Chicago art exhibitions Archive

Simply Magnificent: Top Art Exhibitions for May 2013

By
Theo Skolnik
Published: May 1, 2013

With Springtime blossoms in full bloom, acclimate to the season’s bold palette by visiting some of Chicago’s beautiful art galleries, currently boasting artworks to brighten up your perspectives that span three different artistic mediums. Make sure to walk through the following three exhibits to see the works of painter Thomas Nozkowski at Bowman Gallery, photography by Michael Kenna at Catherine Edelman Gallery and sculpted artworks by Amanda Ross Ho at Shane Campbell Gallery.

Russell Bowman Art Advisory: Thomas Nozkowski

New York based artist and abstract painter Thomas Nozkowski explores drastic yet playful combinations of lines, shapes, color and form in his most recent works at Bowman Gallery, the artist’s first time exhibiting in Chicago since 1992. After making a shift from sculpture to painting in the mid-1970s, Nozkowski’s two-dimensional oblong and angular shapes are nevertheless evocative of sculptural forms possessing three-dimensional movement. After being taught by both Abstract Expressionists and traditional Bauhaus teachers, Nozkowski’s paintings find a middle ground between the two styles as his color sensitivity and geometric precision collide with his own personalized and highly improvisational touch. Nowkowski’s works can be found in major worldwide museums and have been permanently housed in numerous collections. You can view the artwork in person from Thursday to Saturday, or by appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday; the exhibit runs until June 15th.

Untitled (9-8), 2012. Oil on linen on panel.

Untitled (9-11), 2012. Oil on linen on panel.

Untitled (7-127), 1999. Oil on linen on panel.

Untitled (L-20), 2012. Oil on paper.

 

Catherine Edelman Gallery: Michael Kenna

Photographer Michael Kenna, best known for his signature black and white photos, has a fascination for his surroundings, particularly landscapes being his primary object of study. With a diversity of settings, Kenna’s photographs reveal the supple contrasts of natural sceneries, with photo studies spanning mountainous regions in Japan to the lakes and rice fields in China and even the many bridges and waterways of Paris, France. To capture misty scenes and achieve a pleasantly blurring continuity, Kenna often photographs at dawn or a night with longer exposures, some lasting up to 10 hours, and learned to express his own narrative throughout his works using a number of cameras including a Holga, Leica, Pentax and Nikon. Kenna has worked alongside professional photographer Ruth Bernhard and his photographs have been exhibited worldwide, published in many books and are part of permanent collections in various institutes and museums. Michael Kenna’s photography exhibit opens Friday, May 10th with an opening reception, and will be on display until July 6th.

Yuanyang, Study 2, Yunnan, China (2013) Michael Kenna

Barge Passing, Paris, France (1988) Michael Kenna

Sadakichi’s Docks, Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan (2012) Michael Kenna

 

Shane Campbell Gallery: Amanda Ross-Ho: CRADLE OF FILTH

Finding a teenaged girl’s backpack hanging from the side of a Chicago dumpster and the contents within it inspired Chicago-native artist Amanda Ross-Ho to create various works that make up her latest exhibit, CRADLE OF FILTH, which centerpieces an overgrown recreation of the found backpack to four times its actual scale. Alongside the monumental sculpture that serves as a symbol of early childhood development and self-expression, Ross-Ho’s paintings decipher the bag’s cultural markings, for it was found covered in band name patches and other cultural affiliations, representing youthful assertions of defiance and belonging. Ross-Ho will soon exhibit a large-scale public project at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, in July, and has had work in various exhibitions throughout the nation. Amanda Ross-Ho’s exhibit is set to open on May 4th until June 22nd.

Photos courtesy of: Russell Bowman Art Advisory and Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.

Related posts: The Residences: Private Art Collection.

Theo Skolnik is an Integrated Marketing Associate for Otherwise Incorporated.

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Simply Magnificent: Top Art Exhibitions for February 2013

By
Emmaline Niendorf
Published: February 21, 2013

Chicago is featuring a power-packed collection of world-renowned artists this month. Don’t miss the collections being featured at The Art Institute of Chicago, Shane Campbell Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Photography.

