The Syracuse University Art Galleries is exhibiting “MFA 2016: None the Wiser.” The annual master of fine arts exhibition features 28 artists from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. This year’s presenting artists are working in a variety of traditional and multi-disciplinary media, including new installations of photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture, ceramics and site-specific experiences.
Ozan Azalan, “Default Settings: Dasein,” 2016
The themes and concepts presented by the artists in this exhibition vary from illustrative mythology to functional pottery, but consistent threads among the artists’ work is apparent. “Many of these artists are dealing with an altered or augmented sense of reality through technology, site-specific environmental installations or manipulated imagery,” explains Andrew Saluti, assistant director for the Syracuse University Art Galleries, and coordinator of the annual exhibition. “They’re creating specific experiences that place the viewer, both physically and mentally, in a carefully crafted world of the artist’s vision and design.”
Artists Chongha Peter Lee and Nan Wang utilize Oculus Rift technology to suspend the spectator in a virtual world, while Alessia Cecchet, Jeremy Santiago-Horseman and Rachel Rosky create physical environs that are entered into and interacted with directly by the viewer. Psychological realities of memory and perception are explored by installations from Brent Erickson, Jacob Riddle and Shou Yu Chen, and are balanced by the reflection and exploration of personal realities of painter Stefan Zoller and photographer Nydia Blas.
In addition to the annual MFA exhibition, two exhibitions organized by Syracuse University students are open in the study galleries. “[Re] Framed: An Object’s Journey Into the Collections,” curated by students enrolled in the museum studies graduate program, uses recently accessioned works in the Syracuse University Art Collection and the Syracuse University Libraries to explain the curatorial process that is central to every display. “Women, War, and a Changing World: Alan Dunn’s New Yorker Cartoons,” curated by College of Arts and Sciences student Tammy Hong ’18, examines Alan Dunn’s New Yorker cartoons portraying the changing role of women during World War II and its immediate aftermath.
Shou Yu Chen, “Here and out of nowhere,” 2016
The exhibitions will run through May 15 in the Shaffer Art Building. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; and Thursdays 11 a.m.-8 p.m. The SUArt Galleries will host a free opening reception from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, April 14. Patrons are welcome to view the exhibition until the gallery closes at 8 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.
Select programming associated with the exhibition includes a Lunchtime Lecture with Saluti, on Wednesday, April 14, beginning at 12:15 p.m. The exhibition and programs are free and open to the public. Complete information and related programming is available by visiting the official exhibition website at http://suart.syr.edu/. Press material, including exhibition press release, exhibition publications, checklist and press-ready images are available for download at http://suart.syr.edu/media-2/press-materials/.
