The “We Dream of Life” installation on view in the University’s Ruffin Gallery transforms the entire space into an ethereal realm exploring divinity and the interconnectedness of life. Showcased from Jan. 30 through March. 20, the 56-foot-long textile project by California-based artist iris yirei hu and New Mexico-based artist Paula Wilson reflects the depth of their friendship and redefines the typical gallery setup, both in scale of the piece and in the collaborative process itself.
Both hu and Wilson have accomplished careers as multidisciplinary artists, with individual works exhibited across the country. hu’s style, which highlights themes of journey and transformation across geography and life cycles, complements the vibrant explorations of myth, history and nature that characterize Wilson’s art.
The two artists have shared years of kinship, from hu’s annual birthday visit to Wilson’s home in Carrizozo, N.M. to the appreciation of their respective art that inspired this partnership. In an email statement to the Cavalier Daily, hu said the combination of their relationship and individual artistic talents translated into the monumental quilted artwork currently on display, weaving elements of their daily interactions into their shared creation.
“Paula and I have a habit of sharing our nightly dreams with one another. It seemed natural to incorporate our conversations into the collaboration,” hu said. “We are also long-time admirers of each other’s work, so finding ways for our work to coexist on the same surface, while developing new motifs together, was a very organic process.”
Drawing from depictions of the ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky and heavens, Nut, the goddess-like blue installation stretches from wall to wall encompassing the gallery in a protective embrace. Joined with vinyl cutouts adorning the walls themselves, the masterpiece spans the entirety of the space and features intricate collaged, painted and stitched details across a surreal body.
Diverse visuals prompt intentional analysis from viewers, with each glance uncovering new elements woven into the tapestry of visual metaphors and motifs. Depictions of moon phases, outstretched hands, blooming flowers and animals embellish the piece’s mini universe and compose the figure’s structure. The work is incredibly dense despite its remarkable length. Psychedelic natural symbols and striking hues of every color grace every inch of the 56-foot quilt, aweing visitors.
hu spoke to the artists’ shared multidisciplinary approach, highlighting how their previous multimodal artistic experience in painting, printmaking and textiles contributed to the final piece. Both she and Wilson also said they strove to create an artifact that rewarded careful looking, incorporating small details — such as drawings of natural cycles — on either side of the work.
“I particularly love how the two ends of the piece mirror one another: the depiction of the roots that extend from the feet on one end, and the intertwined hands that embrace the compost heap on the other,” hu said. “The figure is rooted in the earth, yet extends across the sky.”
Commissioned specifically for the Ruffin space in 2025, the magnitude of this project challenged the artists as well as University staff organizing the residency. Elena Yu was the Ruffin Gallery and visiting artist program manager at the time, with “We Dream of Life” being her final exhibit in the role. In an email statement to The Cavalier Daily, Yu reflected on the logistical endeavors of the display and the use of a full scale mockup to play with the space.
“[The mockup] allowed us to experiment with the composition of the piece in the space; how many hanging points there would be, how high they would hang, and… exactly how long the artwork needed to be to touch the ground on either side of the gallery,” Yu said.
hu and Wilson welcomed the daunting yet exciting task with a work that occupies the room not only physically, but with a celestial energy as well.
“We loved the idea of a figure spanning the entire space, almost a sky from dawn to dusk, expanding time and space,” Wilson said in an email statement to The Cavalier Daily. “There was definitely a moment when we looked at each other and were like, ‘what were we thinking?’ It’s larger than anything either of us had ever undertaken.”
This distinct creative process took place over the course of more than a year, with ideation dating back to January 2025, retaining the idea of connection both within the piece and between the artists themselves. Building on years of friendship and admiration of each others’ work, hu and Wilson’s intimate bond and strong belief in the power of partnership shines through in every artistic detail of the installation.
“[W]e wanted to challenge the idea of the artist-as-sole-genius by highlighting what a relational practice could look like,” hu said. “We each contain and are a part of a network of identities, people, places and influences, and we wanted to work with that instead of against it.”
The vibrancy with which this thriving relationship radiates from the piece speaks to the hours of dedication and coexistence from the artists, who share everything from personal dreams and conversations in the space. Wilson expressed the deep-rooted cooperative nature of the project between co-artists and long time friends, each splitting up responsibility for the smaller steps of the whole.
“When we collaborate we really live and work together — cooking meals, keeping the same rhythm and spending long days side by side in the studio making constant decisions together. As iris once said, it feels like we become one organism,” Wilson said.
The residency at the Ruffin Gallery itself emerged as a result of another friendship, that of the artists and Yu herself. With connections stemming back to hu and Yu’s undergraduate studies at University of California, Los Angeles and eventual introduction to Wilson in more recent years, the trio’s shared passion for the arts led to the exhibition’s formation.
“When I was researching artists to bring to U.Va., I immediately thought of iris and Paula, who are close friends but had never had the opportunity to collaborate on an exhibition,” Yu said. “It was an honor to be able to commission a new artwork by two artists who I admire so deeply as both fellow artists and as friends.”
Since its commencement in January, the “We Dream of Life” installation has offered students, faculty and community members alike the opportunity to walk into an immersive experience of colorful creativity and otherworldly exploration. Second-year College student Sophie Gallivan experienced firsthand the magic of the gallery, noting the encompassing feeling of the artwork.
“I just loved how the piece wrapped around the room, it helped me to connect to the piece,” Gallivan said. “It was easy to view her as a goddess and deity with all the symbolisms of nature.”
With just over a week remaining in the installation’s time at the University, both the artists and Yu spotlight the values of connection and openness evoked by the quilted textile. They hope these ideas continue to resonate with viewers at the University and beyond as it travels to future venues.
“[A]s iris said in the public artist talk on the opening day of the exhibition, ‘sincerity is in right now.’ I hope that visitors to the exhibition will take this sentiment to heart and continue to dream and create in collaboration with the humans, plants and places that they love,” Yu said.
Within the walls of the Ruffin Gallery, hu and Wilson have designed a cyclical landscape of growth and the natural world. An artwork that praises the power of collaboration, the “We Dream of Life” exhibit offers a refreshing reminder of the beauty of shared creativity and community.
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