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The closest thing to feeling at home for Aanchal Raisahib these last two years has been recordings of her family’s evening conversations.

Raisahib, a graduate student at Syracuse University, printed the audio wave from the recordings to make it tangible, pasted it on paper and began drawing around it. She would run the ink along the paper until she had a complete drawing.

“I’m trying to share the experience of being an international student — what it feels like to start fresh in a new country, adapt to a new culture or miss home,” Raisahib said.

The extended time away from her family was the road map for her “Conversations with You” series, which is on display at the University of Arkansas. The exhibition is an exchange between the master’s of fine arts programs at Syracuse University and the University of Arkansas that began March 22 and runs through Friday.

The exhibit displays work from SU students at the University of Arkansas’ sUgAR Gallery, and work from Arkansas students at SU’s Random Access Gallery. While its name is simply a combination of the two galleries, Random Access Gallery and sUgAR Gallery, Brett Morgan sees the name’s unintended meaning.

“If I were to try to define one theme for the show, it would be that — Random Sugar,” said Morgan, the curator at Random Access. “Works of art that may feel a bit random, but hope to inspire joy. Little pieces of sugar, if you will.”

Morgan does not see a specific theme with this exhibition. He said the specific aspects of each piece dictate its umbrella. Through placement, spacing, lighting and location in the gallery, Morgan aims to present the different works cohesively while maintaining the unique nature of each one.

But the organization process is puzzle-like, especially when the shows involve multiple artists, he said. He finds it important to allow the pieces to organize themselves — with lighting and placement in mind — and use the color scheme to follow through with the process. However, the artists’ intentions of their work are not neglected in this decision-making process.

For David de Lira and Leah Bella Zinder, SU master’s degree students who also have work in the exhibit, art is a way to raise awareness. It’s how they convey the complexities of their identities and the surrounding social structures, Zinder and de Lira said.

Zinder views her work as a personal connection with other female artists. With her two works being displayed at the show, she explored history through technique. Before beginning both pieces, she researched historic works from women and considered how to present them to a contemporary audience.

“I start with references to historical craft and also work towards connecting with women of the past who also performed these same techniques,” Zinder said. “A sort of community through generations.”

She achieved this through using techniques such as bobbin lace making and cross stitching, which Zinder said women have used for decades. For her work at the exhibit, there wasn’t a specific inspirational figure that arose during her research, she said.

The exhibit includes artwork from nine SU community members, mainly consisting of Master of Fine Arts students. Courtesy of Brett Morgan

De Lira has a similar objective with his work. He hopes to use art as the cornerstone of his identities — an immigrant, brown, cisgender male. His relationship with the different faces of “queer America” is the launch point in his practice and his life itself, he said. More specifically, he said he wants to give representation to younger people because “we live in a culture that focuses on stereotypes of youth.”

He began to adopt this approach when he moved from Mexico to the U.S. six years ago and became interested in exploring American culture, especially the LGBTQ community. Art then evolved into a way for de Lira to give representation to those who are underrepresented.

Though the artwork is diverse, Morgan sees the connections among the pieces.

“There are works that address elements of reflecting on history/histories, some emphasize the domestic space, and others that are more abstract and deal with emotion and feeling,” Morgan said. “Those ideas all seem very relevant to current conversation and daily life in 2021.”

Published on March 28, 2021 at 9:51 pm

gfpagano@syr.edu