January 19 - February 3, 2007
Reception: Tuesday, January 23, 6 - 8pm
The School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents "All Tomorrow's Parties," the first of two thesis exhibitions featuring the work of MFA Fine Arts Department students. Curated by independent curator and faculty member Amy Smith-Stewart, the artists include Nicholas Brooks, Si Jae Byun, Sarah Chacich, Jee Hui Chang, Damien Crisp, Charlotte Doglio, Peter Gregorio, Hee Soo Kim, Go Woon Lee, Shiri Mordechay, Yoonji Nam, Rocco Nicolini, Austin Shull, Lana Vogestad and Margaret Weber.
The exhibition takes its title from the legendary 1967 Velvet Underground song of the same name, sung by Nico, and released on the influential debut "Banana album" produced by Andy Warhol. The artists in this thesis exhibition offer up their own breakout appearances.
Nicholas Brooks says his work is about "collapsed veins, dirty needles, the taste of ether, a shot of meth, sore bones, secret knowledge, rotten teeth, sulfuric acid, paranoia, lack of sleep, track marks, jail, the devils drug, comin' down, pain and death."
Si Jae Byun's work is about a lonely passage and a phone addiction.
Sarah Chacich creates a mimetic space breaking down ideas of private and public. Her animation and drawing vary from the taboo to mundane, but she creates an intimate space for the viewer.
Jee Hui Chang's installations and performances involve the traditional Korean candy Ock Chun. This candy is only used for special table settings at significant ceremonies such as 1st, 60th and 70th birthdays, and for the deceased. This vividly-colored candy contrasts with her performances, which reflect the harsh reality of real life, stress and daily obligations.
Damien Crisp says his work is informed by his life experiences, explaining, "I was a punk when I was a kid. I spent my free-time vandalizing. American reality demands communication and responsibility. I'm attacking middle-of-the-road America and suburbia. Art is supposed to have redeeming social value and I'm attacking that too."
Charlotte Doglio's work is about the influence of legends and the subconscious. Doglio's drawings interpret the Irish legend of Phooka, a spirit who appears in a diversity of animal shapes, such as that of a dog or horse.
Peter Gregorio's paintings evolve out of an ongoing dialogue with cosmological physicist Anthony Aguirre, creating fractured, monotone and architectural landscapes. Using a combination of dark oil paints and subtle charcoal lines over a skin-like wash, Gregorio's treatment of negative and positive space works as poetic interpretation of some of the latest theories in physics.
Hee Soo Kim's abstract sculpture and paintings are inspired by a contemplation of nature. Working solely with multicolored rubber bands, Kim uses an organic process where the microcosm becomes the macrocosm.
Go Woon Lee composes an emotional inner world, visualizing a space, evocative and poetic, that exists between the tangible and intangible.
Shiri Mordechay's imagery is of vivid dreams and harsh realities. The work suggests that the artist is releasing the chemicals from her brain and allowing them to spill out onto the paper without censorship, like a dream that has been unleashed from the human mind.
Yoonji Nam's work is about complexity and sensitivity and her ability to transform both.
Rocco Nicolini's work analyzes the familiar objects that we use throughout our lifetime. He blurs their original use or intent, inspiring a feeling of a shared experience with the object.
Austin Shull employs primitive acts in his work, such as digging for water or making fire without matches, that recognize his disconnection to the world and communicates his dissatisfaction and desire for change.
Lana Vogestad uses video, sound and other media to create phenomenological work that affects the body and draws its power from ambiguity and the sublime. She transforms the essential parts of our living existence that are inherent and often unnoticed, such as water and breathing, into an immersive and atmospheric experience for the senses.
Margaret Weber uses her body to channel feelings of intimacy. She attempts to evoke bodily traces through memory and setting up contrasts between the physical and the unconscious. Using actions to express ideas, Weber resists the simulacrum in order to move towards an emotive existence.
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