School of Visual Arts presents “Licking the Trigger,” an exhibition of work by SVA students selected by a jury of their peers. Organized by SVA Galleries, “Licking the Trigger” is on view Friday, August 7, through Saturday, September 12, at the SVA Gramercy Gallery, 209 East 23rd Street, New York City.

“Licking the Trigger” features works that probe the nature of historical and contemporary reality, challenging preexisting ideas without explicitly offering solutions to the questions they present. Through performance, portraiture, collage, sculpture and video, the artists in this exhibition invite viewers to consider problems of social and political significance, such as representations of gender and cultural identity, eating habits, animal rights, sexuality and more.

Participating artists include Netta Laufer, Alexander Machado, Jung Hee Mun, Tiffany Smith, Aran Winterbottom and Iris Xing.

Netta Laufer (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) presents “Cells,” a series of photographs of zoo enclosures with the inhabitants digitally removed. By depicting empty enclosures, Laufer emphasizes the artificial nature of these homes and explores the origins of zoos as a byproduct of imperialist power dynamics.

Alexander Machado’s (BFA Fine Arts) print and sculptural works use contemporary tropes of masculinity to question stereotypical manliness.

Jung Hee Mun (MFA Fine Arts) displays material evidence of a site-specific performance, Moment to Remember. For the performance, Mun invited unwitting participants into a motel room where they paid to pluck hair from her arms, legs and armpits. On view in this installation will be video documentation and relics from the event.

Tiffany Smith (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) shows work from her photo series “A Woman, Phenomenally,” which challenges stereotypes and explores the influence of place, culture and immigration on multicultural identity through portraits of women of color.

Aran Winterbottom’s (MFA Fine Arts) abstract collages flirt with figuration by using magazine cut-outs that recall skin and body parts to varying degrees.

Iris Xing (MFA Photography, Video and Related Media) creates videos and photographs exploring people’s relationships with food, including her own eating habits.

Juried exhibitions are a way for SVA’s student body to recognize the achievements of their classmates. Artists are selected from a large pool of applicants through a rigorous examination of presented materials, including documentation of work and artist statements.

Exhibition

Licking the Trigger

SVA Gramercy Gallery

Reception