Exhibition Date: April 2026
Class 132
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Interrupted Metamorphosis
- Behnaz Saeedbakht
This sculpture responds to the changes in BC Autism funding beginning in April 2026, which may affect many families. It is personal to me because I have two nephews with autism, and I am concerned about their future.
Children are shown as undeveloped butterflies inside cocoons that are damaged due to a lack of support. Without enough funding, their metamorphosis is interrupted.
At first glance, the viewer may see sensory toys and everyday objects. In our eyes, these are simple, normal items. But for individuals with autism, they can become obstacles.
A lot of time and energy goes on behind the scenes to help children learn, interact, and feel comfortable with these everyday things.
The white color represents what happens when support is reduced, reflecting a loss of energy, growth, and possibility.
This work reflects the importance of support in allowing these children to grow, rather than holding them back.
Materials: Styrofoam base, Sensory objects, Wooden rod, Cotton fiber, Finger cots, String
Clouds are Gathering over the Body of Murdered One
- Danylo Dronov
I made this artwork because I am very interested in history and culture of ancestors of my people (Ukrainians) and I want to share my reflection about the biggest cultural event happend in IXth-Xth century, when Eastern Slavic tribes abandoned their native pagan believes in favor of Christianity that comes to their lands from Byzanthium (Roman) Empire. The adoption of Christianity raised ancestors of modern-day Ukrainians and other Eastern Slavic peoples on another level, openning new horizons filled with possibilities, but also attributes of pagan past have been destroyed towards more easier coversion of people into Christianity, and as a result, we - modern people, know almost nothing about pre-Christian culture and believes of people, who lived on a large part of Europe. By working on this project, I wanted to tell people more about the history of Eastern Slavs and encourage people to study the ancient and long-forgotten pagan past of Eastern Slavic people
Materials: x1 Paper Sheet (22 x 30 in, 270 g/m2), Fine liners, Graphite pencils, White gelly pen
The Gaze
- Yujin Jang
This work explores the idea of a "reversed gaze," where the act of looking is no longer one-sided. As someone who is highly conscious of others' perception, I became interested in how being seen can feel almost like physical-sharp, intrusive, and lingering like a bruise.
I wanted viewers to experience the moment when the relationship shifts, when the observer is no longer in control and becomes the one being observed.
I tried to capture the raw and uneasy atmosphere that emerges from this reversal, and how this invisible pressure reshapes one's sense of self. Rather than creating a smooth and polished animation, I embraced roughness and distortion, allowing the imagery to feel unstable and emotionally charged.
The line between seeing and being seen begins to dissolve, and in that moment - are you still the observer?
Materials: Adobe Fresco, Procreate Dreams
Conformity
- Declan Guillemaud
This piece was made to help visualize my relationship with my body and queerness, as well as demonstrate how society plays into the dynamic. I was inspired by Gotye's music video "Somebody that I used to know" as they use body paint as camouflage to blend into the background. The depiction and use of paint is very interesting, as well as how they show emotions physically manifest in the form of said paint. I wanted to elaborate on it in a way that applied more to my situation and worldview. The medium of live action video was chosen to help express both the fluidity and harshness of the human body as realistically as possible, as these aspects are important to the heart of my work. I'd like to remind people that things are not always black and white. We're all a walking contradiction, and that's okay.
Materials: Finger paint, DSLR, Green screen
Anatomy of an Origin
- Manuela Arango
I made this piece of artwork since I wanted to explore the concepts of feminity, motherhood and building an own identity when you don't know from where you are from and when painful experiences have broken you into pieces that don't seem to fit correctly.
What fascinates me about this project is my own experience of being adopted and things I've gone through. The materials I used are part of the message since sometimes thread gets tangled up and is also commonly used to fix or create things. Therefore this collection of canvases try to communicate the effort it takes to build an identity.
Materials: Acrylic on canvas, Wool, Plaster and Embroidery floss.
Re-Parable
- Daveed Arslan
I decided to pick a concept that is related to my faith. To me, my faith is life-giving and my very reason for living, so I hoped to reflect that in my artwork. I chose to focus on the parable of the prodigal son, as it is one of the parables which is most applicable to where I am right now in my relationship with Christ.
This artwork is heavily inspired by Masanobu Hiraoka. I was very interested in his fluid style of playing with shapes and wished to achieve a similar effect.
I believed that an animation would be an appropriate art form, because I thought movement in the artwork would more accurately accomplish a sense of liveliness that befits my attitude towards my faith (in the sense that I consider it life-giving.)
Materials: 2D Digital Animation
Not Forever, but Worthwhile
- Elliot Floyd
I made this painting as a way to reflect on the past few years of my life, particularly the major changes and the fear that came with them. The image is based on a photo I took of my cat while I was moving back home last year, leaving behind my friends and university. By reinventing the image with paint I'm able to capture and show how that space feels within the picture. Acrylic and Gouache allow me to control the way the paint reacts to everything, making some parts permanent and others easily brushed away. I took inspiration from Alex Coleville, a Canadian painter who spent much of his life in the town I was moving away from. My second inspiration was Emma Jones , my close friend who did the same move as I did and taught me much of my illustration and painting skills I have today. The artwork itself was a very personal process to me and I care more about how the making and finished product make me feel, but I hope that the painting has strong enough composition, use of colour, and is interesting enough that people take the time to look at it and find their own meaning in it.
