TIES THAT BIND

2025 BFA THESIS EXHIBITION
May 6 - June 27, 2025

Presented by the Yeh Art Gallery and the Department of Art and Design at St. John’s University

Artists: Gabrielle Browne, Marcus Calica, Gabriela Caltempa, Tamia D’Argenio, Sophia DeMato, Amanda Francisco, Eamon King, Jady Lopez, Deja-Marie Simon, Ashley Sinclair and
Natalie M. Orengo Vera

Opening Reception: Tuesday, May 6th, 5:30–7:30pm

The Yeh Art Gallery and the Department of Art and Design at St. John’s University are pleased to present Ties That Bind, the 2025 Senior BFA Thesis Exhibition. This culminating exhibition features eleven senior BFA students majoring in Fine Art, Illustration, and Photography. The works represent a wide range of approaches—from intimately personal stories told through photography and illustrations of everyday life in New York City to fantastical graphic novels and investigations into the nature of objects, flowers, and painting. Many of the artists seamlessly move between digital and analog techniques, reflecting a deep intentionality in their efforts to communicate across mediums.

Amanda Francisco presents “Inflorescence Floriography,” a project that combines traditional watercolor paintings of flowers with an interactive website. Viewers are invited to explore the history, interpretations, and symbolism behind each flower, blending beauty and meaning in a multidimensional experience. Eamon King offers conceptual work that challenges our understanding of objects and perception. In “A Cat is A Car,” King explores how interpretation is tied to memory and familiarity. By shifting objects into alternative spatial contexts, he questions their intrinsic meaning and our assumptions about their identity. Jady Lopez shares “Laced in Time,” a series of paintings that explore a dialogue between delicate, structured backgrounds and expressive, fluid gestures. Lopez merges spontaneity with control, using color and line to create emotional, atmospheric landscapes inspired by nature and Rococo aesthetics.

Ashley Sinclair exhibits “Mother’s Love,” a deeply personal photographic series functioning as an open diary. The work reflects on her grandmother’s illness and hospitalization, exploring absence, memory, and the emotional weight of home, caregiving, and family love. Marcus Calica presents “Sinking By Your Side,” a photographic exploration of grief, loss, and healing. Through portraits of himself and loved ones, Calica navigates denial, sorrow, and the ongoing journey toward recovery, offering a vulnerable and resonant emotional narrative.

Tamia D’Argenio introduces “The Brew: Brewing Up Ideas, Chapter One,” the first chapter of an ongoing comic book series inspired by her time working as a barista. This lighthearted story follows four coworkers navigating their relationships and challenges as they attempt to save their café, mixing humor and workplace dynamics with imaginative storytelling. Deja-Marie Simon showcases “I Enjoy It Here!,” a vibrant collection of digital illustrations celebrating her transition from the island of St. Thomas to New York City. Her work reflects the joy, discovery, and artistic inspiration sparked by her new environment—highlighting people, places, and experiences that have shaped her creative journey. Sophia DeMato captures fleeting moments from daily city life in a series of observational illustrations. Through scenes of subway rides and crowded sidewalks, she documents the constant motion of urban life, portraying what it means to be young and navigating the rhythms of a fast-paced world.

Gabriela Caltempa presents “Bloodbound,” a graphic narrative set in the American West of the late 1800s. Following the story of Reno, a Mexican-American woman, the work reclaims space for marginalized histories, giving voice to the often-overlooked Mexican and Indigenous presence in the mythologized Western genre. Natalie M. Orengo Vera debuts “THE SOWERS: BOOK ONE,” a fantastical narrative presented as both a book and installation. Drawing from experience as a queer, disabled Latine living in New York City, Vera’s work explores trauma, cultural heritage, and societal pressure. Influenced by Latin American-Caribbean identity and Mesoamerican cosmovision mythology, Vera’s world-building offers a poignant commentary on shared human struggles. Gabrielle Browne exhibits “Visualizing Terror,” a project focused on character design and illustration across four distinct sub-genres: survival, western, religious, and analog horror. Browne’s characters reflect internal conflicts, psychological depth, and the universal experience of fear—transforming emotional states into expressive visual forms.