Spring 2024 MCAD MFA Thesis Exhibition Catalog

2024

MCAD’s Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies Progam is a community of makers, thinkers, researchers, and creative professionals working in a mentor-based, interdisciplinary environment. The work of the sixteen artists and designers featured in this catalog represents the culmination of two years of rigorous studio practice, individual mentorship, research, critical thinking, intense discourse, and exploration.

Credits Sarah Petersen Director, Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies

Exhibition Opens Thursday, April 11, 2024 Gallery Hours May 4–5 & 11–12, noon–4:00 p.m.

Reception Friday, May 10, 6:00–9:00 p.m.

Location MFA Studios and Gallery 2201 1st Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55404

Kiley Van Note / Niky Motekallem Assistant Coordinator, Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies Gabrielle Hicks ’24, MFA Graduate Assistant Designer Bailey Meadow ’23 Student Designer, DesignWorks MFA Graduate Faculty Committee Ziba Rajabi Visiting Faculty, Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies Robert Algeo, MFA ’11 Associate Professor, Design

All artists and their corresponding artwork published in this book are copyrighted materials.

All rights reserved.

Jen Caruso Professor, Liberal Arts

© 2024 Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Piotr Szyhalski Professor, Media Arts

mcad.edu mcad-mfa.com

MFA Thesis Publication

2024

Malini Basu ............................................................... 04 Jesse Belinsky ............................................................. 06 Shangyuan Chen ...................................................... 08 Wei-Wei Chen ........................................................... 10 Melanie Dowding ...................................................... 12 Elsie Marie Gray ....................................................... 14 John Hallett ................................................................ 16 Gabrielle Hicks .......................................................... 18 Liz Hilliard ................................................................. 20 Shafrin Islam ............................................................. 22 Meher Khan .............................................................. 24 Ria Lee ....................................................................... 26 Junlan Luo ................................................................. 28 Kevin Reid ................................................................ 30 Victor Sánchez ........................................................... 32 Steven Xiaorui Yu .................................................... 34

Malini Basu BEHANCE.NET/MALINIBASU

PRINTMAKING/PAPER/BOOKS, FIBER & TEXTILE ARTS, ILLUSTRATION, INTERDISCIPLINARY, ENGAGED & PUBLIC ARTS/SOCIAL PRACTICE Art as a personal practice of observation and reflection has been prevalent throughout my time in the MCAD MFA program. I have employed various methods of visual notetaking and ritual building to record my perceptions of the human experience. These methods include slowing down, navigating the city through selfselected cues, in-situ sketching, and selfreflective storytelling. My explorations in tactile navigation and the liminal space of daily commutes both lean into these practices. Growing up in Kolkata, India, textile-based domestic practices such as kantha stitch were omnipresent and often show up in my own work. The slow and meditative qualities of sewing have 04

influenced me to focus on the mundane.

Similarly, the process of printmaking encourages me to spend more time with a single image, imbuing value even in a pedestrian scene.

Jesse Belinsky DRIFTERDRAWS.COM

COMIC ARTS ILLUSTRATION As a second-generation Russian Jew and a gender nonconforming ethical slut, I make weird gay trans Jewish comics for two reasons: I’m tired of attempting to explain myself to a world that actively tries to misunderstand me and, more importantly, I love doing hot girl shit.

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Shangyuan Chen BEHANCE.NET/SHANGYUANCHEN1

COMIC ARTS ILLUSTRATION I focus on storytelling to depict my personal experiences and emotions through comics, illustrations, and visual books. I narrate as matter-of-factly as possible. This minimalist method allows the emotion to flow through the panel's movements, composition, colors, and sequence of images. Through my narrations, I desire to showcase subtle emotional flows within social relationships and touch the edge of common sentiments, which are always submerged under grand narratives.