The Art Institute of Chicago: Picasso and Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago presents Picasso and Chicago, on view through May 12, 2013. In 1913, the Art Institute of Chicago became the first museum in the country to present the work of Pablo Picasso. Today, the museum celebrates the relationship between Picasso and Chicago by bringing together over 250 of Picasso’s paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings and ceramics drawn from the museum’s collection as well as from private collections. This exhibition charts Picasso’s artistic career and chronicles the growth of Chicago as a place for modern art.

The Art Institute of Chicago_Pablo and Chicago

Pablo Picasso. The Red Armchair, 1931. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Saidenberg. © 2013 Estate of Pablo Picasso : Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

The Art Institute of Chicago_Pablo Picasso

In-gallery view of Pablo Picasso’s Maquette for Richard J. Daley Center Monument, 1965. The Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Pablo Picasso. © 2013 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Shane Campbell Gallery: Michelle Grabner
Shane Campbell Gallery presents a solo exhibition of new work by Michelle Grabner, on view through March 9, 2013. Grabner’s paper weavings, gingham patterned paintings and gesso reliefs are exercises in visual cliché construction. Valuing sturdy truthfulness and unfailing predictability, Grabner appeals to the ‘uncreative’ by “routinely engaging in acts of conditional boredom.” Grabner has been named a curator for the 2014 Whitney Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Shane Campbell Gallery_Michelle Grabner

Courtesy of the Artist and Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago

Shane Campbell Gallery_Michelle Grabner

Courtesy of the Artist and Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago

MoCP: Victoria Sambunaris: Taxonomy of a Landscape
The Museum of Contemporary Photography presents Victoria Sambunaris: Taxonomy of a Landscape, on view through Mar 31, 2013. For more than a decade, Sambunaris has traveled the US photographing and capturing the vast American landscape and its intersection with civilization. Since October 2009, she has photographed along the border between Mexico and the US. Sambunaris photographs the landscape to document the American experience, “exposing the unease of a country where human intervention and natural beauty inspire wonder in equal measure.”

Related posts: The Residences: Private Art Collection.

Emmaline Niendorf is the Content Manager for Otherwise Incorporated.

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Lux Life: The Graham Foundation Presents The Lost Vanguard

By
Emmaline Niendorf
Published: December 13, 2012

Located in Chicago’s Gold Coast, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in Fine Arts has been one of the city’s most prestigious cultural institutions since 1956. The Graham Foundation presents The Lost Vanguard: Soviet Modernist Architecture, 1922-32, on view through February 16, 2013. This exhibition “documents the work of modernist architects in the Soviet Union in the years following the 1917 revolution and the period of instability during the following civil war.”

The Graham Foundation_Richard Pare

Richard Pare, Dneproges Turbine Hall, Zaporozhe, Ukraine. Alexander Vesnin, Nikolai Kolli and others. 1927-32. Photograph Copyright Richard Pare 2007.

Graham Foundation_Richard Pare_The Lost Vanguard

Richard Pare, Workers Club in Surakhany, Baku, Azerbaijan. Leonid Vesnin 1929.

The Graham Foundation_Richard Pare

Richard Pare, Melnikov House, Moscow, Russia. Konstantin Melnikov, 1927-31. Photograph Copyright Richard Pare 2007.

This exhibition features buildings from the former Soviet Union and are drawn from an archive of 15,000 photographs taken by British photographer Richard Pare. Pare’s photographs offer the first contemporary documentation of these buildings. While some of these buildings are still in use, others are abandoned and decayed and many are under threat of demolition.

Some of the most radical buildings of the twentieth century were completed by a small group of architects who in support of new social goals of communal life. This exhibition examines important buildings that were rarely seen until the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Pare received two grants from the Graham Foundation in support of The Lost Vanguard.

Graham Foundation_Richard Pare

Richard Pare, Interior Narcomfin Communal House, Moisei Ginzburg and Ignati Milinis, 1930. Photograph Copyright Richard Pare 2007.

Graham Foundation_Richard Pare

Richard Pare, Shabolovka Radio Tower, Moscow, Russia. Vladimir Shukhov, 1922. Photograph Copyright Richard Pare 2007.

The Graham Foundation is available to the public not only as a forum on architecture and design but also as a gallery. The foundation awards project-based grants and creates public programs to encourage the development and exchange of challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture and society.

The Graham Foundation is located in the Madlener House, 4 West Burton Place. For additional information, visit their website.

