Austin Arts Collective

March 28, 2026 - May 09, 2026

From Unchained.Art:
"Unchained.Art Contemporary Gallery presents favorite pieces: the artist’s edit, the gallery’s Annual Invitational bringing together artists from Austin and beyond in a personal and revealing look at what matters most within their practice.
In this exhibition, each artist presents one self-selected work, a piece they consider essential to their practice. Removed from external framing, the selection becomes personal and direct. What emerges is not a survey, but a concentrated view into what each artist believes holds weight within their body of work.
Spanning painting and sculpture, the exhibition reflects the evolving scope of the gallery’s program. Long-standing collaborators appear alongside newly introduced voices, creating a layered dialogue across material, gesture, and perspective. The result is expansive yet deliberate, unified by the act of selection itself.
“favorite pieces is about bringing people closer to the artists,” says Christina Hiltscher, Founder and Director of Unchained.Art Contemporary Gallery. “When an artist chooses the one work that means the most to them, you see something different. You see what they return to, what they stand behind, and what feels essential from their own perspective.”
Each work is accompanied by the artist’s own words explaining why it matters. These statements open a more intimate layer of the exhibition, offering insight into process, memory, and intention. The result is not simply a presentation of artworks, but an opportunity to experience them through the artist’s lens.
Austin-based artist Via Boley reflects on her selection:
“Choosing a favorite piece required me to step outside the usual rhythm of the studio and look back across my practice. Each work is a fragment of where I was at that moment and evidence of what I had yet to understand. Looking back at the work reminded me how important it is to balance the past and the future in the studio.”
Boley’s selected work, Impermanent:, marks a turning point in her practice, signaling her transition from observational imagery toward a more abstract visual language.
As Unchained.Art Contemporary marks three years in Austin, favorite pieces underscores the gallery’s commitment to meaningful dialogue between artists and collectors. Founded in Zurich in 2020 and now based in a historic Beaux-Arts building in downtown Austin, the gallery presents a curated program connecting emerging and established artists from Europe, North America, and beyond. With exhibitions in Austin and abroad, the gallery brings an international perspective paired with strong local voices to Austin’s evolving art scene."

Reception March 26, 2026 | 5:00 - 8:00 pm

March 27, 2026 - April 10, 2026

From St. Edwards University:
"St. Edward’s University is proud to announce the opening of Archive No. 11, the Photography and Media Arts majors’ senior exhibition. The exhibition will run from March 27 through April 10 at the Fine Arts Gallery.
Archive No. 11 is a dynamic exhibition showcasing the culmination of work by eleven emerging photographers. Representing the graduating class, this show serves as a vital platform for these artists to present their senior thesis—a year-long endeavor completed across the Fall and Spring semesters. The exhibition itself functions as a curated archive, meticulously collecting and displaying the artists’ personal histories and the intellectual interests that have shaped their creative practices.
The work on display embraces a wide spectrum of photographic techniques, ranging from analog processes, traditional film, and contemporary digital media that push the boundaries of visual storytelling. This diversity in medium reflects the expansive, multidisciplinary nature of modern photography.
The collective body of work delves into themes, offering viewers a multifaceted exploration of the human experience. Core thematic threads woven throughout the exhibition include: identity, childhood memories, displacement, explorative portraiture, and documentary.
Each piece in Archive No. 11 represents the final, cumulative project of the artist's academic journey, demonstrating not only technical mastery but also a mature, cohesive artistic vision. It is an essential viewing experience that signals the arrival of a new generation of photographic talent.
Please join us in an opening reception that will be held on Friday, March 27th from 6:00p.m. to 8:00 p.m. where the public is invited to meet the artists and experience their work firsthand. The reception will have complimentary food and drinks."

Reception March 27, 2026 | 6:00 - 8:00 pm

March 27, 2026 - May 15, 2026

From UpFront Gallery:
"Accept All examines how the internet has simultaneously united and fragmented Gen-Z and Zillennial communities, particularly queer and minority youth navigating identity, connection, and visibility online. From fan accounts and meme culture to queer media archives and mental health discourse, digital spaces have become sites of both liberation and harm. The internet offers access to community, exploration and representation – particularly for those in underrepresented communities. Alongside these revolutionary benefits, the exponential growth of the internet has fostered cycles of oversaturation, comparison, and the collapse of dopamine supply and attention spans worldwide.
Under the influence of Glitch Feminism by Legacy Russell, this exhibition embraces the internet’s errors, excess, and contradictions as tools for resistance and self-definition. Artists Ari Borazjanian, Circle of Return, and Guadalupe Najar reflect this narrative through a multimedia display of works. Our artists portray varying lenses balancing humor and tragedy in the conversation of commodification and weaponization of race, identity and community within the internet. Circle of Return’s large work Glitch Tower expertly depicts the impact of digital whiplash through a representation of the highs and lows we witness on a constant basis when engaging with the online realm.
This exhibition asks: How do we hold space for the internet as a lifeline while facing its psychological and social costs? In navigating these tensions, the work invites viewers to reflect on how connection, care, and community can be reimagined within the web and beyond."

Reception March 27, 2026 | 6:00 - 8:00 pm