The 2016 presidential election was one unlike any other in our lifetime. The political landscape changed so drastically, students were called to action with a small, but powerful juried exhibition. Represent opened in early February, just as unprecedented Executive Orders were signed. Fifteen College of Art and Design undergraduate students explored and dissected personal social and political narratives. The exhibition utilized portraiture as a way to represent such narratives within a larger political conversation. The show, on display in Raizes gallery in the Lunder Arts Center, was recognized by local press, and was even a cover story for the Metro Boston newspaper.
Jurors included Fine Arts Chair Associate Professor, Matthew Cherry, who spoke to the work and the current political climate in Metro Boston. “The more people we add to the table, we’re able to have expansive conversations,” he said. “If you’re excluding a person because of race, gender, sexuality, then you're excluding that diversity of thought.”
Students examined a range of topics including transgender harassment, female identity, Muslim discrimination, African-American representation, and self-imposed ignorance, among others. When asked to discuss their work, students professionally articulated their distinct experience and how it fits into the larger body politic.
Mosheh Tucker, Fine Arts
King Mensa or King Vic
As quoted in Metro Boston, Fine Arts student Mosheh Tucker reveals of his painting, King Mensa or King Vic, “this piece is both a commentary on today's influential figures within the African-American community and the lack of Black and African imagery in classic paintings." He adds, "I tend to dive into my own subconscious when coming up with ideas for paintings."
Representation of all populations is important for an inclusive society. As Tucker describes, historically people of color, specifically; African or black individuals, were omitted from classic paintings. By including influential figures of the African-American community, Tucker has revised the conversation on race and allowed the space for these people to exist on canvas for others to see – elevating their representation.
Aria Carpenter, Fine Arts
Aria Carpenter, a Fine Arts student, has decidedly included transgender people into this political conversation. Her work depicts “the sensation that my mouth is being pried open and peered into.” Her personal experience has helped shape her artmaking and form a powerful narrative.
“Instead of hellos and how-do-you-do, too often we are met with harassment and fetishization from even the most well-intentioned people. Rather than handshakes, we are probed with invasive and inappropriate queries like, ‘But what’s…down there?’ ‘So…did you get the surgery?’ Knowing that strangers think of my physiology as a puzzle to be solved, a mystery to be cracked, or some sexual guessing game gives me the sensation that my mouth is being pried open and peered into as a crowd observes with dissociated glances. I sought to capture the fear and rage that I and so many other transgender people are forced to suppress on a daily basis.”