An exhibition of works by recent graduates of the Ringling College of Art + Design, Stranded is a collective contemplation on the journey of transition. Conversations on home, isolation, technology and the self intersect in a mutually shared shift of space as the artists wander through an unfamiliar landscape. Featuring works by Musa Kunene, Emily Heiler, José Linares, Alé Salamán and Rohini Maiti, the exhibition invites the viewer into these conversations on navigation and time through a visual collage of moments captured within the various mediums of painting, print, drawing and film.

Emily Heiler | @emilyheiler  Home is a complex space; it’s where we learn to understand ourselves, others, and the roles we’re meant to play in the world. I paint images of my childhood home and my family, focusing more closely on the dynamics between the women in my life. By looking at my past childhood surroundings, I explore my own connection to the concept of home. Our home was cluttered with plants, catholic iconography and objects girls collected. The strange objects that filled our home continue to influence me and my sisters, acting as icons of our shared experience.

Musa Kunene | @musa_bkart  I did not appreciate or even understand my home until I was not able to return to it. This experience of being disconnected from my family and cultural background is archived in my work through drawings, paintings, and prints depicting shamanistic and initiation practices in Swaziland. In depicting these practices, my work presents the viewer with images of cow and goat skulls merged with human figures and biological elements to show the intrinsic connection that shamans have with the natural world. At the same time, I explore the idea of metamorphosis, showing the complex changes in perception that are experienced by shamans in their spiritual journeys.

José Linares | @officially.jose.L | joselinares1220.wixsite.com/portfolio   More often than not, I see a disconnection between people and myself as if there’s a wall between us. Differences in interpersonal relationships, empathy, and experiences drive home a sense of isolation that I’m invested in practicing in my oil paintings and my sculptures. Coming from a deeper curiosity on how we interact with the world, I use architecture as a tool to explore the psychology behind our settings and to demonstrate uncanny detachment and discord.

Ro Maiti | @romaitiofficial | rohinimaiti.com   I am fascinated by my chaotic and unorganized stream of consciousness. The questioning of my mind translates into the questioning of sensory perception. My material is often composed of gears, cogs, wires, and many more inner workings of domestic household machines that we are used to upgrading and discarding. The plastic shells, metal frames, and chipboards have transformed into a personal type of clay to sculpt with. While referring to the intersection between machine and sentience, hardware and software are seen as more than just their technological components. They function as allegories to our computational processes. The work blends subjective perception with external reality and reimagines a new yet familiar world.

Alé Salamán | @namalas   The work derives from an exploration of the digital landscape and those who inhabit it. In my paintings, I use figures with distorted proportions in order to represent large bodies going through the trials and tribulations of relationships, exploring identities, and how we’re making connections today. These connections are heavily informed by the internet and social media.