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Wei-Wei Chen WEI-WEICHEN.COM/

ILLUSTRATION

As a visual storyteller, telling my own story is a significant part of my practice. I use characters in my illustrations as a reflection of myself, as well as a tool to make the viewer curious and to bring them into my world. I create narrative illustrations and character-based stories inspired by my thoughts and innermost emotions, mysterious stories and folktales, and how I imagine the world around me should be.

Using my experience with textile design and pattern design to my advantage, I always use texture and pattern to enrich the visuals in my illustrated work.

I believe we all have an inner child that exists within us for the rest of our lives, and 10

we should not pretend that they do not exist once we come to adulthood. So, I make cute, childish, colorful art not only for children, but also for adults, to remind us that we were all once children.

Melanie Dowding MELANIEDOWDING.COM

FIBER & TEXTILE ARTS, SCULPTURE, INTERDISCIPLINARY Femininity, domesticity, power and lack thereof, and materiality ebb and flow as the overall themes within a majority of my work. I am an interdisciplinary artist, currently playing with textile, cyanotype, and embroidery in two and three dimensional media/work. I often find myself creating soft sculpture with fabrics and embroidering scrap fabric together to create images. Although my work processes the experiences of western “girlhood” I feel I have missed out on or do not understand, it is by no means a mechanism for coping or a purely therapeutic endeavor, but rather an evolving dialogue between myself and my perception of reality. I tend to disregard interpretations that are not mine during 12

the process of making, but I take immense pleasure in discovering the different ways in which my work reaches viewers and their experiences after the fact. I reach a niche audience with my work and feel strongly connected to the tight-knit community of women, femmes, and folks who find solace in my imagery.

Elsie Gray ELSIEGRAY.NET

FILM/VIDEO, INSTALLATION, SCULPTURE, INTERDISCIPLINARY In my work with video, sound, installation, and performance, I carry out everyday routines and mundane tasks that sometimes reveal unexpected physical vulnerability. I use materials such as everyday objects like toothbrushes, hair brushes and mirrors, bodily sounds, along with the daily routines that I carry out as a young woman. In turn, I enact metaphors of discomfort that I experience as a woman everyday.

My work is informed by the debilitating effects that mental disorders (ie: experiences of anorexia, body dysmorphia and borderline personality disorder) have had on the body and mind through my own traumatic experiences. I use obsessive gestures and 14

contort my own body in my video works, at times to a wrenching degree. My intention is to wrestle with the idea of unrealistic expectations and societal pressures with being a woman, while examining the rage and angst hidden beneath.

John Hallett HALLETTIRONWORKS.COM

SCULPTURE, INSTALLATION, PUBLIC ART I am filled with curiosity. I am an artist, veterinarian, athlete, outdoorsman, and animal and environmental advocate. For many years, I worked with my hands doing surgery as a veterinarian. Now I am working with my hands in a different way as a sculptor.

After sculpting people and animals for several years, my current work invites viewers to touch and explore the texture of trees from around the world. Some of those trees are hundreds or even thousands of years old. By taking a small silicone mold of the tree bark, I leave the tree in its natural environment to continue living and growing. Using those molds, I reconfigure 16

the tree bark into new shapes and structures before casting them in bronze or glass.

My sculptures make the trees familiar, like family, and often convey a sense of impending motion. By removing the natural tree shape, surroundings and sometimes color, I emphasize what is left - the texture.

That fascinating bark texture, like the wrinkles on a person’s face that hint at a lifetime of experiences. That texture is meant to be gently touched and experienced.

Gabby Hicks GABBYHICKS.COM

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Typically, the graphic designer's goal is to make an emotional connection to an audience through their designs. Whether it is through the color palette that they choose, the different visual elements they incorporate, or the choice of typography, designers aim to make an impact. Although they may be satisfied and feel they have achieved their goal, that’s not where my design practice stops.

I have created work relating to mental health and healing for six years now. When I have created these works, I have not just thought about the connection with the audience, but also how the project can be implemented in the real world. As a graphic designer aiming to work in the corporate world, I want to figure out what keeps people interested in 18

the design enough that they will invest in what the design proposes.

