Chrysalis: BFA/BA Visual Art Graduating Exhibition
April 22–29, 2026
Opening reception: Tuesday, April 21, 4:00–7:00 p.m.
AHVA Gallery (Room 1001)
Audain Art Centre
6398 University Boulevard
Gallery hours: 12:00–5:00 p.m. daily
The Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory (AHVA) is pleased to present Chrysalis, the University of British Columbia’s 2026 BFA/BA Visual Art Graduating Exhibition, featuring works across painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and media-based practices.
There is a resurgence in gothic philosophy and aesthetic, a new wave prompted in part by cyber reality. This aesthetic isn’t mall goth or gothic cathedrals, but rather an appreciation of solemn beauty; the brief reclusions, the pursuit of our work, the dedications, and the sacrifice.
The potential for beauty is endless when one can still find it with no clear light to serve as a guide.
We are moved by the heat within us—humanistic intuition and instinct living in a shifting current.
A dark silence. Subliminal cacophony. Propaganda blinds us.
When we come to see light, we will wear our mourning cloak.
Taking its title from the stage of butterfly metamorphosis in which change occurs out of view, Chrysalis reflects on the intensive, often unseen labour that underpins artistic practice. Beneath the surface of each work lies a process of accumulation, revision, and transformation—one that is rarely visible, yet fundamentally shapes what ultimately emerges.
While the chrysalis is commonly understood as a symbol of growth and emergence, this exhibition turns attention to its more concealed and demanding dimensions. Transformation is not seamless or purely generative; it involves breakdown, reconfiguration, and sustained effort. Over the course of their studies, these artists have engaged in processes that are as much about unmaking as making—testing, reworking, and rethinking both material and self.
Across the exhibition, works foreground this tension between visibility and concealment, inviting viewers to consider what is withheld as much as what is shown. The result is a collective exploration of artistic practice as a site of continual restructuring—shaped by discipline, experimentation, and the persistence required to bring new forms into being.
We warmly invite you to join us in celebrating the diverse practices and accomplishments of our 2026 Visual Art graduates.
Participating artists:
Ainsley Morrow, Ava Pym, Blake Godfrey, Caden (Bear) Lane, Oi Man Cheryl Lau, Claire Dyment, Dan Driedger, Dugan Uribe, Elizabeth Yip, Emma McTaggart, Ethan White, Euan Woznow, Evan Hildreth, Fiorella Hayashida, Gabriel Zamora, Griffin Schwam, India Morgan, Janelle Gage, Jesse Bullen, Jesse Medrano-Ramos, Lan-Vi Nguyen, Luka Lukic deBakker, Martin Recto, Monica Feng, 赵青茜 Qingxi Zhao, Ravneet Kaur Dhaliwal, Rhea Ghaffari, 葛畅 Selena Ge, Steven Chu, Susan Nguyen, Syd Henry Lewis, Talia Brown, Vanessa Tsang, 董小菲 Xiaofei Dong
The exhibition has been made possible through the financial support of the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory, and numerous generous individual donors.
We acknowledge that the UBC Vancouver campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam).
