues expressed by people of color, LGBT rights and feminist perspectives, in the 21st century this coterie of ideas has expanded. The students in this show have come to the United States from such diverse countries as China, Ecuador, Haiti, Iceland, Korea, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, among others. In this time of political turmoil, expressions of self, origin and ethnic orientation continue to surface.

Björgvin Jónsson’s The Red, White and Blue depicts Iceland’s flag in bright neon, while Razan Al Sarraf and Maria Barquet’s collaborative collage Playboy points towards the niqab, a head covering concealing the face and worn by many Islamic women. The collage rests upon whited-out images from Playboy magazine. Francesse Dolbrice’s work, Transportation : Shipment, composed of charcoal shards, cotton batting and black flowers, is an examination of the formation of West Indian goods, imports and exports, specifically in Haiti, and their surrounding political implications.

Featured artists: Razan Al Sarraf, Maria Barquet, Francesse Dolbrice, Björgvin Jónsson, Ji Won Kim, Mozan, John Rivas, Alizé Santana, Chris Thixton, Huashang Wang, Shuyi Wang and Yiling Yin.

This, That & the Other

The birth of the #MeToo movement is a poignant reminder that women remain oppressed as long as misogyny is tolerated within the hierarchy of the political, cultural and social realms. One of the most empowering phrases of the nascent feminist movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s was “the personal is political.” That phrase has been interpreted in many ways, but its original intent was to underscore the connections between personal experience and larger social and political structures in which women have been methodically dominated, exploited and oppressed. The young artists in “This, That & the Other,” curated by Gary Sherman, express the personal as political in varying ways, hence the generic exhibition title.

Featured artists: Honey Forestier, Kirin Pino, Keshi Taryan-Kigel and S. von Puttkammer.

Day In, Day Out

“Day In, Day Out,” curated by Tyler Rowland, centers around everyday life and the creative rituals of four artists who turn their daily existences into art. Juliette Sardou's domestic hyper-objects use fantasy and play to add a whimsical layer of fun and funk to the bland interior settings of our mundane lives. Claude Jeong's paintings mix the micro-importance of a moment with the monumental morphing of matter that is continuously going on above our heads. Ji Soo Na cuts, preserves, scans, draws and prints physical matter to document time on a daily basis. Johmaris Ramos' video installation depicts the epic journey of her father's immigration from Peru to the United States. The goal of getting to the United States and the grueling effort needed to cross the border mirrors the perseverance and determination one needs to become a U.S. citizen—not everyone makes it and sometimes it takes a generation or two to achieve one's dreams.

Featured artists: Claude Y. Jeong, Juliette Sardou, Ji Soo Na and Johmaris Ramos.