Apparition was the 2026 MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition at WashU’s Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. The exhibition marked the culmination of work for students in the graduating class of 2026. The artwork on display, ranging from painting and photography to sculpture and multimedia installations, reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the MFA program.
Students chose the name Apparition as a group to reflect a shared moment in their artistic development, as their individual practices and research come together at the height of their graduate careers. The title gestures to the ways images, materials, and concepts take shape through the creative process.
The exhibition was organized by Meredith Malone, Nancy and Kenneth Kranzberg Curator at the Kemper Art Museum. Featured artists: Zain Almutawa, Yitian Chen, Emily Eid, Shiyao Fu, Zach T. Johnson, Virginia Liu (Jingyi Liu), Brittni Mosby, Emilia-Qian Shen, Dallas Spears, Levi Anthony Walker, Violet L. White, Tianqing Xu, and Yixiao Zhang 张祎潇.