| Craig Hall Gallery: January 13 - February 28, 2025 |
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| Sorry, Please, Thank You By Grace Downing and Mariel Salazar We want to showcase the works of two polarizing atmospheres: the silence of rural Texas, and the neon loneliness of Manhattan. Distance determines our relationship with people, memories, and feelings. In this sense, the experience of distance is real, although it may not accurately describe its condition. Art can function as a mechanism to capture a memory, feeling, or experience that would otherwise have been transmogrified by time. Our "Distant Strangers" piece for example, exemplifies this. Two people sitting on a park bench may seem like a mundane occurrence but to us it's a pivotal moment both emotionally and artistically. |
 Tala Atkinson Goodbye Horses, 2024 Ink, Digital Print Goodbye Horses is a comic that weaves together three distinct yet interconnected narratives: the endless stories of those having to travel out of state all the while navigating increasingly hostile anti-abortion legislation, family stories of women of the past who were dangerously forced to take matters into their own hands, and the fear that often accompanies these deeply personal decision amplified by the picket lines and fliers thrown upon one as they enter an abortion clinic. I have seen it all. I think back to the morning that I was sitting in the waiting room. Across from me was a girl far younger than I. She was alone. Her backpack blotted with horses. I tell her I like horses too. She smiles. That smile is hope. Despite shifting policies surrounding reproductive rights country wide, I must have hope. If shame ever creeps up on you, let hope prevail. |
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 Mariel Salazar Exposure Therapy, 2024 Acetate Film, Velum |
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 Hezi Xuan Roots Altar, 2023 Acetate Film Hezi Xuan, born in 2005 in Yan'an, China, is a young female artist whose work explores diverse interpretations of death. Her themes span natural life forms, organic beings, cyborgs, and beyond. Xuan primarily works with three-dimensional mixed media sculptures and installations, using her art to provoke reflection on the complexities of life and existence. |
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 Huaijin Li Search of Sheep, 2023 Sheep fur, soil, pencil on fabric, ceramics Inspired by Haruki Murakami, I went on a search for the sheep, my ego as well as my counterforce self. The sheep man with a star birthmark represents evil "Mongolian" conquer forces behind the Japanese society. Here I borrow the absurd metaphors to speak to people's innate animality and memory, in the form of a sheep museum (a sacrifice scene). |
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 Ashlynn Kupradit The Fire, 2024 Tar, Mixed Media I've always been a painter, until I took sculpting here at Austin college, I had never created any kind of 3d or structural art. For our first assignment, we were tasked with creating something new from existing materials, and it took me almost the entire semester to finish. I was immediately inspired by a box of glass I had found and every step of the process from then until now was completely unplanned. Each and every addition to the piece presented its own challenges, including a fire, but I'm pleased with the result. |
 Mariel Salazar Labyrinth, 2024 Acrylic on Canvas |
 Mariel Salazar, Grace Downing New Phone, Who Dis?, 2025 Installation piece accompanied by comic |
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 Mariel Salazar, Grace Downing Distant Strangers, 2025 Multimedia Installation |
 Belen Torres Heart, 2025 Ceramic A broken ceramic heart mirrors this sentiment with its gold seams and red background. The gold symbolizes the mending process, akin to how jewelry can be repaired or reimagined, while the red details evoke passion and love-elements intrinsic to both human relationships and the art of adornment. Each crack in the ceramic heart becomes a testament to its journey, much like the experiences that shape our hearts. |
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 Grace Downing Mechanical Dog, 2024 Mixed Media |
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 Mariel Salazar Two Headed Lamb, 2023 Ceramic |
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 Ben Washington In The Presence of Snow, 2025 Monitor piece, Multimedia |