Related posts: Top Art Exhibitions for November 2012 & Wright Auction House.

Emmaline Niendorf is a Content Manager for Otherwise Incorporated.

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Simply Magnificent: Top Art Exhibitions for September 2012

By
Emmaline Niendorf
Published: September 13, 2012

As the leaves begin to change colors, Chicago embraces the Autumnal season with exceptional gallery and museum openings. September offers an opportunity to explore the city’s beautiful gallery spaces and experience their artwork. Don’t miss the collections being featured at Carrie Secrist Gallery, Linda Warren Projects and Shane Campbell Gallery.

Carrie Secrist Gallery
On view through October 20, 2012, Carrie Secrist Gallery presents Anne Lindberg: sustaining pedal. Lindberg has conceived a museum-scale installation alongside a selection of two-dimensional drawings. Stretching individual strands of cotton thread taut from opposing walls, Lindberg has constructed a site-specific floating drawing composed of fine parallel threads and staples.

Carrie Secrist Gallery_Annie Lindberg

Carrie Secrist Gallery_Annie Lindberg

PARALLEL 35, 2012. DETAIL. GRAPHITE AND COLORED PENCIL ON COTTON MAT BOARD 58 X 104 INCHES. PHOTO BY EG SCHEMPF.

Linda Warren Projects
On view through October 20, 2012, Linda Warren Projects presents two solo exhibitions by Chicago-based artists Brenda Moore and David Reninger. Both artists “celebrate the imagination by transposing the animal figures of their empathy into allegorical forms of visual poetry.”

Linda Warren Projects_Brenda Moore

Brenda Moore. Debutantes Synchronized Swimming Event (Horses). 34 h. x 26 inches (framed). graphite on paper, 2009.

Linda Warren Projects_Brenda Moore

Brenda Moore. Coaxing He Led Me out of the Stable (From “Black Beauty Tableau”, 2008). 5.5″ x 8″ Ink on reclaimed wood.

Shane Campbell Gallery
Opening September 15, 2012, Shane Campbell Gallery presents John McAllister’s solo exhibition: starry sudden without blares. McAllister will present new paintings that continues his interest in paintings as pictures and objects. Idealized landscapes and still lifes are situated within patterned grounds that reinforce the entire painting as a cultural construction.

Shane Campbell Gallery_John McAllister

John McAllister. Unless Airy Dreams, Strike the Piercing Chord, 2012. Oil on canvas 72″ x 83″.

Shane Campbell Gallery_John McAllister

John McAllister. Showy Flowers Ocean Views, 2012. Oil on canvas 35″ x 29″.

Emmaline Niendorf is a Content Manager at Otherwise Incorporated.

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Simply Magnificent: Top Art Exhibitions for July 2012

By
Emmaline Niendorf
Published: July 25, 2012

Chicago is distinguished as a leading city of world-class art. Don’t miss the exceptional shows being featured at Kavi Gupta Gallery, The Mission and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Take some time to explore the city and experience the extraordinary artwork in some of Chicago’s most prestigious museums and galleries.

Kavi Gupta Gallery
Kavi Gupta Gallery presents its first solo exhibition by Scott Reeder, on view through July 28, 2012.

Reeder is known for his paintings, sculptures and performances. For the past few years, Reeder has honed an approach to painting with noodles. The exhibition includes Reeder’s more recent untitled spaghetti paintings, made with both raw and cooked noodles and spray paint. The exhibition also features a series of his new sculptural works.

Kavi Gupta Gallery_Scott Reeder

Scott Reeder. Courtesy of Kavi Gupta Gallery.

Kavi Gupta Gallery_Scott Reeder

Scott Reeder. Courtesy of Kavi Gupta Gallery.

For more information, visit their website.

The Mission
The Mission  has opened its second annual preview exhibition, SUMMER 2012: Vantage Point, on view through August 18, 2012.

Vantage Point assembles works from six national and international artists, stimulating discourse and recognizing reoccurring global themes addressed by artists across the continent. Although the artists use different mediums and aesthetics, each one explores the subliminal: what is concealed and perceptually blocked.

The Mission_Vantage Point

SUMMER 2012: Vantage Point. Courtesy of The Mission.

The Mission_Vantage Point

SUMMER 2012: Vantage Point. Courtesy of The Mission.

For more information, visit their website.

