The Institute of Contemporary Art San José is proud to host the 2025 San José State University MFA Thesis Exhibition: Who ‘Am’ I Without You? Curated by ICA San José Curator and Director of Public Programs, Zoë Latzer, the exhibition takes inspiration from Judith Butler’s pivotal text Precarious Life, posing the question: Who ‘Am’ I Without You?
Set within the context of the Anthropocene and the sixth mass extinction—an era marked by both ecological crisis and intimate entanglement—the exhibition features work by six MFA candidates:
- Mona Farrokhi
- Michelle Frey
- Lisa Heikka-Huber
- Sam Swenor
- Xiao Wu
- Shea Windberg
From painting and drawing to digital media, photography, and immersive installation, these artists confront our precarious present through personal, political, and material investigations.
The exhibition is part of SJSU’s annual Lift Off series, a collaboration between MFA candidates in studio art and MA candidates in Art History and Visual Culture. The cohort also produces the Lift Off Catalogue, reflecting their shared commitment to critical dialogue and creative scholarship.
We invite you to witness this dynamic culmination of graduate work, and celebrate the next generation of Bay Area artists.
To RSVP, click below