Bachelor of Fine Arts Solo Exhibitions

The Wonsook Kim School of Art requires each graduating BFA student to mount a solo exhibition of their latest artwork. Through the support of two BFA faculty mentors this exhibition signifies the successful completion of a BFA education as a studio artist. Students work diligently in their ISU studios to grow as artists, to develop their distinct voices as makers, and to work towards their solo exhibitions. This semester, we have five BFA exhibitions, and we are appreciative of your interest in the work of our graduating student artists. Normally, these exhibitions exist inside Transpace, our student gallery, in the Center for the Visual Arts. This semester, these exhibitions are only existing in this digital platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arianna Garcia

This show will never be viewed in a gallery, but it will live with people in their homes. If they choose to hang their piece up, they will be able to walk by the show on the way to the bathroom for instance. The show will be with people in Illinois, several states in the U.S., Canada, and Paris.
It felt important to send things to people that they could hold and experience in person and not on a screen… I needed to make a show that would be experienced in person, regardless of the current global situation.

I decided that I was going to make 100 collages and send them out to people. People that have impacted me in some way over the past few years. Some, I don’t know very well. Some, I’ve lost contact with. Some I usually see often but haven’t been able to due to the social distancing order.

Arianna Garcia

untitled, mixed media collage, 2020, 8.5"x11" Part of a series of 78 collages

Student H

My work explores my relationships with my family, the pulp, and myself, using pulp as a metaphorical medium. The way that I use pulp allows me to turn any pieces of paper from my life into pulp, and constantly restart my works using the same pulp. From this, I have built a strong history and connection with this pulp. Being able to constantly restart works using the same pulp means that myself, my relationships, my memories, or my future, can always change. Pulp is potential.

Student H

Letters From Your Queer Child, handmade paper

Student H

Pulp History, handmade paper, approx 3’x2.75’

Student H

Squeeze, paper pulp body imprint (various sources), approx. 15 lbs

Student H

Still from Pulpy Body, video, 17:14

Athena Silot

Prior to COVID-19, my paintings have been focused on exploring social and cultural interrelationships, annotating the psychology of human interaction. My work allows me to assess through personal perception, which at the time, was intended to dissect and understand college culture. Now the world has changed immensely with social distancing at the forefront of worldwide controversy, I took this as an opportunity to capture reality as it is today through rendering scenarios related to quarantine. From no longer allowed to be in my studio to painting in a bedroom corner, this pandemic has affected my practice and my interpretation of the new societal norm. No longer rationalizing about college crowds and social gatherings, but how our world has been affected socially and culturally.

Keagen Davidson (Rindo Child)

This work is about a bird. [376] Collecting things from a physical distance is easy as checking mobile inventory, scrolling through a text feed, and taking notes. [932] I think about virtual space as forming identically with the physically close reality that we cherish. By participating in social platforms, tangible memory becomes resequenced with overlaps that might create some breaks, [4] or better cause ideas to cross-pollinate. Snapping one picture to be shared with people you've never met [54] can create a ripple effect. ********* Suddenly, you might look at the trees and not to your phone when you hear a tweet.