Students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Visual Arts program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) are showcasing their talents at the annual grad show beginning April 11.
Claudia Shen, a fourth-year fine arts student.
Before Tomorrow will feature the work of 12 graduating students. Each student has created pieces that explore diverse themes through a wide variety of materials and mediums.
"Each student really comes to their final year with a unique purpose and vision for their art practice and you can really experience this diversity of artwork in the final exhibition," says Jason Wright, fine arts instructor at KPU.
The pieces in the show range from paintings and ceramics to crochet work and photography. According to Claudia Shen, a fourth-year fine arts student, her pieces encourage a more open and accepting relationship with death, and inspiring people to live more fully by recognizing its inevitability and its role in the cycle of existence.
"Through sculptures that reference decay like mouldy petals, bones and organic materials, I emphasize the natural cycle of growth and deterioration," says Shen.
Shen reflects on her time at KPU, where she started in the fine arts program without a specific medium of focus, and is now leaving with a passion for ceramics.
"It is definitely a mix of emotions. I feel proud of how much I have grown during my time at KPU, and this exhibition feels like a culmination of all that work. At the same time, it's a bit surreal and emotional to say goodbye to a space that is been so important to my creative journey," adds Shen.
The exhibition is not only a time for the graduating students to reflect on their journey at KPU but it's a time for the instructors to see how far the students have come throughout the four-year program.
"I am excited and proud to see the students build such strong connections amongst themselves. Yes, they have acquired an incredible variety of skills and techniques that enable them to create art at a high level, but they have also developed a community that can support them beyond their KPU experience," says Wright.
KPU's Fine Arts Department offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Arts, along with a two-year diploma program, and a one-year certificate program.
The opening reception is 6 to 10 p.m., April 11 in the Spruce Atrium at KPU Surrey. Admission is free, but guests are asked to register in advance. Before Tomorrow will run until April 24 in the gallery spaces at KPU Surrey, 12666 72 Ave.
