The Idyllwild Arts Academy Visual Arts Department held an opening for the first of the winter semester’s three senior shows last Friday. The theme, “Solitude,” drew varied and surprising responses from the artists. Works expressed the positive and negative aspects of solitude; peace and freedom to dream, but also mortality, vulnerability and disability. Eight seniors were included in the show. The works included painting, sculpture, cartoon narratives and electronic media.

Harper Donaldson contributed “Forensics: Presented by FI Vine!” This is a narrative cartoon in which “Forensic Investigator Vine,” bristling with macabre delight, takes the viewer on a brief but exhaustive tour of the science of death; from cause of death to the process of physical decay, from the reconstruction of lost faces to the apprehension of a killer. “Vine” takes our natural morbid curiosity on a colorful, disturbing, humorous and informative encounter with that final solitude that awaits us all.

Yuetong Dong’s “Mute” is the show’s other cartoon narrative, the story of a child losing their ability to speak. The protagonist knows what they wish to say, but seems to forget how. The characters in the tale are all stylized animals, each imbued with memorable personality with an economy of means. The illustrations are hung on the wall without dialog, but also presented as a book with words, a credible commercially printed children’s offering, perhaps available in a variety of languages.

Min Gao contributed two works. The first is a sculpture in duct tape and plaster titled “Deception.” Two figures, one kneeling, the other in their lap, recall a “pieta” but here the interaction is murderous, with one figure stabbing the other. The artist’s statement speaks of being unable to stop loving one who hurts us. The two ghostly figures in the moment of betrayal suggest a cause of solitude. Min’s other work, “Obsession,” is a computer animation, with audio by Huilin Gao. The artist’s statement refers to the many addictions in our world, and expresses the hope that the work will provide a “reminder and a release from the present.” The animation’s fractured narrative seems to hint at separation from a friend or partner that leaves one figure dismembered.

Anisiia Isaeva contributed the ethereal and colorful jellyfish that was used as the poster for the show, a solitary creature that seems to pulse with color and energy. Their other work, “Inner Child,” is an installation, a small room with lights and a projection of a fantastic landscape, decked with hanging ornaments and paper lanterns, where waterfalls pour from the sky. The artist statement calls it a “soothing wonderland …” which contrast to thoughts of war, separation and anxiety for the future.

Aaron Kim’s “Tranquility, Chaos” is a large work including a digital print in plexiglass and lit by neon, and a large photo-realistic image that has been torn. The torn and shredded image depicts a girl who seems to be seated on a lake, and the revealed image shows a lone figure who seems to walk in an impossible under-sea canyon. The artist statement mentions hidden emotions, and the work is very effective in invoking the two worlds, above and below the surface.

Leo Li’s “Deep” was another striking and unforgettable dream object. Out of a vertical liquid surface a deer thrusts its head and hoof into our space. The liquid surface is resin on wood, and the deer is ceramic, with clear glaze dripping like water. The artist tells us this is the recreation of a dream scene, and the work communicates the stage calm of an impossible encounter.

Lucien Schneider’s “Journey to Diagnosis” consists of a triptych of small acrylic paintings of the artist’s hands, showing indecipherable wounds. In one, a rosary is held as in prayer. A sculpture shows a disarticulated hand with each joint of each finger strung together with red cord at a painful distance. The artist’s statement is a retelling of their coming to terms with the knowledge of a painful degenerative disease, the kind of knowledge no young person is equipped to process, and the drive to create art that will allow the able-bodied to understand this experience.

The exhibition is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday until Feb. 23 at the Parks Exhibition Center on campus. It also is online at www.idyllwildartsgallery.org/solitude.