2026 BFA Art Photography Annual

January 22–March 6, 2026
Jeffrey J. Hoone Gallery
Reception: Thurs, January 22, 5-7pm

With great pleasure, Light Work presents the 2026 BFA Art Photography Annual. This exhibition features work by seniors from the Art Photography program in the Film and Media Arts Department at the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University. 

“Each spring, seniors in the art photography program have the opportunity to exhibit a selection of images from their senior thesis projects at Light Work. The senior thesis is a yearlong, in-depth photographic exploration of a subject chosen by each student. The subjects of these projects are wide ranging; from very personal explorations of family and selfhood to sharp and humorous experiments playing with the boundaries of fashion and studio photography. Students choose, edit, and print the images in collaboration and with the assistance of Light Work’s curatorial staff and master printers. The BFA Art Photography Annual is not only the first exhibition for many of the students in the Art Photography program, but also an important learning opportunity for them. In addition to giving students the space to imagine how the images they create might exist beyond the walls of the university, the Art Photography Annual introduces their work to their peers, the local community, and the renowned curators and critics who jury the exhibition.”

—Laura Heyman, Associate Professor, Art Photography

Ash Huse (education coordinator at Latitude Chicago) served as juror and selected Nadia Holl’s images for Best in Show:
“Nadia Holl’s photograph presents an intimate and vulnerable subject within the confines of a densely cluttered bedroom, creating a complicated parallel and dichotomy. The image places the viewer in a position of quiet observation, bordering on intrusion, as the performer partially obscures their face. Withdrawal, anxiety, or self-protection, while the surrounding environment reveals fragments of both their personal life and their burlesque persona. The carefully observed details scattered throughout the room, costumes, textures, and everyday objects invite prolonged viewing, deepening the narrative. These elements speak to the labor of performance and the contrast between constructed glamour and lived reality. Holl’s composition skillfully balances beauty and discomfort, allowing the cluttered space to mirror the subject’s emotional state rather than merely serve as a backdrop.”

 

Exhibiting Artists:

Alex Cai

Donniae Collins

Sofia Marie Capparelli

Brooke Datys

Ixchel Loren Flores

Ashlyn Garcia

Nadia Holl

Adeline Hume

Mia Ignazio

Hannah Stein

Ella Tovey

Ming Zhong