“Hiding In Plain Sight,” the master of fine arts (M.F.A.) thesis exhibition of the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), will be on view March 8-10 at Art Helix, 289 Meserole St., Brooklyn. New York. The exhibition features the work of 26 M.F.A. candidates from VPA’s School of Art, School of Design and Department of Transmedia.
Jo Yu Lee, “Scientists, Scientists, Scientists,” performance, 2017.
An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 9, from 6-9 p.m. A panel discussion moderated by Andrew V. Uroskie will be held on Saturday, March 10, from noon-1:30 p.m. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m.
Participating artists include Chelsey Albert, Adriana Bianchi, Eric Charlton, Antone Dolezal, Joan Farrenkopf, Yeuying Feng, Caitlin Finley, Mirra Goldfrad, Aysha Hamouda, Michael Hicks, Jack Honeysett, Kwan Jeong, Marilyn Koch, Jo Yu Lee, Sunyoung Lee, Katie Levesque, Selma Selman, Amanda Struver, Fei Taishi, Kieu-Anh Truong, Joe Turek, Preston Van Allen, D’Angleo Williams, Teona Yamanidze, Luxin Zhang and Tong Zhang.
Featuring a diverse array of paintings, sculptures, video and installations, “Hiding In Plain Sight” represents the culmination of a three-year period of critical investigation and introspection, marked by a significant, self-led shift toward multidisciplinary experimentation. The result is a collection of works which, through their staging and materiality, radicalize traditional modes of art-making and subvert our perception of space and reality.
In an age where judgement is shaped by “alternative facts,” this exhibition does not attempt to offer any absolute truths or alternative solutions because the truth is unimaginable. Together, the artworks in “Hiding In Plain Sight” suggest a new mode of inconspicuous opposition: one that mirrors the absurdity of its surrounding environment to question the personal, the political and the real.
“Hiding In Plain Sight” is curated by Shehab Awad, curator of exhibitions and programs at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art, New York City. A few of Awad’s recent curatorial productions include “Points 8: Both Sides of the Curtain” at La Loge, Brussels, and Beirut Art Center; “The Future is Self-organized,” an online platform created in collaboration with de Appel program participants at Casco, Netherlands; and “The Margins,” a series of public events about marginality and gentrification produced in various locations in New York.
VPA offers M.F.A. programs in design, studio arts, and transmedia as well as an M.A. program in museum studies and an M.S. program in art education in conjunction with the School of Education. M.F.A. students enjoy the benefits of intimate and rigorous interdisciplinary graduate programs while having access to the resources of a major university.
For more information about the exhibition, contact Professor Joanna Spitzner, jspitzne@syr.edu. The exhibition was organized with SHIM, info.shhhim@gmail.com.
About Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings and an undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic heart of New York State, with a global footprint, and nearly 150 years of history, Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience. The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges; nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit www.syracuse.edu.
