Group of Montserrat College Seniors Host Joint Thesis Exhibition

Beverly, MA - May 8 - 12, 2024

Montserrat Galleries presents five thesis exhibitions on May 8th, 2024. Not For You, a group show, The Itch I Can’t Scratch By Amy O’Rourke, Saving Strays by Abbey King, Welcome to STARWORLD, Exhume the Last MC by Taliyah Shepard, Kote’M Sòti (Where I Come From) by Marc Elie Mordan, and Duplicity by Brandon Acosta

Not For You features the work of Amanda Antunes, Crow Stevenson, Jael Nieves, Jessica Matos, Josue Bessiake, Kaylyn Sverker, and Ziggy Smith. The show explores themes of love, grief, vulnerability, intimacy, memory, transformation, and the weight of history. This is how we navigate human existence. This exhibition is a history only we can own — it’s not for you.

The Itch I Can’t Scratch is a collection of paintings and rag rugs. Each work heals and/or tells the story of what it’s like experiencing living with daily pain. Amy O’Rourke explores the trials of having an ovarian cyst, along with the removal of her right ovary and fallopian tube. She made the paintings while she still had the ovarian cyst, and the rugs after it was removed in June of 2023. The work is symbolic of the journey she's taken and the strength it takes to confront the weight of illness.

Kote’M Sòti (Where I Come From) is a show in the Bare Gallery, 1A Knowlton, a vibrant explosion of color and culture. Marc Elie Mordan uses oil to explain where he comes from, Haiti. With the joy of color, he creates bold bright, daring pieces that draw from his roots. This show is about human identity and self-discovery.

DUPLICITY by Brandon Acosta: In their uneventful town, six colleagues discover that bloodthirsty doppelgängers have replaced everyone they know. They all band together to fight against this otherworldly force, but can they tell each other apart? DUPLICITY is a three-episode-long animated horror comedy show that takes place in Beverly, Massachusetts during the present day. The show comments on the dangers of the Chameleon Effect and fake personalities in society, along with the importance of truth, comradery, family, and love. It throws the protagonists into a world where their true personalities and behaviors are revealed in an attempt to prove that they are human. However, they all struggle to distinguish the doppelgängers from their colleagues because they do not truly know each other. In their desperate attempts to survive, they must do anything to prove their humanity and to differentiate who’s who.

Saving Strays by Abbey King explores personal experiences working with the shelter that inspired the work. It focuses on making others aware of the struggles that stray cats face, and the work that animal rescue organizations put into finding them their forever homes.

Welcome to: STARWORLD, Exhume the Last MC is an Afrofuturistic exploration of current events and looks to the abstract future of Black Americans. It’s a thorough examination of how we illuminate the reality of “every nigga is a star” that has the potential to make a positive difference in the world. ST✦RWORLD serves as a platform for exposing the vibrant tapestry of our culture since it’s fundamentally an unashamed celebration of Black joy.

The public is invited to join the artists for an Opening Reception on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm or during normal gallery hours.