MCA Chicago
The MCA presents Skyscraper: Art and Architecture Against Gravity, a new exhibition on view through September 23, 2012. This exhibition examines contemporary works of art that focus on the architectural form of the skyscraper. Skyscraper is especially relevant to Chicago, which is known as the birthplace of this architectural type.

Artists of all kinds have been enthralled by the human desire to build farther and farther into the sky. From video and film to sculpture, painting and photography, artists explore this desire in many ways using many mediums. Skyscraper features a wide-ranging group of artists from across the world, spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Chciago_MCA_Skyscraper

Installation view of Kader Attia's Untitled (skyline), 2007 in Skyscraper: Art and Architecture Against Gravity. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

MCA_Skyscraper

Vera Lutter, Study for Ground Zero III, January 15 - 25, 2002, 2002. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift of Francis Dittmer, 2009.11.c. © 2002 Vera Lutter. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

For more information, visit their website.

Emmaline Niendorf is a Content Manager with Otherwise Incorporated.

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Lux Life: Museum of Contemporary Art

By
Emmaline Niendorf
Published: January 31, 2012

Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the nation’s largest facilities devoted to the art of our time. On display are four incredible exhibitions including The Language of Less (Then and Now) along with exhibits by David Hartt, Gordon Matta-Clark and Dieter Roth. Enjoy a winter day in this beautiful city with a visit to the MCA.

MCA Screen: David Hartt
David Hartt’s project Stray Light is a new series of media-based exhibitions is on view through May 6, 2012. Stray Light includes a film displayed in a room carpeted in the style of his subject, the Johnson Publishing Company, as well as a group of photographs shown in the next room. The building was built as the JPC headquarters, made famous by producing Jet and Ebony magazine. The interior of the building is an expression of Black taste, modern, colorful and complex, a pure expression of founder John Johnson’s vision of a leading, Black-owned business.

Hartt’s new film and photographs are intimate portraits of the dreams and ideals of the Johnson’s business. His works raise questions about the intersection of the personal and the public, the underlying narratives of JPC and their lasting impact. Since the building was sold in late 2010, these portraits document the style of this unique work environment.

MCA_David Hartt_Stray Light_Trophy Room

David Hartt Award Room, 2011 Courtesy of the artist and Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago.

MCA_David Hartt_Stray Light_installation view

Installation view, MCA Screen: David Hartt, MCA Chicago, 2012. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

MCA DNA: Gordon Matta-Clark
Gordon Matta-Clark presents Circus (alternatively titled The Caribbean Orange) on view through May 6, 2012. In the 1970s, Matta-Clark cut into abandoned New York buildings to create installations that bridged architecture and sculpture, a practice he called “anarchitecture.” The MCA invited Matta-Clark to Chicago to create a new work in an adjacent building that will be renovated into additional museum galleries.

Circus cut into the building at 235 East Ontario Street using a curvilinear progression cut through all three stories. Rather than using straight photography to document the completed work, he created photo montages to convey the experience of the sculptural space.

MCA_Chicago_Gordon Matta-Clark_Circus_The Caribbeam Orange

Gordon Matta-Clark Circus, or The Caribbean Orange, 1978 Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, restricted gift of Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Bergman and Susan and Lewis Manilow, 1978.1.a–b. © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Photo © MCA Chicago.

MCA_Chicago_Gordon Matta-Clark _Circus_The Caribbean Orange

Gordon Matta-Clark Cut and taped positives for 'Circus' or 'The Caribbean Orange', 1978 Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift of the Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark in honor of the 30th anniversary of 'Circus' or 'The Caribbean Orange', 2007.17. © 1978 Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark; Photo © MCA Chicago.

The Language of Less (Then and Now)
The MCA presents The Language of Less (Then and Now), on view through March 18, 2012. Divided into two parts, the first includes a fresh reinstallation of historical material, featuring artists such as Carl Andre, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt and Richard Serra. The second part showcases five contemporary artists, including Leonor Antunes, Carol Bove, Jason Dodge, Gedi Sibony and Oscar Tuazon.

The MCA understands that history is always undergoing reappraisal, especially by working artists. The Language of Less (Then and Now) reintroduces now-classic material to the public alongside work by emerging artists who are captivating international attention.

