The 52nd Senior Undergraduate Exhibition ran from March 19 to April 4 at the University of Waterloo Art Gallery (UWAG). Presented annually by UW’s fine arts department, the exhibition showcases the work of graduating students. The theme of this year’s exhibition was coda. According to a statement shared by the class, coda is “more than an end of a piece; it is an artistic, often emotional, final statement that acts as a bridge between the climax and the absolute resolution.”
According to Ivan Jurakic, director and curator at UWAG, the exhibition featured work from 25 students in the fourth-year studio class. “Some students presented multiple works, such as diptychs (artworks composed of two panels) or triptychs (artworks composed of three panels). Through multiple studio visits, I worked with students to refine how their work was presented, while keeping the process student-driven,” Jurakic shared.
Beyond the curatorial process, the exhibition was deeply personal for many of the artists, with works rooted in identity, memory, and lived experience.
Art title: “Framgments of Blonging”
“My piece is a story about my adoption and dealing with that throughout the years,” Amy Millar shared. Her work brings together elements of her Chinese heritage and her upbringing, drawing inspiration from objects like a childhood T-shirt and items from her home. “The cloth itself tells a story about my thoughts on being adopted, how that affects me over the years, how others react growing up, and how I cope through accepting my culture and being raised by my parents,” she explained, describing the piece as an exploration of self-discovery, identity, and connection to her culture.
Art title: “Am I a Woman Now”
Mya Milenkovic described her self-portrait work as an exploration of womanhood and femininity through her piece. She incorporates symbols from religious iconography and classical art, including references to different saints who were martyred, such as Saint Catherine’s wheel, Mary Magdalene’s hair, and Saint Agatha’s breasts, along with symbols like a pomegranate, orchid, and rose that resemble female genitalia. “It’s a reflection on what it means to be a woman for me and for anyone who engages with it. This is also a critical piece, because in many of these stories, especially in Christianity and Catholicism, women are portrayed as tragic figures, and I wanted to explore that further.”
Art title: “Death and all Her Faces”
Jade Yuan’s two-piece work, part of a larger series, explores cultural dysphoria shaped by her experiences growing up in Hawaii, where she faced racism. She described how questions about her identity were often dehumanizing and led her to feel ashamed of her Chinese heritage. Over time, however, she came to embrace it through learning its history and significance. “For someone who was made to hate it, learning its history… showed me how beautiful it is,” she said. The gown, inspired by Peking opera and made from materials from her childhood, reflects this transformation, while the ink drawing on Red Washi Paper incorporates aspects of death and life. “If I were a child seeing who I am now and the work I’ve created, I would be proud.” Yuan shared.
Art title: “Us”
Jewel Hankey-Telesford noted her work is an expression of gratitude for being able to return to Grenada. “I grew up there, I was born and spent most of my life in Grenada, and last year I experienced domestic violence in my life, so my aunt bought us tickets to come home and just recuperate for a bit after that experience. So the work is being grateful to her for a home, and it’s situated in the landscape, showing our trip back home. On the left is my brother, in the middle is my aunt, and on the right is me. It was really important for me to capture the light and colours back home, hence the vibrancy.”
Art title: “Between Korea” and Canada by Yongseo Kwon
In addition to the exhibition, Fine Arts hosted an open house on March 28, primarily geared toward prospective undergraduate students and off-campus visitors interested in exploring the program and the exhibition.
“The exhibition is like a long-standing tradition, and it’s generally speaking one of the biggest shows of the year that we do. And then on top of that, because all the other classes are still engaged throughout the building, if you come to East Campus Hall and you walk through the hallways, you’ll see that the Fine Arts department will have artworks all over the building as well.” Jurakic explained.
UWAG passage at East Campus Hall
