Retracing the Rubicon

How do we acknowledge the past while still moving forward? How can we create space for healing while maintaining a healthy relationship with trauma and grief? What does communal healing look like for you?

Retracing the Rubicon brings together works by ten artists who examine the power of collective catharsis and communal healing. Through painting, printmaking, photography, video, and sculpture, the artists challenge the notion that individuals are responsible for alleviating personal, collective, and historical grief. The exhibition demonstrates how processing grief collectively can be a powerful alternative to linear self-help narratives that emphasize overcoming grief independently. The featured artists aim to generate conversations about living with grief rather than moving on from it.

This exhibition is organized by Center Space Project (CSP), an undergraduate student–run arts collective that works collaboratively with the Visual Arts Center (VAC) to provide students with opportunities to participate in an interdisciplinary artistic community. Exhibitions are selected through a call for proposals each spring that is open to all undergraduate and graduate students at UT Austin, and selections are made by the CSP student committee in collaboration with VAC staff.

Presenting support for Retracing the Rubicon is provided by the Jedel Family Foundation.