Exhibition

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Selections From Thesis Projects,” an exhibition of work by 14 MFA Illustration as Visual Essay students from the class of 2022. Curated by longtime faculty member and thesis coordinator, David Sandlin, the exhibition will be on view Thursday, April 28 through Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at the SVA Chelsea Gallery, 601 West 26^th Street, New York City.

Featuring the work of Andrew Alexander, Lillian Ansell, Yunyi Dai, Rae Weyn González, Melissa Guido, Stephish Liu, Yinhan Liu, Arif Qazi, Bernardo Rodriguez, Yiting Ruan, Myron Solomon, Jr., Sisi Yu, Wenxu Zhao and Zihan Zhong, this eclectic collection of works is world-building at its creative best. The works on view depict alternate universes and creatures, as well as unique interpretations of the inner cosmos of memory, emotion and the senses.

Otherworldly narratives include Arif Qazi’s eye-catching multi-monitor animation of a mysterious traveler’s trek through a desert populated by outlandish beings. Lillian Ansell’s bizarre land of “Zomberg” is full of surreally unappealing places and ridiculous products, but her archly whimsical illustrations make them irresistible nevertheless.

Hybrid creatures also abound. Wenxu Zhao offers a tour of enigmatic emotional landscapes guided by the aptly named “Strawberry Fish Girl.” Using imagery drawn from video games and street culture, Sisi Yu has created a universe in which her id and super-ego avatars can battle it out for moral equilibrium. Zihan Zhong’s sweet yearbook snapshots of a fruit-based high school evoke the nostalgia of glee club and prom night.

Keeping her roots in the real world, Melissa Guido has immersed herself in the past with a multimedia installation of original designs that explores the aesthetics of New York’s Art Deco architecture.

Music is the source of inspiration for both Yinhan Liu’s series of lushly textured vignettes, formatted as album covers, and the posters of Rae Gonzalez, who portrays a playlist of life memories and impressions with masterful drawings using pencil and deft insertions of color. Tiny juniper-berry people floating on clouds over a rainbow bridge are among the olfactory personnifications in Szuya (Stephish) Liu’s storybook-like visualizations of fragrances.

Home, family and childhood memories figure prominently in this year’s thesis show. Scenes from his youth in the Dominican Republic and New York City are the subject of a poignant series of finely drafted drawings and paintings by Bernardo Rodriguez. Yiting Ruan’s charming watercolors chronicle her travels in China and her search for a sense of place after moving to New York. Trips to Pittsburgh, state fairs and demo derbies provide the background for Andrew Alexander’s richly inked autobiographical comic. In his bold, dark paintings, Myron Solomon—who has family members in law enforcement—explores the complexities of being a Black police officer in an environment of pervasive racism. A sparsely lit gothic mansion filled with rooms of strange apparitions and sinister furnishings is the setting for Yunyi Dai’s series of images depicting the psychological traumas and anxieties of growing up.

The SVA Chelsea Gallery is open Monday through Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The public may visit by showing proof of full vaccination (including booster, if eligible) and photo ID. Proper masking is required. It is fully accessible by wheelchair.