MCA_The Language of Less (Then and Now)_Richard Serra_Prop

Richard Serra Prop, 1968 Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift of Mrs. Robert B. Mayer, 1978.44.a–b. © 2011 Richard Serra / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo © MCA Chicago.

MCA_The Language of Less (Then and Now)_Jason Dodge

Jason Dodge In Lübeck, Germany, Marlies Scholz wove a piece of cloth. She was asked to choose yarn the color of night and equaling the distance (12 km) from the earth to above the weather, 2008 Courtesy of the artist and VeneKlasen Werner, Berlin. Photo: Horace Aand.

MCA DNA: Dieter Roth
The MCA presents Dieter Roth, an exhibition on view through February 26, 2012. Roth features numerous inventive works of visual art that blur the lines between artistic media, poetry, music and literary works. He is known as a collaborative artist, working famously with British pop artist Richard Hamilton. While Roth has created paintings, sculptures and videos, he is most recognized for his artists’ books.

Roth began by creating small editions of publications, now known as artists’ books. Roth made books out of cut-up newspapers and flyers before using his own drawings and collections of scrap paper. While the MCA holds more than 60 of Roth’s books, this collection features three portfolios of his lithographs, Dogs Bats, and Trophies, and their accompanying drawings.

, 1976 Published by Edition Hansjörg Mayer, Stuttgart/London. MCA Chicago Artists’ Book Collection, gift of Dieter Roth (AB 1984.220.a-dA).”]MCA_Chicago_Dieter Roth_artists books

Dieter Roth 2 bilderbücher (kinderbuch; bilderbuch; gesammelte werke band 1) [2 picture books (children’s book; picture book; collected works part 1)

MCA_Chicago_Dieter Roth_artists books_installation view

Installation view, MCA DNA: Dieter Roth, MCA Chicago November 12, 2011 - February 26, 2012 Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

The MCA is located at 220 East Chicago Avenue. For additional information, call 312.280.2660 or visit Museum of Contemporary Art.

Emmaline Niendorf is an Integrated Marketing Associate with Otherwise Incorporated.

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Lux Life: Art Institute of Chicago Exhibitions

By
Emmaline Niendorf
Published: December 14, 2011

Ring in the holiday season with a trip to the city’s world-class Art Institute of Chicago. Head to the Museum’s front steps at the Michigan Avenue Entrance where the iconic Chicago lions are adorned with beautiful evergreen wreaths, or visit the Miniature Thorne Room trimmed in classic holiday décor.

On display now are three incredible exhibitions, including Light Years: Conceptual Art and the Photograph, Spencer Finch: Lunar and Exposure. Celebrate the winter season in classic Chicago style with a visit to the Art Institute.

Light Years: Conceptual Art and the Photograph, 1964-1977
On display through March 11, 2012, Light Years showcases the movement in Conceptual Art that brought photography into the mainstream of contemporary art. Artists such as Ed Ruscha, Bruce Nauman and John Baldessari took up the production of new photographs, exploiting photographic images in books, slides, canvases, films and large-scale installations.

Light Years includes more than 140 works by 57 artists in an exhibition that showcases the artists who redrew the boundaries of photography and contemporary art. The exhibit includes work from the Italian group Arte Povera along with artists from Eastern Europe, and pieces by major artists including Mel Bochner, Tony Conraf and Michael Heizer.

Chicago_Art Institute of Chicago_Light Years_John Baldessari_photography

John Baldessari. Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line (Best of Thirty-Six Attempts), 1973. Detail (1 of 12) from the artist’s book, edition of 2000. Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago.

Spencer Finch: Lunar
The Art Institute presents Lunar, a solo exhibition by American artist Spencer Finch, on display through April 8, 2012. Finch is recognized for his use of color and light in his work with photographs, mixed media projects and large-scale installations. Finch explores themes of memory and perception in his work, reconstructing the color and temperature of light of different locations through artificial means.

For his solo project at the Art Institute, Finch has created a solar-powered “lunar lander module” as a way to make a picture of moonlight. Lunar uses sunlight to power a dome-shaped object known as a “buckyball.” Installed on the open-air Bluhm Family Terrace, Lunar glows the color of moonlight, measuring the full more over Chicago in July 2011.

Chicago_Art Institute of Chicago_Spencer Finch_Lunar_buckyball

Spencer Finch. Lunar, 2011. Photo courtesy of the artist and ESAM/Larry Smallwood. © Spencer Finch.