Materials: Gouache, Acrylic, Plywood
Meaningless
- Josh Blanco
Constant change. So much of it you grow tired. Even sick and twisted in the head. Most of the change you thought was good. It should help you right? If you become this better person that everyone wanted everything will be okay and all of it was for a better purpose or meaning. You could also let go and be yourself. It was more fun when you were yourself. Do you even remember who you were? Something along the lines of having a childlike wonder. When daily life didn't shorten your Lifespan from the stress and worry. Is it too late to go back?
It is.
There is no such thing as going back. For your sake I hope the consequences of the constant torment in your mind never catches up and eats you whole. At the end of the day, week, month or year all we want is to be meaningful right?
Materials: Play-Doh, Stop-Motion app, Phone Stand, 5-Alarm Music, Adobe Premiere Pro
Self-Regulation
- Valeria Tellez Marquez
The piece explores the feelings of stress the body gets submitted to, after the poor self-regulation of emotions and the self-deprecation that comes after it. I took Yann Guillon sculptures as inspiration, trying to show the body stretching itself in discomfort. I chose to do a sculpture to show visually the strain and shame that comes after a dysregulation episode, inspired in my own experience managing what sometimes feels impossible.
Materials: Aluminum Foil and Paper Mache
This is Art
- Owen Winter
If I asked you, “What is art?” what would you say? This is the question I asked myself when creating this piece. I wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t. I was inspired by conceptual art and dadaism, which both push what is accepted as “art” and emphasize concept and idea over technical ability. Dadaism introduced us to the readymade, so it was immediately clear I had to include one in my piece alongside a stereotypical piece of art to really ask if anything and everything can be “art”.
Materials: Canvas, Acrylic Paint, Dictionary, Wine Bottle Opener, Picture Frame, Paper
Limited Infinity
- Maddy Hawk
Limited Infinity is a sculpture that contrasts the measured time of human life with the ongoing time of the universe. It comes from my interest in space and what exists beyond us. While human existence often feels significant, it exists within a much larger system that continues regardless, leaving me with both curiosity and a sense of overwhelmingness that I wanted to translate into a physical piece.
I was inspired by Roman Opalka’s exploration of time, especially his 1965/1 – ∞ series, which reflects his ideas of infinity and the limits of human life. This led me to use a measurable system to represent human time while contrasting it with a less defined representation for the universe’s time. I chose to make a sculpture as it can exist in the same space as the viewer, much like time itself, and by using a clock, the work continues independently, reflecting how time moves beyond our control.
Materials: Plywood, Basswood, Acrylic paints, Quartz clock mechanisms, Metal clock hands.
Time and Effort
- Sindy Chen
Time And Effort is a contemporary sculpture piece featuring wooden puzzle blocks sitting atop piles of paper notes written and doodled with various solving solutions.
Talent is not something I have, and I suffered a great deal from a lack of it in the past. It's taken me a great deal of time, study, practice, hard work and even luck to achieve everything I have and get where I am at in pursuing my dreams.
Talented, being the most common complement towards an artist, in my opinion feels like an insult to all the work and time spent behind the scenes.
With this project I bring you the overlooked days, minutes, and seconds it takes to learn and accomplish something with a lack of natural talent.
Materials: Wooden block puzzles x6, notebook pages, display (phone or tablet)
Within
- Ethan Adrien
Inspired by the Shepard's tone, a tone that feels like it's constantly rising, and its mention in "Inside: The Outtakes" by Bo Burnham, introducing it as a metaphorical representation of the feeling of unending doom.
I wanted to express the deep loss of hope in the new generation as they start to realize the problems of this world. With a growing despair and spiraling feelings they have to hide and cope through to survive.
For this piece, I choose to represent this idea through a sculpture because I wanted it to be more grounded and interactable, welcoming the audience to interact with the face hatch and look at the inner part of the statue.
Materials: Styrofoam head, Glue, Paper, Sweater, Cap, Black box, Purse light and String light
Liminal Lonely
- Maxwell Rhys Brunelle
I have never been great at social interactions. I’m constantly worried about what to say next and how that’ll affect people’s perception of who I am as a person. This struggle has caused me to feel lonely or closed off from everyone else, even in a school with people who share my interests. I’ve always seen liminal imagery as a nice visualization of that loneliness. While his work is more horror-based, Kane Parsons’s Backrooms internet series did an amazing job bringing liminal imagery into video format. I’ve had experience in video editing and filming, so I wanted to try my hand at making liminal footage using the halls and lights of the VFS Campuses. I had originally considered making a diorama, but I believe making a video compilation of liminal spaces was the better choice, giving viewers a peek into the loneliness I experience.
Materials: Canon Camera, Tripod, Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects
Reliance
- Mariano Sanchez
I went about creating Reliance in the mind of my family, primarily my dad and granddad. Now being in a similar position as they were in their youth. Creating a miniature desk table and chair to reflect their architectural roots.
The sculpture is a small wooden DIY replica of an office table, lingering in the dark, front view covered in a wrap with two sides where you can peek through if you try hard enough, reminiscing as a child, checking on my dad's office in the middle of night, the ashtray still vibrating with glow.
Bringing the murkiness to a dark, isolated workshop — with hardly any light shining through except a low, glowing candle inside the box. I spoke with my dad and slowly constructed the box. Designed to allow the viewer to self-immerse as they are tested on how they are willing to engage with the piece."
Materials: Cardboard box, Thin wood, Hot glue, Acrylic paint, Plastic wrap, Electric candles.
