Catch the energy of 35 graduating artists in ‘If Traces Remain’
Photo by Fernanda Solorza.
Each spring, UVic’s Visual Arts building undergoes a metamorphosis. White walls stretch like blank canvases, and classrooms dissolve into galleries. This year’s annual Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) graduation show, If Traces Remain, features the work of 35 graduating students, each presenting their final artistic statement before stepping beyond the university’s walls.
“This is a larger group than [I‘ve] taught before, so there’s a great diversity,” Paul Walde, Visual Arts professor who oversaw the graduating class of 2025, said in an interview with the Martlet. “We are seeing more video and sound performance. That is something that hasn’t happened before.”
If Traces Remain showcases an impressive range of mediums — painting, sculpture, photography, digital work, sound installations, and pieces that defy neat categorization. But the exhibit’s most striking quality isn’t the diversity of the medium or the wonderful display of skill, but rather the depth of thought and emotional clarity that many of these artists bring to their work. There’s vulnerability, but also defiance.
This exhibit feels particularly resonant in discussing identity and one’s relationship with the past and the future.
“They are the generation that started their studies during COVID,” said Walde. “There’s a lot of introspection that happened during that time.”
This BFA show is the culmination of four years of study, eight months of collective planning, and eight days of intense work. The 2025 graduating class is the largest cohort that has participated in the graduating exposition, which presented multiple challenges. One of them was curating the exhibition so that there would be cohesion between such varied works.
“This is the most varied class that I’ve seen,” said Megan Dickie, associate professor and chair of Visual Arts. “And that is great because it means that they are secure on who they are.”
Dickie also explained that the challenge of that variety is that the works can’t be neatly categorized. They differ significantly in intent and ideas, and yet they must be paired in a way so that “they can belong in a room together.”
Photo by Fernanda Solorza.
If Traces Remain, like all the previous BFA graduation shows, is a student-led exhibition. The tasks of curating, fundraising, and other logistics to make the show possible were the responsibility of the students.
“The similarities and differences between all the different works is really a strong point, and finding unexpected ways to associate things,” said Waylon Asp, one of the co-curators of the show. Some of the techniques used by the curatorial team included creating smaller shows throughout the year, such as Lorem Ipsum and the Mezzamallea series. They also thought about space-dependent works, where they could be placed in the exhibit, and how other pieces could branch out from them.
“That’s where I feel our strength is,” said Asp. “Not taking the easiest route, but taking the route that would bring the most questions and [answers] for people.”
If Traces Remain is held at the UVic Visual Arts building, and it will be open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Sunday, April 20. Entry to the exhibit is free, and catalogues are available for purchase.
As with all things fleeting, If Traces Remain invites viewers to slow down, look closely, and reflect. “I recommend folks come and see the show and check out the catalogue,” said Walde. “I think it is our strongest catalogue … this one in particular is quite special. They put a lot of work into it.”
This showcase is a glimpse into a generation shaped by isolation, reconnection, and relentless change. The artists in If Traces Remain reflect on their past and how that has shaped who they are and who they will become, and consider what they are leaving behind. This exhibit, so rooted in identity, complexity, and relationships, makes it clear that these artists’ traces are meant to remain.
