Aesthetics of Care is an exploration of the nuanced and often overlooked aspects of caregiving in contemporary society. Through various mediums, found and made, this exhibition delves into the intimate and profound connections formed through acts of care, whether they are between individuals, within communities, or in relation to the artists’ environment. The works on display challenge traditional notions of caregiving and invite viewers to reflect on the beauty and complexity of care, recognizing it as both an art form and a vital social practice.

The show emphasizes the aesthetics inherent in caregiving, drawing attention to the subtle gestures, spaces, and relationships that are often taken for granted. Gibson and Vijay use their work to interrogate societal values and to propose a more compassionate and interconnected way of living. By focusing on care as a central theme, the exhibition seeks to inspire a deeper appreciation for the acts of care that sustain us all.

Vibha Vijay (she/they) is an artist based in Charlottesville, VA and a recent graduate of UVA with a degree in Studio Art and a minor in Data Science. Her work centers around the tension between desire and physical materiality, wheter the medium is fiber, or plastic, or hair. Vijay seeks to critique and explore the boundaries of access and the formality of art objects because of their own life beyond her personal reach, and exploring her cultural heritage through the lens of audience interaction.

Virginia Gibson (she/they) is an artist based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She graduated from the UVA in 2022 with a Bachelors in Studio Art and Archaeology. She creates works that are vessels meant to express behavioral adaptations that derive from the survival instinct in order to make sense of the complexities of the world. Virginia pulls from lived experiences that hold conversations around trauma. Through her creative practice, she brings to light the fundamental changes in both the body and mind as a means to understand points of suffering. Virginia works in mediums of painting, printmaking, and sculpture. These practices are used as ways to acknowledge the reality of the body and mind post trauma. The different visceral dimensions of the body, and the stunted existence of the imagination in the mind, are keys to unlocking a potentiality of healing and taking charge of one’s life and health. She uses intuitive forms and cultivated environments in order to communicate feelings, emotions, physical apparitions, and the general hard to convey ecology of her everyday life. Virginia’s practice has a goal to advocate for open conversations around traumatic experiences. She believes these conversations are necessary in order to heal past and present selves, while also encouraging her communities to take back their lives stolen from them through pain and fear.