Infrastructures: 2023 Postgraduate Exhibition by School of Art MFAs

A longstanding CalArts School of Art tradition continues with tomorrow’s opening of Infrastructures, the 2023 MFA postgraduate exhibition at UTA Artist Space in Beverly Hills. On view from Jan. 20 to Feb. 3, Infrastructures features the work of the most recent graduates of the programs in Art, Art and Technology, and Photography and Media, encompassing various mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and video.

Organized by artist and writer Meghan Gordon (Art MFA 14), this year’s exhibition explores the role of infrastructures on a global and local level, delving into the interplay between societal structures, individual expression, and the politically-charged present in a post-pandemic moment.

“I’m particularly proud of this year’s graduating class,” remarked Steven Lam, dean of the School of Art. “They all have created communities and lasting friendships in a moment marked by uncertainty and regressions. While art school friendships may seem like a small gesture in the context of today’s upheavals—these everyday relations suggest that structural and interpersonal forms of aid and community are necessary conditions for repair, inspiration, and hope.”

Infrastructures features works by 38 students, all of whom are (Art MFA 23): Antonio Okun, Bethlehem Tsehai, Chris Johst, Christine Gaffney, Clemente Ciarrocca, David B. Jang, Erick Antonio Benitez, Gwendolyn Moon, Hyunju Lee, Joey Ye Zhouyi, Jonathon Hornedo, Jules Hyun, Kathi Schulz, Kathleen Nolan, Kenix Xiaoqing Liang, Lisa Banta, May Caiwei Chen, Rosa Sarholz, Rose Tsang, Shiqing Ban, Sohyong Lee, Teresa Piecuch, Tom Ryan, Wes Weisbaum, Yang Weihan, Yasaman Alipour, Yue Liu, Zac Zhongxu Chen, and ZhenZhen Zhong.

“The CalArts post-grad show is an important tradition and a collective rite of passage. It marks the end of the students’ time at CalArts and their dispersal into the world beyond,” noted Michael Ned Holte, associate dean and faculty in the School of Art. “In quieter ways, the show also defines a definitive cohort who have been and will often continue to be the most important audience for one another’s work. Of all the determining factors a prospective student considers before entering an MFA program—the program’s historical reputation, its faculty, its facilities, financial stakes, and so on—the least predictable is the exact constituency of the incoming cohort. And yet this unpredictable factor is probably the most important one in shaping a student’s experience.”

The exhibition also includes several public programs, including a film screening on Jan. 25 at Heavy Manners Library in Los Angeles, and an on-site performance from sunrise to sunset on Jan. 27 of The Book of Hours. The exhibition concludes with an event and reception, featuring readings, performances, and time-based works organized by Greg Jenkins (Film/Video MFA 23). See the full list of events below or at the official exhibition website.