Work of art in archival inkjet prints by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in archival inkjet prints by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in archival inkjet prints (40 prints each 8 x 10 inches) by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in archival inkjet print by artist Megan A. DeSoto as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Beauty Remains, Object Portraiture"

Work of art in archival inkjet prints (64 prints each 4 x 6 inches) by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in archival inkjet print by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in archival inkjet prints (various sizes) by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in photographic fabric on dining chairs by artist Megan A. DeSoto as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Beauty Remains, Object Portraiture"

Work of art in archival inkjet print by artist Megan A. DeSoto as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Beauty Remains, Object Portraiture"

Work of art in archival inkjet print by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Works of art in archival inkjet print by artist Megan A. DeSoto as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Beauty Remains, Object Portraiture"

Work of art in archival inkjet prints (various sizes) by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Work of art in archival inkjet prints by artist Kendra Smith as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Walk".

Works of art in archival inkjet print by artist Megan A. DeSoto as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Beauty Remains, Object Portraiture"

Works of art in archival inkjet print by artist Megan A. DeSoto as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Beauty Remains, Object Portraiture"

Work of art in digital image by artist Megan A. DeSoto as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Beauty Remains, Object Portraiture"

In this work, sections of bodies are joined with sections of other people's bodies in order to form a new whole. Adding or subtracting relationships can many times be uncomfortable and strange, which I depict in my invented individuals based on the phases of family, such as birth, death, marriage, divorce, and the acquisition of new forms of family. This work questions issues of the family in terms of its definition, whether biologically or culturally constructed. I am creating hybrids by separating body parts from the whole and then recombining them to form a new individual. These images are a result of thinking about the possibilities and changes that people go through as a result of the new growth or loss of relationships. This work is intended to bring awareness to the way in which people relate and families become more blended.

When I was first introduced to photography, I was mainly drawn to landscape imagery. I enjoyed being a solitary spectator. Over time, inclusions of figurative elements became more and more apparent in my work. I purposefully began to incorporate a figure into my landscapes, ascribing to it a certain nostalgia and a sense of isolation I was experiencing on many levels at that time. Before long, I felt disconnected from these images because of their ambiguity and generalization. I found myself craving more content and personal commitment in my photography. At the end 2003, I started experimenting with a 4" x 5" format camera, which forced me, to some extent, to change my way of photographing and seeing. That is how the beginning of this new body of work was born. I was accustomed to shooting with a 35 mm camera, which allowed me to be spontaneous, quick and immediate. I permanently switched to a large format. I could see myself benefiting from this change. I lost some of the spontaneity that a 35 mm format offers but I gained the beauty of working with larger negatives and the endless possibilities of view camera movements. Thanks to this technical transformation, …

This article discusses about the author’s identity related to the experience of being in the United States for one third of his life, and away from his native country, Japan. He uses photographic images as a tool for finding his identity. Those images are combined and painted with paraffin wax as finished pieces. The extra layer of wax on the photographic surface is treated as a metaphor for the fuzziness of memories and dreams, as well as a boundary, which lies between author’s two familiar spaces, the United States and Japan. His visual influences are shown to include photographer Henri Cartier- Bresson, painter Giorgio de Chirico, and sculptor Alberto Giacometti.

For the past two years my artwork has focused on the cultural issues of a Mexican immigrant community in Fort Worth, Texas. The primary focus has been women and the way in which their homes reflect their blending of two cultures. The occupants of the homes are people that I know personally, including my immediate and extended family as well as friends of my family. Undocumented women usually have the most difficulty in adjusting. Although some do work outside of the home, many of these women spend countless hours inside due to their inability to speak English or drive. These women have little hope of returning to their homeland because their children are being raised in the United States. In order to feel more at home, the women make every effort to re-create the Mexican culture in their new houses. Thus, acculturation takes place with very little cultural loss. Instead of previous strategies of total assimilation, these women blend the two cultures, making it easier to adjust to their new lives.

The internal necessity to rediscover myself constantly drives me back to the country where I spent most of my life, Mexico. I was born and raised in the heart of the world's largest metropolis, Mexico City and through the years I have photographed in locations with important significance for Mexican culture as well as for my personal history. I reorganize and reinvent these places, and by staging models there, I construct my personal interpretation of the Mexican way of life involving the world of “manana” (tomorrow) with its “dictadura perfecta” (perfect dictatorship), where opposite and contradictory situations exist side by side. I am particularly interested in the relationship between people and their environ-ment and I use this theme as a means to explore my own identity as a Mexican. One strategy involves juxtaposing cultural signifiers of Mexican culture. My images are an examination and a projection of my ideals, fears, and dreams about my country and myself.

Work of art of Inkjet Print by artist Chris Wright Evans, as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Brachaid". Custom Painted Frame

Work of art of Inkjet Print by artist Chris Wright Evans, as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Brachaid".

Work of art of Inkjet Print by artist Chris Wright Evans, as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Brachaid".