Through a collaborative mural on display at the Schwarzman Center, Yale Visual Artists offer participating artists and viewers a chance to re-imagine their first moments on campus.

Zeyna Malik

12:23 am, Jan 24, 2025

Contributing Reporter

Zeyna Malik, Contributing Photographer

Oftentimes, representation refers to information that shows a person’s origin, appearance or identity. Here, “re-presentation” indicates an introduction of oneself from a fresh angle — one that might have been hidden or never fully articulated. 

On Jan. 13, Yale Visual Artists installed the student exhibition “Re-Presenting Ourselves” at the Schwarzman Center Well Gallery. The mural displays 27 distinct pieces superimposed onto large black and white photographs of Old Campus, Beinecke Plaza and Cross Campus — communal spaces on campus. 

“Each visual is an attempt to introduce ourselves to Yale once again, but in a more ‘us’ way,” said Davianna Inirio ’27. “To figure out, ‘well, what is that one thing, feeling, or visual, that makes me feel most like me and that which most people don’t often get to see?’”

Many of the group’s members were drawn to capturing their personal reflections of adjustment to life at Yale. In candid expressions, the artists explore ways to weave cultural imagery into each piece — through large-scale self-portraits, subtle nods to inherited family customs and nostalgic visuals that evoke home. 

The murals showcase parts of themselves that are often unseen and unspoken about in initial social encounters. 

The result is a collaborative piece that reflects the group’s shared experiences while displaying the individuality of each artist. The works seem to defy realism in favor of creativity and self-expression.

In Inirio’s work, illustrated figures of herself appear like stickers peeling off the surface of various campus sites. On one face of the mural, Inirio swings on an orange hammock from the branch of a tree in Beinecke Plaza. 

Inirio elaborated on the thematic importance of stickers and how she often feels like a sticker. She is peeled and placed in new environments and contexts, but carries with her fundamental elements of herself. 

In her artwork for the mural, she was inspired by fragments of home, which influence the way she perceives the world “no matter how large or powerful the institution, no matter how daunting and scary it may appear.” 

“And so these stickers slowly peel off on their edges, perhaps insinuating that Yale won’t be a setting in which I stay for long or perhaps insinuating that I am still adjusting and being ‘stuck onto’ the surface. They will always appear to be malleable and yet always present the same warmth from home,” said Inirio. 

According to YVA, the Schwarzman Center contacted the arts organization last year and proposed a collaboration. Following these plans, YVA considered how to connect a bunch of different styles, stories, identities and works into one cohesive piece. 

The curated exhibition represented a multiplicity of artists and styles, which speaks to YVA’s broader vision of unifying and connecting creatives at Yale. The mural encourages viewers to pause and look closer — not just at the art itself, but at the stories and individuals behind each piece. 

Positioned in the middle of the Schwarzman Underground, the exhibition is designed to be approachable and viewable to all.  

“Re-presenting Ourselves” also underscores a larger mission for YVA: to make art accessible and enjoyable for all students, regardless of background or major. 

According to YVA students, the visual arts scene at Yale can oftentimes be largely individualistic, exclusive or time-intensive. YVA hopes to offer students a low-stakes and collaborative outlet to explore their creative impulses without enrolling in art courses. 

The group’s regular activities range from selling prints and hosting casual watercolor evenings to organizing exhibitions and laid-back painting picnics. In doing so, they introduce an inclusive dimension to art at Yale, welcoming anyone eager to dive into creative work — whether or not they’re studying art formally. 

“I think what makes YVA really impactful is our ability to reach across various visual arts communities in the Yale undergraduate sphere and connect majors and non-majors,” said Kamini Purushothaman ’27, who is a staff reporter for the News.  

YVA encourages artists from a range of backgrounds and academic interests who share a passion for any forms of visual expression — whether it be 3D modelling, charcoal sketching or creating digital art. Welcoming anyone who is looking for a creative outlet, YVA has curated a space that values imagination above formal experience. 

At its core, “Re-presenting Ourselves” is as much about forging connections as it is about artistic expression. For many artists, the mural became an excuse to meet other creative minds on campus, forming a community that extended beyond the confines of the project. 

“[The pieces on display] all look very whimsical and imaginative,” Katelyn Wang ’27 said. “You know, we had someone do a Greco Roman sculpture, someone was riding in a paper airplane. They’re all very unrealistic but fun, imaginable, whimsical, fantastical.”

The Schwarzman Center is located at 168 Grove St.