I DON’T KNOW THESE PEOPLE previews the work of eight first-year MFA graduates. The show explores the artists’ propulsions into graduate school and the new positions and relationships that come with that status. An opening reception will be held on Friday, January 31, from 4–6 PM.
The exhibition centers around the cognitive dissonance in art school between newly formed professional relationships and deeply personal conversations. In these working environments, artists may learn each other’s deepest fears before knowing where they’re from. Diverting from the standard progression of intimacy leaves room for productive misinterpretation and unexpected connections between works. Culinary performance, gardening memes, and sonic feedback all reflect and redefine each other in ways surprising even to the artists themselves. The varied nature of the exhibition represents the messiness and vulnerability that accompany upheaval.
By juxtaposing intimate, tactile materials with sharp critiques of systemic processes, the show highlights the uneasy coexistence of personal and collective experiences. Some works channel the absurdity of mass production through exaggerated forms and distorted imagery, while others evoke a longing for pre-industrial simplicity. The inclusion of memes and pop culture references underscores the ubiquity of digital influence in shaping both humor and critique, offering a lens through which the audience can grapple with the contradictions of modern life. Together, the artists invite viewers to navigate a fragmented yet interconnected world, where individual expression meets the overwhelming structures of contemporary existence.
Participating Artists: Christina Dietz, Hillary Halter, Henry Louris, Garrett Metz, Adelaine Muth, Jennifer Nicole Murray, Lauren Olson, Brian Trelegan
