Body Breeze Earth: 2023 MFA Photography Thesis Exhibition
May 6–20, 2023
Reception: Friday, May 12, 5–8 p.m.
During the reception on May 12, there will be a reading by Jessica Hays at 5:30 p.m. and a reading by Erica McKeehen at 5:45 p.m.
Body Breeze Earth presents the graduate thesis exhibitions of Jessica Hays and Erica McKeehen in Columbia College Chicago’s Photography Department.
Jessica Hays presents pieces from two bodies of work, The Sun Sets Midafternoon, which combines image, text, and video to explore climate grief and solastalgia through the lens of wildfire, and Horizon Line, a monumentally scaled handmade artist book rooted in experiences of reverence and appreciation for the land while recognizing it as both open and divided concurrently.
Erica McKeehen (who performs as Greta-X) combines imagery from her long-term portraiture projects Secret Mermaid and REVEAL, which profile McKeehen’s close friends and fellow burlesque performers and sex workers, Secret Mermaid and Kitty Tornado (respectively), alongside her own self-portraits in Days of Rust, to present nuanced views of femme sexuality, autonomy, and experience.
Body Breeze Earth: 2023 Photography MFA Thesis Exhibition is presented in conjunction with the Department of Exhibitions, Performance, and Student Spaces (DEPS) and the Photography Department. These projects were partially funded by The Albert P. Weisman Award, a private trust of Columbia College Chicago. The printing of the photographs in this exhibition was made possible with the generous support of Hahnemuhle.
All visitors must check in at the front desk for entry to the exhibition on May 12.
All visitors must RSVP via Eventbrite for entry to the exhibition during other open hours: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-art-and-art-history-and-photography-mfa-thesis-exhibitionsopen-hours-tickets-626407651147
Columbia College Chicago Student Center, Fifth Floor
754 S. Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605
Gallery hours: Monday–Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
DEPS is proud to present the DEPS Artist Profile Series featuring Jessica Hays and Erica McKeehen. The DEPS Artist Profile Series is managed by DEPS Exhibitions Assistant Rachel Manlubatan and Sierra Delamarter. To view this interactive document featuring an artist interview click on the image below.
