Work of art in mixed media (in variable dimensions, shown at Oak Street Hall Gallery (Denton, Texas)) by artist Hanna Pettyjohn as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Kaugnayan (Connections)".

Work of art in mixed media (in variable dimensions, shown in MFA exhibition "Kaugnayan(Connections)," by artist Hanna Pettyjohn.

Work of art in mixed media (in variable dimensions, shown at Oak Street Hall Gallery (Denton, Texas)) by artist Hanna Pettyjohn as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Kaugnayan (Connections)".

Work of art in mixed media (in variable dimensions, shown at Oak Street Hall Gallery (Denton, Texas)) by artist Hanna Pettyjohn as part of a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Kaugnayan (Connections)".

Work of art in mixed media (in variable dimensions, shown in MFA exhibition "Kaugnayan(Connections)," by artist Hanna Pettyjohn.

Installation shot of an exhibit by Cynthia Giron as part of a a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Double Dare".

Installation shot of an exhibit by Cynthia Giron as part of a a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Double Dare".

Work of art in mixed media on Stonehenge paper by Cynthia Giron as part of a a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Double Dare".

Installation shot of an exhibit by Cynthia Giron as part of a a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Double Dare".

Work of art in mixed media on canvas by Cynthia Giron as part of a a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Double Dare".

Installation shot of an exhibit by Cynthia Giron as part of a a 2019 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Double Dare".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Mixed Media by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic and Enamel on Panel by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Through painting, I use materiality to describe the material world. By rooting my practice in visual culture and art history, I seek to extend the meaning of images beyond their initial form. The coalescing of opposing and complimentary formal elements accentuate the visual and contextual friction. This allows the work to exist in an ambiguous state. Seen together, my works appear disparate, but they suggest alternative meanings through association with one another. The works can exist on their own, but engage in dialogue when juxtaposed against each other. Although about specific occurrences, the works afford the viewer their own interpretations.

Artist Statement from the MFA exhibition: In my recent work, I explore my identity as a first-generation American, using my painting practice to think about early memories of living in-between two cultures. These remembered moments allow a space for me to consider how both cultures merge. Portraying vivid memories through colorful recognizable objects and body parts, memories take on a new context, showing the passage of time, and reflecting on how memories take on new meaning. My desire to save these moments relates to my wish to name what makes me belong, and what marks me as unique, within the two cultures in which I exist.

Work of art in porcelain shown in MFA exhibition "Kaugnayan (Connections)," by artist Hanna Pettyjohn.

Works of art in mixed media (variable dimensions) shown in MFA exhibition "Kaugnayan (Connections)," by artist Hanna Pettyjohn.