The School of Art Student Gallery unveiled its latest exhibition, From Under the Couch, on Oct. 3. This eclectic collection of artwork by 19 U of M students touches on the feelings that home evokes, from familiarity to longing.
For the exhibition, students were asked to create works as if they were excavating the hidden crevices of their homes’ couch cushions. Pamela Baptista, for example, made “Specters of a Kitchen,” a screen that plays overlayed footage of a domestic kitchen while flanked by weathered shopping lists and photographs.
Others explored the theme more metaphorically — Mirée Maguet created a charcoal drawing of a couple embracing. Perhaps home can also be the person one finds comfort and solace in.
Bisan Dasuki, a third-year student at the school of art and another artist featured in the exhibition, explained the concept and meaning behind her piece, “Box of Belonging.”
“My artwork was about Palestine, because that’s where I’m from. It’s the one with the whole Palestine map, and it’s made out of wood, and it’s like a box. And outside of the box is a watermelon, and when you open it, you have the original names of the cities before they were occupied,” explained Dasuki.
“There’s also another artwork that I have [on display], and it’s supposed to represent one of the massacres that happened in Gaza. It’s called ‘The Massacre Blooms,’ and [the massacre] happened while people [were] trying to get food and aid and Israel basically [struck] a bomb on them.”
Echoing the exhibition’s theme, Dasuki hoped that the artwork on her home can bring consolation or familiarity to viewers while also sparking conversations.
“I’m hoping that my artwork brings comfort for the people who are affected by this, and Palestinians specifically, and [I hope] to make people question what is happening and talk about it and educate themselves on it.”
From Under the Couch is located in 158 Taché Arts Complex on campus and is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The exhibition will conclude on Oct. 9.
