Exhibition

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “The Way We See Us,” an exhibition of multidisciplinary works by SVA students in honor of Black History Month. Co-curated by Angelica Dalzon (BFA Illustration) and Kyra Husbands (BFA Visual & Critical Studies), the exhibition will be on view from Thursday, February 3, through Monday, February 21, 2022, at the SVA Chelsea Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th floor, New York City. Below is a statement from the co-curators:

“Politics, daily life, and art often constrain Black people to the position of a statistic, a monolith, a symbol of something greater than we asked to be. This crushing weight does not give us, as Black artists, the opportunity or the room to be individuals. With the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and heightened political tension, we feel a binding obligation to create work reflective of present times. We often cannot express ourselves fully because our pain often links us to a deep, dark, and violent history. It’s rarely ever personal; it is instead inherited, having everything and nothing to do with us as individuals. However, we must break this prevalent mindset, shifting the responsibility of addressing these social issues to society itself. Until then, many creative freedoms and forms of individuality, free of tension, are unavailable to Black artists. So, in this exhibition, we declare and demand that our individuality be seen, considered, and valued. The exhibited work contains trauma and struggle, yes, but also joy, relatability, culture, and vitality. We want you to see us through this diverse collection of work from Black SVA students. All we can do is be ourselves and exist. That should be enough. It is enough.

Exhibiting our art during Black History Month emphasizes how essential it is to celebrate ourselves through our achievements and our means of expression, how we see fit. Blackness is anything but a monolith, so our assertion of individualism is our form of radical activism to push our community forward and up.”

Tatiana Tift’s (BFA Film) When Summer Speaks personifies the experience of summer through a collection of sentimental poems and archival family photos.

Fatou Ridgrid (BFA Fine Arts) aims to understand the gift and beauty of life by creating through impulse. Her body of work dives into one's understanding that nothing is singular or existing on its own: everything is connected.

Barbadian American artist Kyra Husbands’ (BFA Visual & Critical Studies) 7 is a piece from a series of intimate, vibrant portraits of her family that look to create an authentic representation of her life, as well as express the beauty and personality of the individuals through color, patterning and texture.

Haitian American illustrator Angelica Dalzon’s (BFA Illustration) series Breath, Eyes, Memory addresses maternal relationships between Haitian women despite sexual trauma, highlighting moments of generational ties, healing and discovery. Having a strong curiosity for the concepts of childhood and time, with an upbringing in the Baptist church, she hopes her art will articulate nostalgia, vulnerability and intimacy.

Other artists included in the exhibition are Cyle Warner (BFA Photography and Video), Marques DeLoney (BFA Illustration), and Islen Milien (BFA Illustration).

The SVA Chelsea Gallery is open Monday through Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and closed on Saturdays and Sundays. In accordance with SVA COVID-19 protocols, in-person viewing is open to SVA students, faculty and staff. The public may visit by showing proof of full vaccination (including booster, if eligible) and photo ID. Proper masking is required.