Cornell University MFA Class of 2025 Presents: “Even the Phrase Each Other” Exhibit
Last Chance to Experience the MFA Class of 2025 Final Group Exhibition: “Even the Phrase Each Other”
Art lovers and cultural explorers have until May 31 to experience one of the most compelling and intimate contemporary art exhibitions to come out of an elite graduate program: the final group show by the Cornell University Master of Fine Arts (MFA) class of 2025, titled Even the Phrase Each Other. The exhibition is currently on view at Ortega y Gasset Projects, located in the historic Old American Can Factory in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Presented by emerging artists Adrian Aguilera, Elina Ansary, Andy Nicholas Li, Hyunjin Park, and Sopheak Sam, this collaborative exhibition marks the culmination of the artists’ two-year journey in Cornell’s MFA in Creative Visual Arts program. Each artist brings a unique lens shaped by personal histories and cultural lineages, with roots in Mexico, Afghanistan, Finland, China, South Korea, and Cambodia.
A Title That Speaks Volumes
The title of the show, Even the Phrase Each Other, is borrowed from a line of poetry by Sufi mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks. This poetic reference alludes to themes of interconnectedness, chaos, and cosmological serendipity — themes that are deeply embedded in the conceptual fabric of the exhibition. As the artists reflect on the metaphysical and the political, the poetic line becomes a symbol of togetherness across time, distance, and cultural memory.
Multimedia Narratives Across Borders
The exhibition spans a wide array of media including painting, printmaking, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, and video. The five exhibiting artists draw from diverse aesthetic traditions and diasporic experiences, collectively inviting viewers to contemplate a kaleidoscope of identity, memory, and longing.
Among the major themes explored across the show are:
– The oscillation between outsider and insider, and the shifting boundaries of cultural belonging
– Fragmented memories of a war-ravaged past transformed into contemporary visual language
– Gendered perspectives, especially the complexities of masculinity and its visual representation
– Mournful tributes to lives—both human and non-human—affected by political and environmental upheaval
– Experimentation with language and digital imagery, pushing the boundaries of communication and perception
“Each artist in this exhibition engages the viewer differently,” notes one local curator, “yet together they create a coherent meditation on dislocation and the human need for connection.”
One especially immersive experience awaits visitors in Adrian Aguilera’s work — in addition to his visual contributions, each visitor will receive a limited-edition risograph print, underscoring the artist’s interest in multiples, memory, and material engagement.
An MFA Program Rooted in Research and Reflection
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Visual Arts at Cornell University is a prestigious two-year program known for its rigorous engagement with theory and practice. With access to a world-class university and lush intellectual ecosystem in Ithaca, the program supports both media-specific and interdisciplinary work across disciplines such as anthropology, architecture, media studies, and gender studies.
The 2025 graduating cohort exemplifies the program’s mission: fostering global perspectives and critical inquiry through the lens of contemporary art-making.
Plan Your Visit
Even the Phrase Each Other
On view through May 31, 2024
Ortega y Gasset Projects
The Old American Can Factory
363 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Gallery Hours: Friday–Sunday, 1pm–6pm, or by appointment
Don’t miss this final opportunity to witness the bold and thoughtful work of five artists emerging from one of the nation’s top MFA programs. The exhibition offers not only a window into their creative journeys, but also a mirror reflecting the challenges and possibilities of our shared cultural moment.
For more information on the exhibition and the artists, visit aap.cornell.edu or www.oygprojects.com.