Exposure: Matt Keegan, Katie Paterson, Heather Rasmussen
On display through March 4, 2012, Exposure presents dynamic new work by emerging photography artists. Matt Keegan’s installation focuses on Chicago and New York, creating a visual conversation with sculptures and photographs mounted on sheet metal the same color of Chicago’s municipal bridges.

Katie Paterson’s photographs capture pure darkness at different times and places in the universe. Presented with handwritten labels describing the distance in light years of each location from the Earth. Heather Rasmussen recreates international shipping containers, handcrafted from colored cardstock. Rasmussen uses bold and colorful materials to replicate shipping container accidents to photograph.

Chicago_Art Institute of Chicago_Exposure_Heather Rasmussen

Heather Rasmussen. Untitled (New Orleans, Louisiana, September 10, 2005), 2010. Courtesy of the artist.

The Art Institute of Chicago is located at 111 South Michigan Avenue. For additional information, please call 312.443.3600 or visit Art Institute of Chicago.

Emmaline Niendorf is an Integrated Marketing Associate with Otherwise Incorporated.

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Simply Magnificent: Top Art Exhibitions for Fall 2011

By
Emmaline Niendorf
Published: November 30, 2011

Chicago is a leading center for world-class art and culture. This is the prefect season to explore the city’s featured exhibitions and experience some incredible art. Don’t miss the exceptional exhibitions being featured at galleries around Chicago.

Shane Campbell Gallery
Lisa Williamson: Thinking Objects
Through December 31, 2011

Lisa Williamson, born in 1977, is a Los Angeles based artist who received her MFA from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Shane Campbell Gallery presents Thinking Objects, Williamson’s first solo exhibition with the gallery in Chicago.

In this exhibition, Lisa Williamson presents small-scale, hand-painted bent steel wall sculptures and framed works on paper. Williamson creates works, both floor- and wall-based, that act like paintings. His work poses questions that consider how and why art gets made, relating the artistic to other modes of thought and invention.

Chicago_Shane Campbell Gallery_Lisa Williamson_Thinking Objects_Teal Legs

Lisa Williamson Teal Legs, 2011 Acrylic on steel 34" x 14" x 48"

Chicago_Shane Campbell Gallery_Lisa Williamson_Thinking Objects_Grey Eyelets

Lisa Williamson Grey Eyelets, 2011 Acrylic on paper 35" x 22"

Chicago_Shane Campbell Gallery__Lisa Williamson_Thinking Objects_Installation View

Lisa Williamson Installation View

For additional information, call 312.226.2223 or visit Shane Campbell Gallery. Shane Campbell Gallery is located at 673 North Milwaukee Avenue. Open Wednesday-Saturday, 12-6.

Kavi Gupta Gallery
Sayre Gomez: Windows and Mirrors
Through January 28, 2012

Sayre Gomez was born in Chicago in 1982 and currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. He Gomez holds a BFA from the School of Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from CalArts. Kavi Gupta Gallery presents Windows and Mirrors, Gomez’s debut exhibition at this gallery.

On view are the artist’s new works on canvas, thirty small works on paper, and a single graphite drawing. By mining images and texts from various blogs and image archives, Gomez’ new works are an extension of the artist’s inquiry into how aesthetics inform perception and how meaning is disseminated and contextualized.

Chicago_Kavi Gupta Gallery_Sayre Gomez_Windows and Mirrors

UWW 2 2011 oil paint and photocopy on Arches paper 11" x 8 1/2" 14" x 11 1/2" framed. Courtesy of Kavi Gupta Gallery CHICAGO.

Chicago_Kavi Gupta Gallery_Sayre Gomez_Windows and Mirrors

Lorem Ipsum Painting #3 2011 Oil and Acrylic on canvas 18" x 18". Courtesy of Kavi Gupta Gallery CHICAGO.

Chicago_Kavi Gupta Gallery_Sayre Gomez_Windows and Mirrors_Installation View

Installation Views of 'Windows and Mirrors 2011. Courtesy of Kavi Gupta Gallery CHICAGO.

For additional information, call 312.432.0708 or visit Kavi Gupta Gallery. Kavi Gupta Gallery is located at 835 West Washington Boulevard. Open Tuesday-Friday, 10-6 and Saturday, 11-5.

