MFA Students

Shuyuan Zhou (she/her) (b. 2001) is a Chinese visual artist and poet. Her artistic passion lies mainly in the impact of patriarchal society and generational trauma on self-identity in China. In terms of her work, she tries to combine photographic images with diverse mediums such as installation art, experimental video, and poetry.

Zhou received her BFA in Media and Arts from Duke Kunshan University and her BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Duke University and is currently an MFA candidate at School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Lili Xie is an artist who works in photography, performance, and short films. In her most recent work she uses models and studio photography to explore identity. Lili is full of vague, skeptical cognition and uncertainty of herself, which gives her imagination as well. Actually, she expresses her different images through others’ bodies. The process of shooting is also a process of self-recognition. Her curiosity about the outside world comes from her curiosity about herself. They become her other skin in the images.

Personal Statement: I am inspired and fascinated with the imperfection of creation; my works are a carrier of stories of the past but also lean toward the future. I emphasize the importance of time in the creation. Time here also represents the moment beyond creation as it may contain the past and possibilities to the future. I understand it as a delay of experience and consciousness. This kind of delay changes the process of creation or communication separated from communication, daily symbols and representations with its spiritual quality. 

Ryan Patrick Krueger (b. 1992) is a lens-based artist whose work addresses themes of grief, loss, and desire through their process of collecting and appropriating vernacular photographs of male affection in order to consider the intersections of LGBTQ+ American history and photography. Krueger holds a BFA in Photography from Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon, and was formerly Digital Services Coordinator for Light Work, a non-profit artist-run photography organization at Syracuse University. They have curated exhibitions and held shows nationally, most notably their work in Response Response, a two person exhibition with gay rights activist Linda Kliewer (b. 1953), Queer Moments: Selections from the Light Work Collection in Syracuse, NY, On Longing at MONACO in St. Louis, MO, and Documents from the Closet at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY. Krueger was most recently included in the 2022 FotoFest Biennial in Houston, TX and featured by Art in America, Aperture, and Sixty Inches From Center. 

James Baroz's (he/him) photographic practice begins to explore the relationships with his close inner circle, as it permits an intimate perspective into their lives and anxieties as young adults coming of age. 

He is interested in the diaristic constellation of friends, lovers, and self-portraits. Alongside landscapes and domestic still life that rely on the artist's own experience of nostalgia. 

James also interrogates his own performance of masculinity through an on-going series of self-portraits which utilize mirrors to visualize the interior self and physical body.

Raised on the Chehalis Reservation in Washington State, Selena Kearney uses photography as a tool to be of service to her community and as a vehicle for artistic expression. Her work includes portraiture and documentary practice, as well as constructed conceptual works. Selena creates images that are rooted in a sense of place and culture. She holds a Certificate of Fine Art Photography from The Photographic Center Northwest and a Bachelors in Liberal Arts from Evergreen State College.

Mark Wang is a Chinese conceptual artist based in Toronto, working with photography, sculpture, and video. His projects explore intimacy and philosophical questions and examine the art forms through multidimensional images and material manipulation.

Personal Statement: It’s undeniable that having productive political conversations is becoming more and more difficult in the United States’ increasingly tumultuous political climate. Citizens are being constantly bombarded with information from the media, while also being too busy to contend with all the information needed to make informed decisions or engage in nuanced dialogues.

As viral moments and contentious topics weave in and out of our media environment, the performative nature of politics is a constant. Because of this, my work seeks to encourage meaningful conversations and critical thinking around the nature of these performances, where thoughtful responses can be favored over polarizing and instantaneous reactions. “Political Theatres” tackles some of the complexities of communication in politics, using theatricality to present political plots in a different, yet not unbefitting context, ultimately using the concept of the theater as a metaphor in order to shine a light on the innerworkings of the political world, the ever-influential media, and the effects they have on US citizens.

Lizzie Moo was born in Northern California in 1995. As a child, California State University Long Beach’s art department was her playground while her single mother was obtaining her BFA and MFA in drawing and painting, influencing Moo to choose a career as an artist. Her medium of choice is photography, which piqued her interest due to its novelty and potential for exploration. Lately, however, she has found herself drawn to new mediums. Moo finds that each art discipline influences and has conversations with each other.

