University of Manitoba - School of Art -
UPCOMING/CURRENT EXHIBITIONS: To be announced. 

 

Fragmented Realities: 2019 MFA Thesis Exhibitions

Exhibitions
May 10 - June 7, 2019
The School of Art and School of Art Gallery are pleased to present Fragmented Realities, the thesis exhibitions and oral examinations by Master of Fine Art students: Gayle Buzzi, Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi and Breanne Siwicki. During the exhibition period, each student will have an oral thesis exam that will also be open to the public. Reception
June 7, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Oral exams
June 3, 2:00 pm: Breanne Siwicki
June 5, 2:00 pm: Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi
June 6, 2:00 pm: Gayle Buzzi

Gayle Buzzi: Accidental Landscapes
Accidental Landscapes is an installation of fragile, glass sculptures that address the relationships that non-human animals develop with humans in urban centers. By depicting animals that are prevalent in the urban landscape, Gayle Buzzi encourages viewers to contemplate their relationships with the specific animals and the natural world more broadly.

While growing up in Northwestern Ontario, Gayle was exposed to many aspects of nature and she now finds her inspiration from the natural world.

Gayle attained her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at Lakehead University in 2016 and will graduate in 2019 with her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba. She is attending a summer session at Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington, in July 2019 and will pursue her artistic career in her hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Her previous exhibitions include: Perspectives from Here at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery (2017) and Contrasts and Contradictions: The Polarizing Qualities of Glass at the Living Arts Centre (Mississauga, ON, 2018). She is also part of an upcoming 2019 group exhibition, En Route, at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery (Waterloo, ON).

2019 MFA Buzzi

Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi: The Lies That Make Us Voiceless
Naghmeh Jafari Firouzabadi is an Iranian artist who received her Bachelor in Graphic Design from Soore University in Tehran, Iran in 2013 and is graduating with her Master of Fine Art from the University of Manitoba’s School of Art. She is a research-based multimedia artist who specializes in photography and short films. Her interest is in revealing people’s lived experiences of gender bias and stereotypes. As a young woman coming from a religious country, her focus has been on how young Iranian men and women have experienced sexism in recent years, images of which cannot be easily represented in Iran due to censorship. She uses a Canadian platform to publicize this religion-based gender inequality in Iran.

The Lies That Make Us Voiceless focusses on addressing women’s rights in Iran through the personal experience of the artist. This installation includes a series of photographs and a video that manipulate visible reality to show the hidden truth. The photograph, The Silent Mask, is based on the scold’s bridle, an 18th century British torture device, in combination with the Iranian borgheh, a face covering still in use in some parts of Iran. Pure is a short film that shows ghusl, the Islamic ritual activity of cleansing one’s body to be accepted by God. This installation advocates for education and awareness of hidden inequalities within a complex culture.

2019 MFA Naghmeh

Breanne Siwicki: Never Pass a Mirror Without Looking in It.
Our bodies face continuous stress throughout a lifetime, physically and mentally deteriorating and changing as we age.  As humans, we each have a unique vessel and I am in a constant state of wishing to preserve my own. Never Pass a Mirror Without Looking in It is an exhibition consisting of manipulated Polaroid images. There are nine floor-based installation works that are meant to be walked through and around. Viewers are urged to strain their bodies in order to search for a figure within each piece.
Breanne grew up in Winnipeg Manitoba where she spent the majority of her life as part of the Manta Swim club. This seventeen-year career, that included representing Canada in swimming competitions all over the world, became a huge influence on her artistic practice.

Breanne attended the University of Minnesota where she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2017. In her previous photographic work, she used black and white analog film, printing her images in the darkroom and then embedding color into them. She now creates installations from scanned manipulated Polaroids. She will finish her Master of Fine Art degree at the University of Manitoba in 2019.


2019 MFA Siwicki