MFA Graduate Exhibition: University of Windsor School of Visual Arts

Diverse in their artistic practices, these five University of Windsor MFA students employ a wide range of materials and techniques to assert their interpretations of the world around them, their identities, and the nature of art practice in the 21st century.

Brought together by chance, the 2009 MFA class at the School of Visual Arts has created an exhibition that focuses on physical and social geographies, as well as the frontiers of new electronic media.

John Ryan Clark uses fundamental, deceptively simple design elements to creat sculptures that can grow and change into organic, vital forms, commenting on the ways in which individuals engage with their surroundings.The large scale photographs of Amy Friend evoke feelings of memory and loss, including views of shifting light reflecting on waves, and ghostly images of translucent vintage clothing. Mahla Ghasempour’s paintings and multimedia works on paper explore her Iranian identity, pushing ideas of history, mapping, calligraphy and contemporary social issues in new directions. Adam Glover’s shifting, multifaceted views of ordinary objects, captured wih technologies such as cell phone cameras, disrupt our perception of space and motion. The monumental canvases of Chris Hanoski emphasize the continuing vitality of Canadian painting and First Nations cultures by combining symbolism with electric colour and elements of Op Art patterning.