Heading to commencement—channeling the spirit of our Visual Arts Program filmmaker friend, partner in mischief, Professor Profundo Rosso McLaren—Go Rams!
Last year, my gallery partner, Magnolia Finn ( @magnolia.finn ) and I exhibited our partnered thesis show "Recipes For..." at Fordham University's Lipani Gallery (April 9-24, 2025).
I expanded my exploration of Trichrome photography by adding the dimension of time, and by separately projecting each color channel of my digitized 16mm film, in an installation I dubbed "Blend Thoroughly".
Magnolia and I collaborated on "Oven", a found-object sculptural piece that encouraged gallery viewers to interact with the piece by adding their own recipe to the communal recipe box.
Looking back, I'm very grateful for all the support I received while creating this project. Specifically, I want to thank Fordham University's Visual Arts Program and Brooklyn Nonprofit Mono No Aware ( @mononoawarefilm ) for giving me the skills and tools to develop my own film.
My gears are already turning for my next motion-picture project!
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#thesisshow, #trichrome, #analoginstallation, #studentthesis, #experimentalfilm
Recipes For...
A year ago, Ramsay Macdonald (@ramsay.photographs ) and I unveiled our partnered thesis show "Recipes For..." at Fordham University's Lipani Gallery (April 9-24, 2025).
“Recipes For...” was created out of our shared love for food, cooking, and joint interest in visualizing our memories of such.
The seven paintings I produced for this show highlight my individual, visceral sensations of consumption, as well as my memories of emotion - be it grief, comfort, concern, or contentment - in communal spaces where food was present, such as at my family’s dinner table or a friend’s living room.
Together, Ramsay and I created “Oven”, a found-object sculptural piece that blended our colorful mediums of painting and time-based media together to express the playful messiness and tasty fun that can transpire in, on, and around this everyday household object.
As a whole, this thesis helped me realize that being an artist isn’t some distant, abstract label and that the art I create can reach people and stir up their own memories of food, family, and friends.
Many thanks to those who supported me through the many months that led up to this show, especially the wider 2024-25 thesis group and my friends who came to visit me in my studio and dragged me out for a quick bite to eat.
A huge thank you to Amie Cunat (@amiecunat ) who has played an instrumental role in my growth as a painter - not just during the creation of this show, but throughout my Fordham career and beyond. Thank you for being the person I could bounce ideas off of and the one I’ll always trust to guide me through the messiness and uncertainty of creation.
Many thanks to Ramsay - I couldn’t have asked for a more incredible exhibit partner! Thank you for putting up with my Type A behavior and for providing whimsy and fun to what could have been an insanely stressful period of my life.
More install photos and individual detail shots to come!
Works shown (in order, from left to right)
Magnolia Finn, "Bless Us, O’ Lord"; "Friendsgiving"; "That First Bite"; "Sippin’ on Libations"; "Damn Good Soup"; "That’s His Love"
Ramsay Macdonald, "Blend Thoroughly"
A belated post for my contribution to Stomping Grounds: 2026 Senior Seminar Highlights Show in the Lipani Gallery of FCLC from Dec 3-Jan 23.
My work featured in Stomping Grounds centers on a set of 28 hand‑formed air‑dry clay domino tiles and a handcrafted ceramic case. The tiles retain the marks of their making, such as thumbprints and uneven edges, and the set is fully playable by design. The ceramic case functions as a vessel and mnemonic: its lid is centered by an ancient spiral, a marker of return and migration, and framed with high‑relief floral motifs that echo regional folk ornamentation I studied in Umécuaro, Michoacán, during my residency. These details translate regional visual language into a personal archive. The installation, which includes a table, chairs, framed instructions, and a playable set, suggests that cultural preservation is not a static practice, but a dynamic one. I invite viewers to relive alternative versions of my memories by physically interacting with the ceramics through touch and play.
I am pleased to announce that my thesis exhibition, “This Belongs to Angela: Cypress Hills, a walking tour with my mom” is currently on view at the Ildiko Butler Gallery in Fordham Lincoln Center. A year ago, when I first applied to be part of the Senior Seminar and Thesis program, my idea stemmed from simple love of walking in the city. Growing up in Queens and being raised by my Brooklyn-born mom, we spent a lot of my childhood doing just that. I was then tasked with finding a way to communicate the connection between myself and the city my parents chose to raise me in, as well as my appreciation for the neighborhoods that helped shape me and them. I did not expect my end product to be a map graphic. But I am so happy to now be able to visually communicate a path, a story, and a history of Cypress Hills that my family holds so dear to their hearts. Inspired by a walk and a talk I had with my mom, I hope you all come to learn about the many barrios that exist in the city and take the time to learn, walk, talk, and engage yourselves.
My exhibition will be on view from March 4th to March 31st.
My reception will take place on Friday, March 20th, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, with my wonderful gallery partner, Daniella, who will also be showcasing her work.
Thank you for your support. I look forward to welcoming you and sharing these meaningful stories with you at the exhibition.
Our dear Theo LeGro, a Fordham alum and member of the Visual Arts family, passed away this week. Definitely the coolest kid on the block, whip smart, a bit devilish, always sparkling, and ever quick with a quip. Teachers should not outlive their students. 💔
Fumée des Autres
(secondhand smoke / smoke from others)
My work will be shown in the Susan Lipani Gallery at Fordham University Lincoln Center from March 4th to March 31st!
This post is beyond overdue,
I had the joy and privilege of joining a global outreach group this past summer to support underserved rural communities in Coclé, Panama, through medical clinics. As the first photographer to accompany this organization, I documented the lives of residents, volunteers, and doctors, sharing stories often overlooked in conversations about Panama and healthcare.
On February 13th, I will host a reception at the Fordham University Lipani Gallery from 6-8pm to exhibit a collection of these photographs. These images highlight the everyday realities of communities facing poverty, economic inequality, and limited access to healthcare. Through these photographs, I honor the resilience of the people I met and bring attention to the challenges the people of Panama face beyond the capital city.
The installation will be viewable from February 12th to March 3rd.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the trip and exhibit possible.
-Xavier Oyola
P.S. These images above are just a teaser; there will be more at the exhibit 🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️
Dear cinephiles, music fans, aficionados of mile-high 80s hair, and supporters of resilient, rad youth,
I am so excited, actually, stoked, to invite you to a screening of New Wave (2024), directed by Elizabeth Ai, on Thursday, January 29th, at 6:30 pm, at Fordham”s incomparable Rodrigue’s Cafe on the Rose Hill Campus.
This righteous documentary explores the 1980s Southern Californian Vietnamese counterculture scene, uncovering how first-generation refugee teens employed high-energy synth-pop, fashion, and rebellion to navigate trauma, forming a “second family” in a, at times, dangerous underground scene.
Wow—wow–wow–wow—yes please!
About the extraordinary place called Rodrigue’s Cafe: Located on the majestic Rose Hill Campus between Alumni Court South and Queen’s Court, “Rodrigue’s Coffee House is a student-run coffee shop where love is free, and coffee is $1. Rod’s doubles as an event space with monthly concerts, open mics, jam sessions, art days, clothing swaps, and more. Rod’s strives to be a safer space on campus where all can express themselves creatively and respectfully.” It’s the best.
Stephan