Emmaline Niendorf is an Integrated Marketing Associate with Otherwise Incorporated.

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Lux Life: Block Museum of Art Exhibitions

By
Emmaline Niendorf
Published: November 9, 2011

November is the perfect time to visit Northwestern University’s beautiful campus in Evanston to experience three incredible exhibitions currently on display at the Block Museum of Art. The Block Museum is dedicated to the collection and exhibition of art, including prints, photographs, film, video and computer-mediated art – and their capacity to reach and transform society.

Views and Re-Views: Soviet Political Posters and Cartoons
The Block Museum presents Views and Re-Views: Soviet Political Posters and Cartoons, on display at the Main Gallery through December 4, 2012. The exhibit features Soviet graphic arts, including posters, cartoons and photomontages, ranging from the Russian Civil War to the late period of the Soviet Union. The exhibit showcases renowned artists, including Viktor Deni, Dmitri Moor, El Lissitsky, Gustav Klutsis, Alexander Zhitomirsky and the Kukryniksy (a three-artist collaborative).

The exhibition explores the artistic depth found in works of political belief, often work which is subjected to state regulation. Since many of the graphic works from these times are oversimplified as Socialist Realism, this exhibition provides the audience a lens through which to view the passage of time, and see the authentic criticisms of the West by Soviet artists.

Evanston_Block Museum of Art_Gustav Klutsis_Soviet political posters

Gustav Klutsis, The USSR is the Stakhanovite brigade of the world’s proletariat, 1931, lithograph. Courtesy of the Ne boltai! Collection.


Tango with Cows: Book Art of the Russian Avant-Garde, 1910-1917
Located at the Block Museum’s Alsdorf Gallery, Tango with Cows: Book Art of the Russian Avant-Garde is on display through December 11, 2012. Tango with Cows features the drastic transformation of book art during the years before the Russian Revolution. Images of dancing farm animals illustrate Russia’s clash between rural and urban life.

During the years spanning the revolutions of 1905 and 1917, Russia was in spiritual, social, and cultural crisis. The moral devastation of the failed 1905 revolution, the famines of 1911, a rapid increase in new technologies and World War I led to disenchantment with modernity and Russia’s past, present and future.

Block Museum of Art_Northwestern University_Natalia Goncharova_Tango with Cows

Natalia Goncharova, art; Aleksei Kruchenykh, poetry, Hermit, in Pustynniki, 1913, lithograph. The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, California.


Theo Leffmann: Weaving a Life into Art
Located at the Block Museum’s Theo Leffman Gallery, Theo Leffman: Weaving a Life into Art is on display through December 4, 2012. The mid-20th century showed a revolution in textile art, the divisions diminished between forms of “high art,” such as sculpture and painting, and the craft of art. This change coincided with Theo Leffman’s career in fiber arts and weaving.

This exhibition features colorful and richly textured works, including weavings, wall hangings and sculptural objects. Leffman’s work represents the ancient and the exotic; she uses pre-Colombian and non-Western processes, which she combines with a distinctive personal vision.

Block Musem of Art_Northwestern University_Evanston_Paul Leffman_Tango with Cows: Book Art of the Russian Avant-Garde

Theo Leffmann, Leona, 1991, synthetic lace and yarn, cotton yarn, metal, and metallic cord. Block Museum, Northwestern University, Gift of Paul Leffmann, 1997.


The Block Museum of Art is located at Northwestern University, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston IL. For additional information, call 847.491.4000 or visit Block Museum of Art.

Emmaline Niendorf is an Integrated Marketing Associate with Otherwise Incorporated.

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Simply Magnificent: Top Art Exhibitions for October 2011

By
Emmaline Niendorf
Published: October 28, 2011

Chicago is a world-class city and a leading center for art and culture. Internationally recognized museums such as The Renaissance Society, Museum of Contemporary Art and Smart Museum of Art make up Chicago’s rich cultural landscape. Fall offers a beautiful time to explore the city’s featured exhibitions and experience this incredible art.

The Renaissance Society
Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, In A Saturnian World
September 25 – December 18, 2011

The Renaissance Society presents Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven’s In A Saturnian World. Van Kerckhoven works with a diverse array of mediums including painting, drawing, collage, computer animation and installation. Her illustrational technique favors hard-edged flat planes in a neon RGB palette, with her most common imagery being drawn from pre-sexual revolution soft pornography.

