INCOMPREHENSIBLE, 2022 Spring BFA exhibition 

Location: Mullennix Bridge Gallery, University Art Museum

Ruben Bustamante, Julianna Lerma, Bethany Roberts, Ivory Turner, advised by Professor Motoko Furuhashi

The NMSU Department of Art is pleased to announce the 2022 BFA exhibition,  INCOMPREHENSIBLE, featuring the works by Ruben Bustamante, Bethany Roberts, Julieanna Lerma, and Ivory Turner. INCOMPREHENSIBLE will exhibit the complexities of the human mind in relation to loss, trauma, and nostalgia.

Ruben Bustamante, Pro_Ant, Lenticular Print, 22" x 22", 2022

Ruben Bustamante expresses his perspective from surviving a near-death experience (NDE) and the reality that comes with that by exploring the by-products of trauma using introspection to portray a place where absurdity meets obscure rationalizations. He invites the viewer to slowly reveal pieces of information that are kept concealed while participating in a semi-immersive experience. Through the combination of photography, augmented reality, and new media, Bustamante’s work focuses mostly on the idea that it is not about what you see but what you do not see, as well as the tangible/intangible, visible/invisible barriers that obstruct us from pursuing or achieving the things we truly want.

Bethany Roberts, Bean, Fiber Clay, 16” x 9” x 14”, 2021

Bethany Roberts is an avid animal lover who uses this passion to create realistic and fantastical animal hybrids out of ceramics. She uses her own personal experiences with animals to recreate and commemorate them in a loving manner. In this series, Bethany honors the pets she has lost by creating individualized sculptural urns and grave makers.

Julianna Lerma, i lived my life inside a dream, copper, brass, powder coat, notebook paper, stainless steel, 5" x 3.75" x 0.75", 2022

Julieanna Lerma’s work expresses a deep vulnerability in the relationship between childhood and trauma. Through fantastical imagery tied to nostalgia and personal photographs, her pieces tell stories through her mind as a child, displaying both comfort and disturbance. Growing up in a society that has taught her to hold emotions in, her works push to heal her inner child, and encourage viewers to step in and focus on healing their own.

Ivory Turner, Anxiety, Watercolor paper on glass bottle, 3" x 12", 2022

The work presented by Ivory Turner shows the most impactful moments of the pandemic through her eyes. Turner gives us a look at the hardships she endured, letting it out into the world so you can see her story and relate to it. Using satire and dark humor, she shows us the changes in mental states whether it be a conversation, clothes worn in a constant state of anger and depression, or the bottles that started this whole thing- her parent’s very own Pandemic Collection. We all had a hard time during the isolation, this is Turner’s experience.

The exhibition will run from April 21 through May 5 in the Mullennix Bridge Gallery located in Devasthali Hall at NMSU. Please join us at the opening reception for INCOMPREHENSIBLE BFA Thesis Exhibition in conjunction with the The Better Show: #Bring Your Own 2022 MFA Thesis Exhibition on Thursday April 21, 2022, from 5:30-7:30 pm. A Q&A session with the artists will be held on Thursday April 28, 2022, at 5:30-6:30pm at the Bleachers in Devasthali Hall.

Dichotomy, Pre-BFA Exhibition

Location: Sarafino Student Collaboration Space, 2nd floor of the Devasthali Hall

Jessica Aldaz, Tessa Bond, Jasmine Gobeo, advised by Professor Motoko Furuhashi

This collection will be featured until May 5th in Devasthali Hall. Learn more about the work and artists in their brief presentation.

Jessica Aldaz

Tessa Bond

Jasmine Gobeo