2009 First-Year MFA Exhibition

April 4–18, 2009

An exhibition of photographs, paintings, sculptures, performance, and videos made by 26 first-year graduate students in the Visual Arts Division of Columbia University's School of the Arts will be on view at Columbia's Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery from April 4–18.

The group of young artists showing new work includes Shadi Habib Allah, Christine Birchfield, Dineo Bopape, Haeri Choski, Leidy Churchman, Grason Cox, Jon Cuyson, N. Dash, Johanna Von Den Driesch, Sam Ekwurtzel, Michael Gaillard, James Gorner, Van Hanos, Nadja Verena Marcin, Murad Mumtaz, Robert Rhee, Anna Rosen, Jessica Segall, Ivor Shearer, Gyung Jin Shin, Lior Shvil, Jared Thorne, Naama Tsabar, Jesse Weiss, Johanna Wolfe, and Zoe Wright.

The exhibition is organized by Fia Backström, an artist and independent curator working in New York. Born in Stockholm, Backström was educated at University of Stockholm and Konstfack University College of Arts Crafts and Design (Stockholm) and at Columbia University (New York). Her exhibition projects have included Blonde Revolution (a fia backström production, New York, 2004), lesser new york (a fia backström production, New York, 2005) and Herd Instinct 360° (New York, 2005–2006).

The Visual Arts Division of Columbia University's School of the Arts has trained some of today's most intriguing young contemporary artists, including Barnaby Furnas, Banks Violette and Tim Gardner. Under the leadership of its chair, Gregory Amenoff, the faculty, including Jon Kessler, Blake Rayne, Thomas Roma, and Sara Sze encourages experimentation and fosters the individual growth of its students.