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Recent Submissions
- ItemInstallation entitled "An Alternative Perspective"(2022) Singh, Shreya; Kim, Hee SookWhile barriers remain in regular conversations– cultural, geographical, or language – photography reminds us how we are connected to others in a visual manner. Being born and brought up in the UAE, my connection to my ancestors stems from my memories of family discussions. My aunt often describes a particular room in the multi-generational home she and my mother grew up in Lucknow, India. Large, elaborate portraits on the walls documented the men in our family. In this project, I am providing an alternative perspective into our family history representing the women in my family. I believe it is equally as important, if not more so, to emphasize their presence in our family history.
- ItemExhibition of Dissonance and Daybreak(2021) Bruton, Ainsley; Li, YingIn my thesis body of work I attempt to visualize gender as a source of trauma within the body. The painting Dissonance and Daybreak seeks to represent that impact upon the body and the disidentified self created by a dysphoric relationship to embodiment.
- ItemMemoria(2020) Jesup, Sarah; Kim, Hee SookThis elegy in etchings for my grandparents and the life's work that connected them creates a metaphorical portrait of them by illustrating a series of defining moments in the arc of their lives. Each print tells a short story, and the short stories connect to give a more complete portrait of their lives and their hobby (or obsession). I only experienced the tail end of that journey, but in retracing the earlier steps I have come to understand family in a way I hadn't before. The style of the drawings was inspired by my grandmother, Sarah, whose incredibly detailed botanical drawings are displayed in my parents' house. In part, this is my way of carrying on the family tradition. I'm not growing orchids, but I'm following in Sarah's footsteps and transforming this family fascination into another form.
- ItemAn Exhibition of Multi-Media Photocollage Tapestries representing the Architecture and Artistic Culture of Central and Eastern European Cities(2019) Siegel, Isabella; Li, YingI base my work on an idea of organized chaos. I make collages that are not meant to be a portrait of each city (as that would imply my power to give cities totalizing definitions), but rather, of my experience of examining the streets and buildings of each city. I make these collages by combining printed photographs I took during my time abroad, drawings on sheets of clear acetate, jewel-like embellishments, embroidery, and fabric scraps on textile backgrounds. I focus on both historical architectural patterns and everyday urbanism. My work explores the patterns that emerge from the unique, built environment of each city, shaped by complex histories and altered each day by the gestures, actions, and footsteps of that city’s people. I spent the 2018 spring semester at Corvinus University in Budapest. I traveled to Hungary so I could explore the cities and cultural identities of Central and Eastern Europe. My father’s roots lay in Belarus and Lithuania, and my mother’s parents immigrated as refugees from Romania. Between the decades spent behind the Iron Curtain and the relative lack of communication with the Americas, most people around the world have little more than a murky idea of these nations’ shadowy past. Many people view Eastern Europe as a place that offers little to the modern world. While tourism has exploded in Prague and steadily rises in Budapest, cities like Sofia, Bulgaria, and Ljubljana, Slovenia, remain unknown. During my time abroad, I went to some better-known cities (such as Berlin and Prague), but I also travelled to Pécs, Hungary; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Zagreb, Croatia; Mohács, Hungary; Cluj-Napoca, Romania; and Sofia, Bulgaria. While at my home base in Budapest, I wandered every neighborhood of the expansive city and learned about the city’s war-torn and controversial past. With each new city I went to, I spent hours wandering the streets and photographing architectural details unique to that place. I photographed thousands of of details that caught my eye, from cathedrals to graffiti, lampposts to coffee cups. My attention always shifted to something new, whether it was a public art performance or a leafy vine wrapped around a slightly bent piece of wrought iron. I then “organized” the details of these cities—not to simplify their identities and stories, but to draw attention to the elements that exemplify their organic architectures and the history that has shaped each of them. As someone with Eastern European heritage, I wanted to learn more about these places and their vibrant cultures, which diverge from those in Western Europe. While these countries have endured decades under various oppressive regimes, bloody wars, and continued corruption by the ruling parties, they have continued traditions of innovative and distinct artistic and architectural styles. Through exploring ornament, architecture, and craft, these tapestries begin to peel back the veil that shrouds the beauty of these cities.
- ItemTirsa Delate Fine Arts Senior Thesis Project(2016) Delate, TirsaEach time my mother has been diagnosed with cancer, the bond that we share has been tested. In the past, we always joked about her never getting colds, just cancer. Currently, she is undergoing treatment for her sixth cancer diagnosis and her second ovarian cancer recurrence. The most recent recovery period has taken a toll on both her physical abilities and our relationship. Over the course of a few months she lost her ability to breathe normally, walk, and live independently. This series of images began as an outlet for me to cope with her illness without having to embrace my emotions. During the initial months of her current diagnosis, every time I interacted with her it was confined to the Havertown apartment she moved into to receive treatment at Bryn Mawr hospital. I realized I was resentful and angry and felt abandoned by the person who was supposed to take care of me. The photographs I made during this period were an expression of my psychological mindset through the representation of our disconnected and distanced bodies. Recently, she has made significant strides in her health and mobility and the photographs are more collaborative and explore our metaphysical, emotionally connected state. The images enter a dreamy, alternate realm that represents the intimate relationship that has reemerged. Our relationship is not simple, and even though she has improved the photographs reflect the complex nature of our bond and her illness. I perform in the images, trying to expunge the sick part of her. They represent a relationship that is tumultuous and unconditional and illustrate the tenuous connection between our bodies and psyches. The video piece depicts the vulnerability and corporeality of my mother’s body. The close-up shots reveal details and abstractions of her form and illustrate the differences between my body and hers. Breathing is a vital part of being alive that is often quiet and goes unnoticed. The constant breathing in the video is akin to a pulse that ties my mother and me to each other in a temporal space. This series is a constructed narrative that represents our relationship and all the complexities that come with it.