Introductions 6 The Annual Exhibition of New Works by Recent Art College Graduates July 31 - September 4 Opening reception with artists: Saturday, July 31, 6-8 PM Collectors' Preview: 3-6PM Irvine Contemporary is pleased to present Introductions 6, our sixth curated MFA annual that brings a selection of new artists from leading art college programs to Washington, D.C. To select this year's invited artists, we reviewed the work of over 200 recent graduates from leading MFA programs across the US and Washington-area BFA college programs. This year's finalists were selected through thesis exhibition visits, artist studio visits, and open submissions. Invited artists Firelei Báez (MFA, Hunter College), Claire Callagy (BA, Georgetown University), Steven M. Cummings (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art), Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi (MFA , American University, 2011), Brendan Loper (MFA , American University), Wafaa Yasin (MFA, California College of the Arts). Artists for Introductions 6 Firelei Báez MFA, Hunter College Drawing, mixed media Firelei Báez was born in the Dominican Republic with a Dominican and Haitian heritage. Her paintings, drawings and collages are personal narratives drawing on themes of gender, popular culture and Afro-Caribbean folklore. She has a BFA from the Cooper Union, and continued her education in the studio program at the University of Georgia’s Instituto Universario Di Arte in Cortona, Italy, the Skowhegan School of painting, Aljira’s Emerge Program. She received her MFA at Hunter College in 2010 and lives and works in New York. (Images and artist's resume.) Right: Not Even Unalterable Limitations, 2010. Ink, gouache and graphite on paper, 34 x 42 in. (detail)   Claire Callagy BA, Georgetown University Photography Claire Callagy studied photography and literature at Georgetown University and is continuing to develop abstract narrative imagery and portraits. She is now working as a professional photographer and lives in Boston, MA. (Images and artist's resume.) Right: Untitled, 2009. C-print, 24 x 24 in. (detail)   Steven M. Cummings MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art Photography Steven M. Cummings has been a documentary photographer for many years, and his work has been exhibited in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. He has also been developing a series of photographs in a collaborative performance project with Washington-based artist B.K. Adams. He received an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2010, and lives and works in Washington, DC. (Images and artist's resume.) Right: Ghost, 2010. Silver gelatin print, 24 x 24 in. (detail).   Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi MFA, American University Painting, mixed media Hedieh Ilchi was born in Iran and has lived and studied art in the US. She has a BFA from the Corcoran College of Art + Design and is in her final year in the MFA program at American University. Her mixed media works on mylar present complex images of her ways to create new identities as a woman embracing Iranian, Persian, American, and Western cultures today. She lives and works in Washington, DC. (Images and artist's resume.) Right: Thrusting Trust, 2010. Acrylic and collage on Mylar. 42 X 30 in.(detail)   Brendan Loper MFA, American University Painting, drawing, installation Brendan Loper received a BFA in 2006 from the Rhode Island School of Design and a MFA from American University 2010. His current work focuses on codes of narrative in film and black and white painting. He lives and works in Queens, NY. (Images and artist's resume.) Right: A Bird In the Hand is the Stuff Dreams are Made Of, 2010. Gouache on paper. 22 X 30 in. From a series of gouache paintings on paper based on film stills.   Wafaa Yasin MFA, California College of the Arts Video, installation Wafaa Yasin was born in Tamra, Galilee, Palestine. She has a BFA from the Bezalel Academy for Art and Design, Jerusalem, and an MFA from the California College of the Arts, San Francisco. Wafaa Yasin works in performance and video, and has explored the complex issues of multiple cultural identities and questions of history and memory. She lives and works in San Francisco. (Images and artist's resume.) Right: The Imaginary Houses of Palestine, 2009/2010. Performance and video. Video still.   For further information on available works and images, contact Lauren Gentile, Director (202-332-8767, lauren@irvinecontemporary.com).