<p>Brandon Sánchez Mejia stood at a giant wall in UC Berkeley’s Worth Ryder Art Gallery and couldn’t believe his eyes. In front of him were 150 black-and-white photos of men’s bodies in all sorts of poses and from all sorts of angles. It was his senior thesis project, "<a href="https://brandonsanchezmejia.myportfolio.com/a-masculine-vulnerability" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Masculine Vulnerability</a>," and it was out for the world to see.</p><p>"It came from this idea that as men, we are not allowed to show skin as scars or emotions or weakness," said Sánchez, who will graduate from Berkeley this May with a bachelor’s degree in art practice.</p><p>Sánchez’s cohort is part of the Department of Art of Practice’s 100th year, a milestone that department chair Ronald Rael said is cause for celebration.</p><p>"There have been moments in art practice’s history when it was unclear that art should be at a university at all," said Rael, a professor of architecture and affiliated faculty in art. "And here we are, at 100 years, and it’s one of the most popular majors on campus."</p><p><a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/02/22/berkeley-voices-podcast-a-masculine-vulnerability" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Listen to the episode and read the transcript on <em>Berkeley News</em></a><em> </em>(news.berkeley.edu). </p><p>This is a companion podcast to <a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/02/06/profile-art-practice-student-brandon-sanchez-mejia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a feature story about Sánchez</a>, published earlier this month on <em>Berkeley News.</em> There, you can view more photos and read about about how Sánchez's mom made him stay inside for a year as a teenager in El Salvador out of fear he'd join a gang. And how, against his mom's wishes and without any money of his own, he decided to pursue an education — no matter what it took. </p><p>UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser. </p><p><a href="https://app.sessions.blue/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Music by Blue Dot Sessions.</a></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Berkeley Voices

UC Berkeley

119: Art student's photo series explores masculine vulnerability

FEB 22, 20248 MIN
Berkeley Voices

119: Art student's photo series explores masculine vulnerability

FEB 22, 20248 MIN

Description

<p>Brandon Sánchez Mejia stood at a giant wall in UC Berkeley’s Worth Ryder Art Gallery and couldn’t believe his eyes. In front of him were 150 black-and-white photos of men’s bodies in all sorts of poses and from all sorts of angles. It was his senior thesis project, "<a href="https://brandonsanchezmejia.myportfolio.com/a-masculine-vulnerability" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Masculine Vulnerability</a>," and it was out for the world to see.</p><p>"It came from this idea that as men, we are not allowed to show skin as scars or emotions or weakness," said Sánchez, who will graduate from Berkeley this May with a bachelor’s degree in art practice.</p><p>Sánchez’s cohort is part of the Department of Art of Practice’s 100th year, a milestone that department chair Ronald Rael said is cause for celebration.</p><p>"There have been moments in art practice’s history when it was unclear that art should be at a university at all," said Rael, a professor of architecture and affiliated faculty in art. "And here we are, at 100 years, and it’s one of the most popular majors on campus."</p><p><a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/02/22/berkeley-voices-podcast-a-masculine-vulnerability" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Listen to the episode and read the transcript on <em>Berkeley News</em></a><em> </em>(news.berkeley.edu). </p><p>This is a companion podcast to <a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2024/02/06/profile-art-practice-student-brandon-sanchez-mejia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a feature story about Sánchez</a>, published earlier this month on <em>Berkeley News.</em> There, you can view more photos and read about about how Sánchez's mom made him stay inside for a year as a teenager in El Salvador out of fear he'd join a gang. And how, against his mom's wishes and without any money of his own, he decided to pursue an education — no matter what it took. </p><p>UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser. </p><p><a href="https://app.sessions.blue/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Music by Blue Dot Sessions.</a></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>