Closing Statement

The group exhibition re:semblance was curated from an open call for artworks dealing with themes of virtual identities and changing realities. In building the exhibition, we brought together works that illuminated experiences we were all sharing as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed us further into the digital world and separated us from much of what we considered our reality. The entire world was struggling to find its footing after being shoved into a dystopia, and we wanted to make a space to slow down, consider the effects of the last year, and connect over our communal disorientation.

re:semblance was the first exhibition of its kind for the Artspace, as we had never done an open call over social media before. We were elated to receive submissions not only from the Baruch community but also from other locales thousands of miles away. Ultimately, many of the selected works highlighted for us how the concept of re:semblance applies to so many areas of our present confusing reality, creating unexpected connections and startling disruptions. Some works expressed for us the immediacy of the moment, of being completely unfiltered and unedited, and others show the impact of painstaking editing for social media circulation, a world of bite-sized media and quick clips of information. Other works depicted alternate realities, altogether. Even though we’ve all had different experiences during the pandemic, we were all tied by the common threads of virtual bodies, masked or camouflaged bodies, and disembodiment.

Throughout the development and duration of the exhibition, even the curatorial team reflected this intensity and upheaval. We’ve gotten to know collaborators who may have never met in person, and seen intimate glimpses of their minds. At the same time, several team members finished their time with the gallery and new members joined the team. For three of the re:semblance co-curators, this exhibition was their final project with the New Media Artspace.

The exhibition page will remain up on the New Media Artspace website as an archive and time capsule of these expressions and experiences.

— Jose Daniel Benitez, Bryan Campana, Kaitlyn Chiu, Milli Encarnacion, Maya Hilbert, and Kezia Velista