Curating an MFA show is like herding cats: very challenging to do and visually arresting when done. In Prequel, there is no theme or common thread except that all twenty-two artists chose and were chosen by the same university. They’ve shared space and ideas, but each artist is wholly unique. Instead of imposing one theme or implying an artificial common interest, the work is allowed to exist as a cross-section of the ideas being explored by young artists today. Communication, identity, nostalgia, technology, interconnectedness, relationships, space, abstraction and uncertainty are addressed in a wide variety of media. Anyone who has participated in an MFA program knows that during those two short years time is condensed. Ideas move at warp speed because the artists are entirely immersed in both practice and feedback. Therefore, when any MFA group exhibition opens, it is, with any luck, already outdated—a precursor to the current narrative. This show represents a moment in time for each of the artists—a snapshot of the recent past and a hopeful indicator of the future.

—Heather Darcy, Curator

ArtCat – Chelsea – Sara Meltzer Gallery – Prequel

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