DREAMLANDS

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents DREAMLANDS, an exhibition of animations, moving images, prints and films by MFA Computer Arts (MFACA) students and alumni. Curated by Lotte Marie Allen, MFACA academic advisor and curriculum coordinator, and MFACA alumna Zyia Zhongyuan Zhang, the exhibition will be on view from Thursday, October 27, through Monday, November 21, 2022 at the SVA Flatiron Gallery, 133/141 West 21st Street, New York City, and online here. RSVP here for the opening reception on October 27.

DREAMLANDS highlights moving images that convey the strangest corners of dreams and nightmares, and the spaces in between. The landscapes of dreams will always be impossible to fully understand, but certain visualizations—a love story between an apple and a dog, two color-shifting 3D nurb forms, rainy day imaginations—work to move closer to representing our subconscious. This exhibition creates a space to embrace both individual and collective dreamlands. Through stop-motion ceramics, generative video and mixed media, these animations and films explore the often indefinable characteristics of our nightly subconscious.

Inspired by the Dunhuang fresco, found in Cave 254 of the Mogao Grottos, alumna Yihui “Cece” Jiao (MFA 2018 Computer Arts) creates ceramics for her stop-motion film The Nightmare, which explores the struggles of mental health and insomnia. 

Student I-Wen Chen’s Puppy Love is an animated, mixed-media love story between an apple and a puppy. In Chen’s own words, “Apple is a puppy owner who has been miserably single for her whole life. She puts her love on her dog that has accompanied her for many years.” Humor, playfulness and the creative use of color and form offer a narrative that explores daydreams. 

Alumnus Pasakorn Nontananandh’s (MFA 2018 Computer Arts) music video with musician GADADU—composed with a combination of nature and human-made materials, and lit by fireflies—leads viewers on a journey to explore “life” inside a dream-like environment. 

Other artists in this exhibition include current MFA Computer Arts students Zeva Fu, Jee Kim, Boning Li, Ruonan Yang, Yazhi Zheng and program alumni Linda Loh (2021), Yalan Wen (2020) and Xingjian Wu (2014). With exhibition videos by Mori Ortiz and Pasakorn Nontananandh. A section of the exhibition is also dedicated to Bruce Wands, MFA Computer Arts’ late Chair Emeritus.

The SVA Flatiron Gallery is open Monday through Saturday, 10am–6pm. In accordance with SVA Covid-19 protocols, in-person viewing is open to SVA students, faculty and staff. The public may visit by showing proof of full vaccination (including booster, if eligible) and photo ID. All visitors to the Flatiron Gallery must pre-register through an RSVP link no less than 48 hours prior to the selected event date and time. Proper masking is required.

School of Visual Arts MFA Computer Arts emphasizes creative experimentation and a multidisciplinary approach to making art with computers and emerging technologies. Dedicated to producing digital artists of the highest caliber, the department guides each student in the development of a personal artistic style in a course of study that is individually tailored to meet their needs. Students come from around the world to study in this two-year MFA degree program, which has distinguished itself with nine Student Academy Awards. Please visit mfaca.sva.edu.

The School of Visual Arts has been a leader in the education of artists, designers and creative professionals for seven decades. With a faculty of distinguished working professionals, a dynamic curriculum and an emphasis on critical thinking, SVA is a catalyst for innovation and social responsibility. With 7,000 students at its Manhattan campus and more than 41,000 alumni from 128 countries, SVA also represents one of the most influential artistic communities in the world. For information about the College’s 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, visit sva.edu.