An exhibition of student work based on the short story by Franz Kafka. Kafka’s “A Report to the Academy,” written and published in 1917, is the story of Red Peter, an ape who learned to behave like a human, presenting his transformation to an academy. It was likely inspired by the work of American psychologist Lightner Witmer, who in 1909 staged a widely publicized test of the mental abilities of a vaudeville chimp named Peter, demonstrated to a scientific panel. This parable about man and animal functioned as the thematic springboard for the MFA program's students to develop structured bodies of images without limitation in concept, medium or form. Topics explored in the works on view include multiple contemporary issues, such as animal rights, the quest for humanity, evolutionary theories, loss of identity, the psychology of learned and pretend behaviors, personal transformation and criticism of academic establishments.
New York City, NY; NYC