Van Kerckhoven’s work explores the relationship between art, science and social reality. She observes society from a female perspective, and she often traverses the boundaries between erotic and machine fetishism. Interior and domestic spaces provide settings for her drawings and collages, in which dream-like scenes between human and machine-like forms unfold.

The Renaissance Society is presenting four new bodies of work, including many new works on paper, an interactive computer animation and a series of computer generated prints. The new work is supplemented with selection of work from throughout Van Kerckhoven’s career.

The Renaissance Society_Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven_Je Vous Attends

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven Je Vous Attends, 2011

The Renaissance Society_Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven_Black Wallet

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven Black Wallet, 2011

The Renaissance Society_Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven_Installation View

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven Installation View, 2011 Courtesy of The Renaissance Society

The Renaissance Society is at University Chicago located at 5811 South Ellis Avenue. For additional information, call 773.702.8670 or visit The Renaissance Society.

Museum of Contemporary Art
The Language of Less (Then and Now)
October 8, 2011 – March 18, 2012

The Language of Less (Then and Now) is inspired by the Museum of Contemporary Art’s rich holdings of Minimalist and post-Minimalist work from the 1960s and 1970s. The exhibition is divided into distinctive two parts, each with an impressive roster of recognized artists. The first part includes a fresh reinstallation of historical material, featuring artists such as Carl Andre, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt and Richard Serra. The second part of the exhibition showcases five contemporary artists, including Leonor Antunes, Carol Bove, Jason Dodge, Gedi Sibony and Oscar Tuazon.

The Museum of Contemporary Art holds the philosophy that history is always under constant reappraisal, especially by working artists. The Language of Less (Then and Now) reintroduces now-classic material to the public alongside work by emerging artists who are captivating international attention.

Museum of Contemporary Art_Chicago_Richard Serra_Prop

Richard Serra, Prop, 1968. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, gift of Mrs. Robert B. Mayer. © 2011 Richard Serra / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo © MCA Chicago.

Museum of Contemporary Art_Frank Stella_Type

Frank Stella, C Type, 1968. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, bequest of Sigmund E. Edelstone. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

Chicago_Museum of Contemporary Art_Brice Marden_Grove Group V

Brice Marden, Grove Group V, 1973-76. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gerald S. Elliott Collection. Photo © MCA Chicago.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is located at 220 East Chicago Avenue. For additional information, call 312.280.2660 or visit Museum of Contemporary Art.

Smart Museum of Art
Vision and Communism
September 29 – January 22, 2012

The Smart Museum of Art presents Vision and Communism, an exhibition by Soviet artist and designer Viktor Koretsky. Koretsky creates aggressive and emotionally charged images that articulate a Communist vision of the world, in stark contrast to conventional propaganda.

Koretsky’s art creates emotional connections between Soviet citizens and others who are struggling for civil rights around the world. His vision of a multicultural world of shared sacrifice presents an alternative to the consumerism of the West. Koretsky’s art depicts what “avant-garde late Communist art” would have looked like if the world had ever seen it mature.

This exhibition presents nearly ninety of Koretsky’s posters, photographs and original maquettes. The Smart Museum of Art is the first major museum exhibition in the US to focus on Koretsky. Alongside a publication that explores dissident public Soviet culture and a screening of films by Aleksandr Medvedkin and Chris Marker, Vision and Communism offers a fresh interpretation of visual communication in the USSR.

Smart Museum of Art_Viktor Koretsky_A Solid Peace for the World!

Viktor Koretsky, A Solid Peace for the World!, 1965, Poster on paper. Ne boltai! Collection.

Smart Museum of Art_Viktor Koretsky_Africa Fights, Africa Will Win!

Viktor Koretsky, Africa Fights, Africa Will Win!, 1971, Poster on paper. Ne boltai! Collection.

Smart Museum of Art_Victor Koretsky_American Policy

Victor Koretsky, American Policy, 1970, Poster. Ne boltai! Collection.

The Smart Museum of Art is located University of Chicago at 5550 South Greenwood Avenue. For additional information, please call 773.702.0200 or visit Smart Museum of Art.

Emmaline Niendorf is an Integrated Marketing Associate with Otherwise Incorporated.

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