The third week of the University's 2025 art studio senior thesis exhibitions opened on April 9, 2025, at the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, featuring works by eight seniors: Kerri Bel, Beatrice Campomori Garuti, Olivia Gomez, Vicky Gong, Will Hardison, Aleah Hurwitz, Ava Liberace, and Alp Yücel. The exhibition spans diverse mediums and themes, including Vicky Gong's "Ether," which explores technology, intimacy, and alienation through material and affect; Will Hardison's "The Sand Remembers the Waves," a monotype series about memory and landscape; and Alp Yücel's "Obstructed View," a sculptural installation that challenges visual perception and physical movement through the gallery space.
This exhibition matters because it showcases the culmination of undergraduate art education, highlighting how emerging artists engage with contemporary themes such as memory, technology, materiality, and perception. The artists' reflections on their creative processes—including Gong's embrace of fragility after breaking a glass component and Hardison's exploration of monotype's unique textures—offer insight into the experimental and personal nature of thesis work. Such student exhibitions are vital for nurturing the next generation of visual artists and fostering dialogue within the academic art community.