
TCU
In the intimate glow of a winter evening, where art transforms spaces into portals of emotion and thought, “What Remains Beneath?” beckons. Opening January 17, 2025, at The Pool — a creative heartbeat of Fort Worth’s Near Southside Arts community — this exhibition is not merely a showcase but a revelation. It’s an invitation to sink beneath the surface and discover the raw, unfiltered worlds of four emerging artists, each on the cusp of their creative crescendo.
This year’s cohort of TCU’s Master of Fine Arts candidates — Alfredo Ortega, Marcy Davis, Katayoun Hosseinrad, and Christopher Nájera — has crafted a dynamic, thought-provoking collection that wrestles with themes of transformation, grief, identity, and the often invisible threads that bind us to our bodies and memories. Painting, sculpture, and drawing converge in this vivid, multi-sensory exploration of what it means to exist, to feel, and to question.
Alfredo Ortega: Narratives in Candy and Desert
From the sun-soaked terrains of Chihuahua, Mexico, to the halls of TCU, Alfredo “Freddy” Ortega’s journey is as textured as his art. A storyteller at heart, Ortega’s early works carried the weight of political landscapes, but his recent creations have taken a more introspective turn. In his second solo exhibition, “Crumbs of Food and Bits of Land,” Ortega delved into the nostalgia and impermanence of cultural memory. Rendered in small, hyper-realistic paintings of Mexican candies and landscapes inspired by the Chihuahuan Desert, his art captures fleeting beauty with an almost reverent precision. His accolades, including the Arlene Smith McKinnon Endowment Purchase Award, underscore his ability to connect universal emotions with personal narratives.
Marcy Davis: Sculpting the Body’s Secrets
Marcy Davis approaches the human form as both a vessel and a witness. With a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Texas at Arlington, Davis has honed her ability to navigate the paradoxical dance of attraction and aversion — the allure of the body’s surface and the discomfort of its hidden processes. Her sculptures pull back the veil, exposing the fragility and strength of physicality. Internationally recognized in Artist Talk Magazine and a frequent contributor to group exhibitions across Texas, Davis’ work is a visceral exploration of corporeal mysteries, inviting viewers to confront their own relationships with the body.
Katayoun Hosseinrad: Where Surface Meets Emotion
Originally from Tabriz, Iran, Katayoun Hosseinrad’s art is steeped in the rich symbolism of her cultural heritage. With a practice that spans painting, sculpture, and installation, she excavates the emotional labor and quiet struggles buried beneath societal expectations. Her solo exhibition, “Realm of Absence,” at Gallery 12.26 in Dallas, unveiled these contrasts — the outer veneers we project versus the truths we carry within. Hosseinrad’s work captures the delicate tension of domestic life, offering glimpses into sorrow and resilience that resonate universally.
Christopher Nájera: Mapping Identities
Christopher Nájera’s art is a kaleidoscope of intersectionality, weaving together queer, Latine, and postcolonial identities into a tapestry of meaning. A graduate of the University of North Texas, Nájera brings an academic rigor and emotional depth to his work. His exhibitions, from solo showcases at Arts Fort Worth to group installations like “Soy de Tejas,” explore the epistemologies of identity and history. Nájera’s art is both a mirror and a map, reflecting the complexities of self while charting new paths for understanding.
“What Remains Beneath?” is more than an MFA showcase; it’s a testament to the power of art to uncover, challenge, and transform. Through their unique perspectives and mediums, Ortega, Davis, Hosseinrad, and Nájera invite us to sit with the uncomfortable, the beautiful, and the unknown. As the evening reception unfolds on January 17 from 6 to 8 p.m., The Pool will become a space of dialogue and discovery, where every piece of art speaks to the layers, we all carry within.
The exhibition runs through February 8, 2025, at The Pool, 1801 8th Avenue C.