Diverging realities

2026 BFA THESIS EXHIBITION
May 5 - June 26, 2026

The Yeh Art Gallery and the Department of Art and Design at St. John’s University are pleased to present Diverging Realities, the 2026 Senior BFA Thesis Exhibition. The exhibition features work by senior thesis students Theresa Lovero, Iris Mastrogiacomo, Izamar Perez, and Selae Smalls.

There will be an opening reception with the artists on Tuesday, May 5th from 4:30 to 7:30pm.

Diverging Realities brings together five artists who construct conceptual worlds that invite us to reconsider our own. Working across graphic novels, painting, printmaking, and illustration, each artist draws inspiration from a distinct moment in time. From ancient mythology, the eighteenth century and the year 1999 to the present day and into the distant future. each artist pays homage to a particular era while also dissecting and reinventing its source material for a contemporary audience.

Within these imagined worlds, familiar ways of thinking are unsettled and curiosity is continually encouraged. Whether through the exposure of an artwork’s pre-production scaffolding or through the unfolding actions of characters performing their roles, each narrative is layered and immersive, inviting viewers to look more closely. These approaches give us time to become familiar with each world before prompting us to question it, and in turn, to question ourselves.

Artist Statements:

Iris Mastrogiacomo

The Key to the Vampire’s Heart is a graphic novel set in the 18th century
revolutionary France that tells the story of a major confliction between two characters, Chihaya Shinazuguwa and Luciano De Morano.

This story shows how secrets can easily unravel and break trust, and how much of one decision can impact a very important relationship. Portraying drama through these supernatural characters has been important to me. These characters are not real beings. Despite that, they act and feel as humans do: while one is getting very defensive over what is happening, the other is hiding skeletons in his closet which will be unveiled soon enough. These beings are metaphors in a way for us to resonate with. For people like Chi, who is portrayed as someone often sympathetic and caring of others around him, people like Luciano may come into their lives and take advantage of their kindness.

As viewers, we tend to pick sides and even relate to characters, often fictional, and that is extremely important to me as an artist and storyteller. This graphic novel offers a skewed perspective of a world both fantastic and deeply human.

Izamar Perez

Bearly Getting By is a project that consists of pre-production and visual development work of an original concept for an animated show. This includes character and environmental design exploration, as well as rough storyboarding, which leads up to a final animatic that demonstrates a digestible plot that showcases the bases of the main cast interacting with one another and their setting.

The concept of the show itself is loosely inspired by the Greek mythology of the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Taking the blend of the animal and star elements of the tale and adding a modern twist, I wanted to create a coming of age narrative of a typical teenager that suddenly gains magical abilities and must balance this confusing aspect of themselves with their everyday life. For the short animatic, I decided to focus on a storyline that demonstrates the teenager in question, Antonio García, coming face to face with his two worlds colliding as he realizes the danger of his powers against his close high-school friends.

Watching the numerous cartoons on air during my childhood, I fell in love with the fictional worlds of these shows. This was my introduction to the creative industry, allowing me to indulge in my own artistic journey. The goal for my project is to provoke the same childlike creativity and enjoyment I felt whenever I tuned in to channels such as Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

Theresa Lovero

The Sign of the Times is a modern twist on high fantasy Dungeons and Dragons elements set in 1999. Magic, though still around, isn’t relevant due to the convenience of technology. Meanwhile paranoia of an apocalypse looms over the realm. Perhaps due to an imbalance of nature and the arcane, or something else entirely...?

This story is based on the real problem in 1999 when people believed the world would end during the turn of the century. A glitch, dubbed now as the Y2K bug, caused computers all over the world to crash at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2000. This minor collapse in digital infrastructure was thought to be the start of an apocalyptic society. The ominous phenomena plus my subsequent introduction to the music of the 1990's, which coincided with my first long-term Dungeons and Dragons campaign, gave way to my interest in the period and the possibility of a new story.

I’m drawn to the behind-the-scenes works of creative projects, to the deleted
scenes and interviews with the animators and artists, seeing all the ideas that did or did not make it into the final product. Despite my fascination with concept art, it was not until my dad showed me his sketchbook in 2013 that I became truly inspired to create worlds of my own.

The visual style for The Sign of the Times emulates styles from 1999 and
2000 such as artists Jamie Hewlett and Ashley Woods, as well as the animated show MTV Downtown. This project revels in its imperfections and rough line art, giving it a more “human” touch. Additionally, presenting the behind-the-scenes concept art fosters a sense of connection and relatability towards the audience, tying into the interactivity Dungeons and Dragons games have.

Selae Smalls

Comfortable with Being challenges the underlying nature of stereotypes that go against our human individuality. From birth we are “assigned” a social role based on our identity which must be followed in order not to be seen as outcasts, or so we are told. Comfortable with Being acts as a reality that is not too far from this one, where we are not held down by these social constraints, and where we define a sense of normality that is comfortable to us.

This challenge is conveyed through a series of blown-up acrylic paintings exhibiting subjects performing everyday activities that are not regularly publicized or praised in our world. The sorrowful man, for instance, allowing himself to be overcome with emotion while in solitude in his room counters the conception of vulnerability as something that must not be expressed. The opposite, where two women wrestling questions the ill-advised claims that they are meant to be submissive and fragile to be seen as lady-like.

These images are the result of a process in which they start as small acrylic
paintings on 8x10" in. canvases before being scanned, digitally refined, and given a final form as larger scale archival pigment prints. The final enlarged pieces, with their saturated colors and accentuated marks, make the images come into fruition, translating into bold statements that cannot be ignored, and provoking an unavoidable confrontation with our own preconceptions and stereotypes. It is through these technicalities and mediums that I invite the audience to engage and explore individuality through their own sense of normality.