Pawse is a mental health company concept that incorporates self-healing with the assistance of pets. I created this company idea to not only gain a better understanding of myself and my healing, but also to understand it from a consumer’s perspective. I was not able to develop this idea without the help of my therapist, animal professionals, friends, and family. Mental health has become a booming industry. Pets have also become a booming industry. Why not bring them together?

Liz Hilliard LIZHILLIARD.ART

INTERDISCIPLINARY, SOCIAL PRACTICE, PERFORMANCE, INSTALLATION,WRITING

I am white, disabled, nonbinary, and queer. My practice is interdisciplinary and often socially engaged, tending to self- and collective care through somatic awareness. I am particularly interested in the way developing a land/body relationship can build ecological empathy and social responsibility. Learning deeply about what it means to be in our bodies while nurturing an ideology of compassion is where you’ll find me.

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Shafrin Islam SHAFRINISLAM.WIXSITE.COM/PORTFOLIO

INTERDISCIPLINARY, ANIMATION, ILLUSTRATION, INSTALLATION, SOUND ART,WRITING I am an interdisciplinary storyteller, specializing in world-building through various mediums such as animation, watercolor painting, illustration, installation, sound design and miniature paper diorama.

Within the landscapes of these worlds, I delve into sincere dialogues about the strange, the abstract, and a diverse spectrum of emotions.

My studio practice is informed by the act of surrendering to the process of creating, driven by curiosity and delight.

Through careful observation of my own habitual patterns, I've gained insights into my creative rhythm. This introspection prompted me to compose poems for my thesis project, facilitating space between the internal and the external. Themes of growth, 22

grief, love, memories, impermanence, and escapism find their way into my invented worlds, particularly evident in my character designs and whimsical narratives. Through expanded animation and immersive visual experiences, I invite my audience to enter a world where the boundaries between fiction and reality are blurred.

Meher Khan MEHERKHAN.COM

DRAWING/PAINTING, ILLUSTRATION, PRINTMAKING/PAPER/BOOKS My work is autobiographical while inviting the viewer to consider their own identities, spaces, and biography. I aim to conceptually create a third space that is uniquely mine.

Here, all my disparate identities are valid and present. I need not deny or leave any part of them in another space; they all enter with me and are visually apparent.

To create my own third space I draw from my familial history in India which creates part of my current identity as a secondgeneration Indian American. I also refer to my origin and childhood in the United States – the same child of immigrants, but immersed in late 80s and early 90s American pop culture and multiple genres of alternative music. The universal search for identity is viewed through my personal lens, to encourage viewers to begin or 24

continue their own search, with their unique set of circumstances. As I search for answers to the questions of who my community is, how much of me is derived from my lineage, and the places I belong, I create work that captures the act of searching and reflects it back to the viewer.

I use textile and fiber as material embedded in my history and present. I incorporate printmaking because of its significance within textile industries and its historical use for action on social issues, especially those that directly affect me as a BIPOC, Muslim woman in the United States. Through layering, reflection, and immersion, I create a physical space that encourages introspection as a starting point for understanding one’s present reality.

Ria Lee RLEE8584.MYPORTFOLIO.COM

GRAPHIC DESIGN

When asking myself, 'Who am I really?'

I've discovered that the environments I live in have an impact on how I navigate the complexity of identity. As a graphic and brand designer, my approach to creation is influenced by the rich tapestry of my own experiences. The unpredictability and unexpected turns of life inspire me to use Uncontrollable Variables as my methodology. This unexpected and handcrafted result gives my designs a depth and vitality.

Developing my own brand is like building a house: every little thing needs to have attention to detail. Similar to how people choose their furnishings and materials to express their individuality, I also carefully create my brand to truly embody who I am.

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Our inherent personality will change based on how we grow and also depending on our lifestyle, but I think our natural fundamental characteristics would never change.

I now realize that personal branding is an invitation into my inner sanctuary rather than just a show for others. I want everyone to experience and understand me within my own space, and to accept who I truly am. In my Thesis work, I am happy to invite you to my own space to learn about me. Welcome!