Lizzie Moo started a student-run magazine that features student artists who are producing bodies of artwork outside of the classroom titled, “SNAP9!” Moo has shown her work at Muzeo in Anaheim and has frequently shown her work at the Warehouse of Contemporary Art (WOCA) as well as at the Yoshida Student Gallery at Orange Coast College.

Personal Statement: I was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. I was four when I first visited the United States. Year after year, I’d visit. I fell for the long winding highways, the green front lawns, the textbook houses, suburbs and cul-de-sacs, yellow school buses, SUVs, strip malls, fast food joints, megastores, and supermarkets. I fell in love with America, with the dream. In my brief time living in the US as a Brazilian, I came to find assimilation wouldn't be possible for me. I would always be othered, even when trying my best to hide my identity. Yet, my feelings of love and admiration for America remained. My work focuses on trying to reconstruct the American mythos and placing myself as archetypes key to its existence. I hope to use my work to highlight and platform Brazilian artists both in academia and in the art world.

Personal Statement: I collect insects and small objects as if they were memories, words, and images. These encounters serve as a medium to observe death and fertility, marked by the unchanging evidence of periodic death and the acknowledgment of the fecundity that surrounds us.

My exploration taps into the intimate realm, guided by observation and typically expressed through photography and installation.

The methodology is rooted in pseudo-scientific processes, leading to visual taxonomic proposals that are pictorial and abstract. The outcome, often influenced by alchemical processes or my exploratory approach, eludes my control. The images oscillate between hyperfocus and distortion, high definition and obscurity, exploring death, its relationship with human observation, and the experience of time.

In my work, stillness is not just a theme but a witness to history. In Chile, memories of trauma drift through windows with the slightest breeze, carrying a persistent viciousness. This compels me to create images that remain static and suspended. Living in the aftermath of dictatorship, my generation navigates and reshapes our experiences of pain, creating a space for the emergence of fragility.

This focus on life and death is a recalibration of self, serving not just me but, hopefully, my generation in finding our voice by reshaping pre-verbal experiences. Is it merely light? Perhaps it is something that must be discerned from the smallest occurrences, from the tiniest objects and beings encountered.

Haru Andersen (she/her) (b.1998) uses photography as a tool to document and further her understanding of the society we live in today, especially in urban areas stemming from her interest in urban sociology. Majoring in media, culture, and communication as an undergraduate at the International Christian University in Tokyo Japan, Haru’s interest in media as a tool of expression eventually landed her in the direction of photography. Haru’s interest in sociology, philosophy, and religion are all vital aspects to her work as she finds meaningful subjects to capture within cities that align with her interests. 

Lauren Bertelson (she/her) (b. 2000) is an interdisciplinary artist whose work examines domesticity, labor, gender, and the multigenerational transfer of these concepts through self-portraiture, installation, craft, and sculptural practices. In 2022, she received a SOURCE Grant to develop her ongoing body of work, Like Mother, Like Daughter, which centers itself around the generational obligations and rewards stemming from traditions and norms of domesticity. Bertelson holds a BFA in Art Photography from Syracuse University. 

Personal Statement: In my journey as a photographer, I draw inspiration from intimate moments that resonate deeply with personal and universal truths. Initially drawn to the vulnerability of nudity, influenced by my upbringing surrounded by my parents' intimate portraits, my work has evolved beyond the physical form. Documenting significant life experiences has become central to my artistic exploration. My portfolio explores themes ranging from milestones in sobriety to the complexities of infertility, and fundamental aspects of human existence such as desire, self-acceptance, and mortality.

Through projects like A Design for Living, I challenge conventional narratives of alcoholism, celebrating freedom and growth in sobriety. Similarly, 1 in 10 sheds light on the emotional landscape of infertility, drawing from my own journey with polycystic ovarian syndrome. This series aims to amplify voices and make space for understanding.

My art extends beyond traditional subjects, exploring sexuality and mortality through unexpected lenses like vegetable erotica and portraits of deceased birds. These themes challenge perceptions, solidifying my belief in art's power to provoke dialogue and reshape perspectives.

