Yesterday evening, Thursday the 10th of February, The Gallery at the Visual and Performing Arts Center on westside campus unveiled the latest exhibit Unsettled Nostalgia, by Syrian-American artist Mohamed Hafez as part of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The exhibition includes not only a selection of artistic work from Hafez himself, but also original contributions from WCSU students, featured in the image for this article, who participated in the collaborative installation representing the Art and Social Sciences departments, and the Kathwari Honors Program.

The students who contributed works to the exhibition are Brynn Alvord, Emily Clifford, Daisy Gesualdi, Michael Guerrero, Sharmone Horne, Hailie Kopp, Isis Lowhar, Joseph Maglio, Satil Moni, Patrick Moody, Bianca Pasqualone, Camryn Schilling, Anna Schipf, Jocelyn Villacreses, Ava Westervelt, and Meghan Woolley. Works include explorations of the concept of home and belonging in times of conflict and dislocation; themes which are at once intensely rooted in the nuances of the Syrian conflict, and also universally identifiable in the current historical moment.

Students and visitors ought not be intimidated by these heavy and highbrow themes. One does not have to be a fine arts student, nor a seasoned connoisseur, to appreciate the work now on display at our campus. The exhibition is the rare sort that can be appreciated on both the surface aesthetic level, and the deeper level of artistic analysis. Perusing the gallery, one gets the impression that the pieces, like a good book, stand up to multiple encounters, and are prepared to reward as much or as little time and attention as the viewer is prepared to give.

The word “subversive” is bandied about a great deal referring to art, in my view somewhat gratuitously. But it truly does apply to the work of both Hafez and the students who have participated in this project. The works and their arrangement seem to set up a certain set of expectations, a sense of nostalgia and homeliness captured in the title, which is then continually challenged and undermined. The word that comes to mind is uncanny; caught in a valley between two spaces. Physically, much of Hafez’s work is three dimensional. It comes out of the wall as though it is trapped between dimensions and forms, unable to find lasting stability either as a picture or as a sculpture. It is a kind of discomfort worth experiencing in person.

Unsettled Nostalgia is open now through March 6th 2022 in The Gallery at the Visual & Performing Arts Center, located on the WCSU Westside Campus. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 12:00 to 4:00 pm, and Saturday through Sunday, 1:00 to 4:00 pm. There will be a closing celebration with the artist on March 3rd from 6:00 to 8:00pm in the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall entitled No Place Like Home: Exploring the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Middle East with artist Mohamad Hafez and guests. Free tickets are available online.