Junlan Luo GRAPHIC DESIGN MOTION DESIGN As a graphic designer, I am convinced that design is not only an art form, but also a powerful means of communicating a message. My design philosophy is user-centered, focusing on usability and readability to make design a tool for effective communication. It makes me feel happy and fulfilled because I can convey messages and create beauty in the world through my designs. I am a designer who is inclined to commercial projects. I also like to observe the interesting details and problems in life and society. I hope to use the form of art to present and respond, and I hope to explore the balance between art and commercial projects. For me, design is not only a job; it is a passion and a way of life.

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Kevin Reid KEVINREIDABSTRACTART.COM

PAINTING SCULPTURE My painting and sculptural practices are inspired by my perception that virtuous interactions among people - and specifically those that include compassion, empathy, kindness, and beneficence (to do good) are beneficial in human discourse. My art is inspired by the far-reaching personal and societal benefits of aspiring to lead a virtuous life, characterized by habitual expressions of compassion and respect for the inherent dignity of others. My art-making flows from thousands of one-on-one experiences as a pain doctor for nearly thirty years, influenced by the complex interpersonal dynamics in a medical subculture of suffering and pain. In addition, my work as a medical ethicist nurtured a deep curiosity about the complexities of moral conflict and the value of virtue ethics that informs the 30

abstract art I create. Germinating over a lifelong, perhaps naive wish that all people were at the very least kind and gracious to one another, my non-representational paintings and metal sculptures are motivated by interactions between and among persons where the dignity and moral worth of humans may be honored or dishonored. Through my art, I aspire to evoke introspection, joy, wonder, and playfulness, all experiences that may arise in human discourse characterized by virtuous interactions.

Victor Sánchez DRAWING, PAINTING, SCULPTURE, GRAPHIC DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION, CURATION, EXHIBITION DESIGN, INTERDISCIPLINARY, ENGAGED/PUBLIC ARTS

My name is Victor Sánchez. I am a visual artist living and working in Minneapolis.

Growing up in Chicago, my evenings and weekends were spent studying classical ballet. Living on the streets as a runaway, from foster homes and group homes, left an indelible presence on my sense of diversity, poverty, ingenuity, and grit.

As an artist, I recognize how my identity and intersectionality deliver understanding to my practice, materials, and methods. It’s political to make, it’s political to be yourself.

It’s political to be an artist who expresses identity, ability, and intersectionality, and re/ imagines a world that deserves compassion.

My art practice uses non-traditional materials and methods of making to 32

construct powerful narratives about how colonization has structured art making. I’m interested in making historical connections to the stories I’m telling with the materials I use, and the intimate reflections of their effects on decolonizing.

I’m interested in community allies, and in the historical and present-day connection between Indigenous, Hispanic, and African communities in the Caribbean islands, the effects of forced migration, exploitation, genocide, colonization, slavery, its on-going evolution, and shifts in culture, science, and language. My work speaks to connection through a construction of abstraction and protest.

Steven Xiaorui Yu ALONELYTARO.COM

PHOTOGRAPHY INTERDISCIPLINARY

I have not had a lot of fries recently.

There are photographs. I like them. I love to look at them just like I love biking. I like them. Yet it’s a rather subtle and slow-moving thing - you can bike fast, but cannot be in a hurry to take photos. And don’t forget, it’s a spontaneous reaction, just like when silver nitrite meets hydrochloric acid.

Then the photos group. Hundreds and hundreds of them start to move around. Quite exciting to look at. Amazing. Magical. I try, I fail. Attractive, but toxic. I was once trying to film facing a mirror. Such an ugly face behind the camera.

Then, I would sit on a chair, watching them, trying to get closer to them. Until realizing 34

my back has been far away from the chair, and my eyes almost glued onto the screen. I froze myself into the chair. As the chair.

What am I talking about? Want some fries?

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