The Truth of the Matter, is an exhibition of work by students and recent graduates that consider the American suburban landscape, as well as contemporary approaches to installation and performance art. Curated by Richard Brooks, assistant director of student galleries, the artists include Jee Hui Chang, Sunghee Jang, Lara Star Martini and Ricky Sears.

Using materials such as silk and sponge, Jee Hui Chang fabricates soft, colorful sculptures for her installation Candy World. She scatters the “candies” on the floor and pins them to the wall, creating a dreamy, rhythmic environment. Chang is a current student in the MFA Fine Arts Department.

Sunghee Jang distills the fundamental geometric structure of her images to create delicately constructed oil paintings. Her attention to detail maintains a fidelity to the observed world and offers the viewer a refined image, hovering between abstraction and representation. Jang is a current student in the MFA Fine Arts Department.

The Ultimate Self-Portrait by Lara Star Martini seeks to make her self-portrait come to life with sound. A large photograph of the artist lies inside a gilded frame, while recordings of her unguarded responses to questions play through headphones. She states, “When looking at a portrait, there is always a gap between what the artist is trying to express and what the viewer is waiting to discover. The best way to lessen or ideally eliminate this gap is to simply leave no viewer unsatisfied.” The Martini is a current student in the MFA Fine Arts Department.

Ricky Sears explores the aesthetics and implications of suburban residential development by focusing on Bethany Beach, a resort town in southern Delaware. He contrasts the existing homes that developers and potential homeowners consider “teardowns” with the McMansions constructed in their place. Through photography, photocopying and painting on windows salvaged from torn-down cottages, his work documents the rapidly changing character of this town and the American landscape. Sears is a recent graduate of the MFA Fine Arts Department.