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UA Little Rock to Host Photography Exhibit by Alum Trinity Kai

Trinity Kai's photo exhibit will be on display from Jan. 24 to Feb. 25.
Trinity Kai's photo exhibit will be on display from Jan. 24 to Feb. 25.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a photography exhibit by alumna and award-winning photographer Trinity Kai.

The exhibit, “Shifting in Time,” will be on display Jan. 24 to Feb. 25 in the Focus Gallery at the Windgate Center of Art and Design at UA Little Rock.

Kai utilizes materials such as fabric, handmade photographic printing processes, and sculptural materials to create layers of language that express and reflect the dimensionality of experiences and spaces.

Kai stated that her body of work in the exhibit depicts the vulnerability and tension that she feels during times of vulnerability and the strength that comes from finding the balance and acceptance of oneself.

“My work analyzes the body as our perspective in the world and as a symbol of absence and presence within public and institutional spaces,” Kai said. “I create spaces in my work that reflect my experiences as a person with Albinism, who is classified as an other, and that confront and counter systems of discrimination and stereotypes that we all encounter in different ways. ‘Shifting in Time’ examines the internal and external emotions of the various periods in one’s life when you go through changes, self-reflection, and awareness.”

Kai holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from UA Little Rock and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Arkansas. Kai creates work through the lens of her own personal narrative that examines societal systems of discrimination.

She creates multiple forms of language through self-portraiture, written language, and materiality to share her experiences and bring viewers into conversations that can be reflective and transformational. Her work has been exhibited nationwide and resides in the UA Little Rock Permanent Collection of Art.

In 2017, Kai won the grand prize in the Kennedy Center’s 2017 VSA Emerging Young Artists Competition with a photograph she created as part of her BFA thesis project. For her work, she received a $20,000 prize, and her photograph was featured in a year-long traveling exhibit featuring the work of young artists with disabilities. Kai was born with oculocutaneous albinism, a genetic condition that results in visual impairments and sensitivity to light.

The exhibit is on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Focus Gallery on the UA Little Rock campus. For more information, contact Focus Gallery Director Joli Livaudais at jklivaudais@ualr.edu.