I am most looking forward to working with a new group of artists so that we may push and inspire each other during our time here. I believe an artist is a culmination of many influences and I cannot be the kind of creator I am without a wonderful community beside me. 

Personal Statement: When you step into northeastern China and explore the land that once prospered due to industrial development, you may find some traces of Texas or the Ruhr area of Germany. I grew up in this place where enthusiasm and solemnity intersect. After graduating from high school, I was admitted to the China Academy of Art and moved to a completely different southern city.

In the past two years, I have gradually started to create photographic works "seriously." My photographic creation process is more like an examination of myself, linking the personal to the world, which constantly makes me ponder how "I" was formed and why "I" have become this way. At the same time, I am also working on installation art with themes of the universe and the future, and I draw inspiration from them to design visual materials such as posters, videos, and models.

Zhang Yudie (ida) (she/her/hers) was born in 2001. Her artistic endeavors revolve primarily around photography and installations. In her creations, she delves into shared human experiences and cognitive processes, exploring language, memory, sensory encounters, and the collective emotions associated with "Kitsch." However, her work consciously avoids being limited to an anthropocentric viewpoint; instead, it embraces a self-reflective nature, contemplating issues on a larger scale.

Yudie focuses on the interaction between humans and the material world. She explores how the physical body acts as an intermediary that allows humans to gain sensory experiences and how objects reveal the construction of metaphysical concepts and cognition.

Tanya Shah (she/her) (b. Mumbai, 1997) is a Los Angeles-based visual artist. Shah received her Bachelor of the Arts from Dartmouth College in Computer Science and Studio Art with High Honors, and her IB Diploma from the German Swiss International School of Hong Kong. Her work has been nationally exhibited in venues such as the Jaffe-Friede Gallery in New Hampshire and Praxis Gallery in Minnesota, and internationally exhibited in London. She has worked as a teaching assistant at the International Center of Photography in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, as a studio assistant to Letha Wilson amongst other artists, and as a gallery assistant in both Hong Kong and Los Angeles.

Berkley Reddick (she/her) is an emerging artist, working primarily in analogue photography and mixed media installations. She often focuses her work on the idea of the unseen, engaging with individuals, communities, and locations generally overlooked by the public. In these ways she can honestly document the unconventional locations and unique people she experiences life with. Her work stands as a documentation of time. An unapologetic collection of moments representing strong bonds, formed through artistic collaboration and shared experiences.   

Personal Statement: The quest for meaning is meaning in itself.

Personal Statement: Our skin is a supple semi-permeable membrane that aids and maintains the integrity of the body. It provides a boundary and serves as the medium of passage between the body and its surrounding environment. Hugging tight onto our muscles and bones, its job is to protect us. Yet over time we have developed a negative view against the skin that rests on our own backs. It becomes easy to forget how its contours are beautifully curved, how our flesh folds and shifts in color when engulfed in light, or how it transforms completely when exposed to trauma. Its role has evolved, no longer is our skin just a defense mechanism to the physical world. We now sit for hours picking at its unevenness and poking at the parts that we have deemed unlovable. Our bodies bear such intense pain and stress, often leaving the feeling of distortion. Now prone to focus on the imperfections instead of the innate loveliness.    
Our relationships with our body have become dysmorphic and unfamiliar, we recognize the shapes but do not read them as our own. My work aims to address and regain the image of the body through the personal experiences of my peers and myself. I vary the scale, medium, and quantities in each piece to portray the severity and overwhelming moments that many, including myself deal with daily. I aim to push away from the traditional representations of the human body in photography. I seek to find ways of creating or discovering scenes that elicit emotion from their viewers, creating a shared experience with different means of materials.

Hugo Amarales is a visual artist and photographer based in Southern California. As a Mexican-American his works revolves around the interactions of navigating his both cultures. A second-generation Mexican American, he explores the nuances between having to assimilate to American culture while still maintaining his Mexican heritage. He works primarily with photography, both digital and analog photography. He gets his influence from Mexican folk art, Mexican traditions, post-modern and contemporary art to create work that is relative to his experiences.