On April 16, 5-8 pm, everyone is invited to the Opening Reception of the first of two thesis exhibitions by Master of Fine Arts (MFA) candidates from the graduate program in Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo. The MFA Thesis exhibitions, presented by the Department and UWAG, give the campus and community-at-large an opportunity to see the end result of two years of intensive research and studio production by emerging visual artists.
This exhibition runs from April 16 to May 2.
Sandra Jabbour
Ahsan Hdeyeh 3ana
Ahsan Hdeyeh 3ana explores themes of memory, family dynamics, multilingualism, diaspora, and Jabbour’s relationship to her Syrian and Lebanese cultures. Notably, her paintings are infused with her personal interpretations of imagery drawn from her familial archive of VHS tapes from the late 90s and early 2000s. Despite having grown up in Canada and never visiting her countries of origin, Jabbour is deeply connected to both her cultures. She speaks about her childhood being documented on VHS tapes and sent to family members abroad. This delayed communication method became a way for her family to remain connected despite geographical distance prior to social media, fostering a relationship between her and her brother and their family members abroad that they have yet to meet face-to-face. By transforming imagery from these tapes into paintings, she creates a third space between the past and the present and different geographic locations by resurrecting the family stories and memories contained in this forgotten medium.
Sandra Jabbour is a painter from Windsor, Ontario of Syrian and Lebanese descent. She graduated from the University of Windsor’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts program in 2023, where she was awarded the Jill Dyan-Perry Memorial Bursary for outstanding portfolio work, and is currently a Master of Fine Arts candidate at the University of Waterloo. She served as Vice President of Arts Council Windsor-Essex’s Vanguard Collective for one year and was an active member for four years. Artist's Website
Image credit: Sandra Jabbour. Image courtesy of the artist.
Maddie Lychek
Could Be a Person or Multiple Hotdogs
Could Be a Person or Multiple Hotdogs subverts dominant narratives surrounding racialization, diaspora, and queerness by a refusal to flatten the artist’s multiple identities (Filipino, Slovak, masculine, lesbian) in ways that align with broader institutional narratives of inclusion. This crude multiple projection installation peels back the layers of identity but does not settle them, instead you witness the entire anxious, calm, shameful, prideful, solitary, collective, familial, and vulgar—whole.
The exhibition culminates with Dyke Clothing Swap a collective gathering to exchange used clothes and facilitate inter-generational connection during the last day of the exhibition on Saturday, May 2 from 3–5 pm.
Maddie Lychek is a visual artist born and raised in Southern Ontario, currently based on Block 2 of the Haldimand Tract. Her work has been exhibited at venues like InterAccess, Xpace Cultural Centre, Ken Seiling Museum, Union Gallery, and Struts Gallery. She served as Program Director of Ed Video Media Arts Centre on the Board of Directors of Independent Media Arts Alliance. Her research has been supported by the Social Science and Humanity Research Council of Canada. Artist's Instagram
Image credit: Maddie Lychek. Image courtesy of the artist.
