The University of Southern Maine Art Gallery on the Gorham campus will present “Unveiling: Sama Alshaibi and Joel Seah” from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

This exhibit showcases the work of Assistant Professor of Printmaking and Drawing Joel Seah and Assistant Professor of Digital Arts Sama Alshaibi. Both Seah and Alshaibi are new members of the faculty at the USM art department.

Through through the use of contemporary photography, video and installation practices, each of the artists explore identity and displacement as they pertain to national, ethnic, social, and sexual boundaries. An opening reception will be held Sept. 15, from 4 to 7 p.m., with gallery talks by the artists at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Multi-media artist Sama Alshaibi was born in Basra, Iraq, to a Palestinian mother and Iraqi father. She immigrated to the United States in high school and recently has become an American citizen.

Alshaibi’s artwork draws from personal experiences with exile and displacement to discuss the balancing of a hybrid West/East identity while still being responsible to her ancestral heritage. Because of Alshaibi’s own history of living in a war and under several dictatorships, she is compelled by the historical and current political landscape of nation-states worldwide, and the impact that war, oppression and injustice have on human life. She strives to create art that engages in a dialogue of these experiences and motivates consciousness toward a more informed perspective.

Joel Seah grew up in a Chinese family in Singapore, where emphasis was placed on occidental thought. His examination of the dichotomies of the Eastern and Western ideals have shaped his outlook both personally and artistically.

Seah’s work attempts to redefine, rather than resolve the disparities of identity difference. Seah’s investigations into the construction of identity take the scope of sexual and social politics, heritage, immigration and bicultural dialogue. He explores displacement as it pertains to domesticity, partnership and physical desire, as they relate to ethnicity, self and cultural norms. Seah’s formal training as a printmaker has influenced his work in digital technologies, which includes the use of high resolution scanning, video capture, digital image manipulation, as well as a variety of print output and transfer methods.

The USM Art Gallery is located on the Gorham campus. Admission is free. Hours are Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. School and community groups are welcome to attend. For more information or access inquiries, please visit the Web site http://www.usm.maine.edu/gallery or call 780-5409.