The goal of disclosure, the current student exhibition in the Foster Gallery, is to uncover personal interpretations of the world as seen by graduate students of the college of art and design.
Erfan Ghiasi, a third-year graduate student in photography and MFA candidate, designed the show to be a “subjective interpretation of the world” in which the art of people with different backgrounds, races and genders is able to create a dialogue on what it means to be human.
“[The gallery] embodies the idea that disclosure happens when all the elements are in conversation with each other,” Ghiasi said, “You can be looking at Heather’s artwork next to Claire’s next to Michael and Kyle’s because they are in the same space. The source of these works is the world. They are each a different interpretation of the world throughout the lens of each artist.”
The title of the exhibition, disclosure was inspired by these artistic conversations. As curator, Ghiasi felt that it was his role to produce a name that was able to represent all of the works without prioritizing one interpretation.
The name comes from Heideggerian terminology and refers to when concepts become meaningful to the human mind. For Ghiasi having the title written in lowercase letters embodies how revelations becoming clear when they are discussed.
““I cannot prioritize any of these interpretations because I look at them in a flat, anthological way. They are all as important as each other. This one is not more important than that one. They are just different. They all are interpretations. They are all equal.”
Ghiasi also wanted to create an “inclusive space” for people without background knowledge of art to experience the conversations and be inspired to conduct their own conversations.
“I tried to have an open-ended gallery so that it could be inclusive and not exclusive to the people who may not have the background knowledge of art history,” Ghiasi said. “Now you can see young kids come into the gallery and just look at the art. This is important because it makes them look at the world differently and helps that to construct their subjectivity from an early age.”
Ghiasi sees himself in this conversation as “more like the aggregator not the curator.” He sees his role as the one who is responsible for collecting the ideas and initiating the conversation, as the graduate art show is an annual event and many artists of varying talents and styles wanted to participate.
As the exhibition is a conceptual show, the themes and intent behind the art can be difficult to grasp and fully comprehend on first glance. Ghiasi is aware of the art’s complexity, but does not see that as a weakness of the show, rather a strength because it inspires viewers to go on and think more critically about the world around them.
“Something will come to your mind based on the experiences you have had in your life, based on the culture you live in,”Ghiasi said, “You will have your own interpretation at the end of the day it is all up to you. I want to subconsciously make them conscious about their surroundings and make them think and start questioning things.”
disclosure will leave the Foster Gallery on Nov. 20.
