Art Seen: Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago // Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen’s work is primarily moving images–video and films. Born in London in 1969, the artist attended Goldsmiths’ College and Tisch School of the Arts in NYC. He won the Turner Prize in 1999 and has had many solo shows all over the world. He currently resides in Amsterdam. While the majority of his work[...]
Kavi Gupta Gallery // Clare E. Rojas
Clare E. Rojas: Spaces in Between at Kavi Gupta Gallery. This show came down October 21st but I really enjoyed these paintings and so I had to write about it. My iPhone images can’t begin to do the work justice. Inspired by folk art, her previous work has always included a narrative; however, the works in this show[...]
Andrew Rafacz Gallery // John Opera
People, Places, and Things is an exhibition that just ended at Andrew Rafacz Gallery. “For the artist, the act of experiencing and the act of observing are simultaneous.” Opera has a keen interest in the history of photography and the early processes used by photographers. In previous shows he has explored different methods for creating photographs.[...]
Catherine Edelman Gallery // 25 Year Anniversary
I have to be honest, I did not have particularly high expectations for this show–not because of anything having to do with Cathy or the gallery, but because anniversary shows hung salon style are not typically my cup of tea. But I was actually blown away by the amazing work that I saw and the[...]
Louis Vuitton & Yayoi Kusama // When Art and Commerce Collide
Luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton has teamed up this season with Japanese pop artist Yayoi Kusama. This unique collaboration has led to Kusama’s artwork as installations in Louis Vuitton’s global window displays, as well as the collection, Infinitely Kusama. Head over to North Michigan Avenue and take a look at the innovative collaboration of art and commerce. As the Creative[...]
EXPO CHICAGO/2012 // Reminiscences
It has been a few weeks since the inaugural edition of Expo Chicago came and went. Here are my reminiscences from my afternoon at the fair: I began the day at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago and attended a tour of the museum with the MCA’s James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator Michael Darling.[...]
International Sculpture Conference // Chicago 2012
In October, sculptors and sculpture lovers from all over the world gathered in Chicago for the ISC’s 23rd International Sculpture Conference. This year’s conference, Process, Public, Patron, was an international success. The event brought together more than 375 artists, curators, city planners, educators, art supporters and students to experience the 2012 Chicago Conference. The ISC featured[...]
Western Exhibitions // Geoffrey Todd Smith
Western Exhibitions is a Chicago gallery focused on emerging and established contemporary artists. The gallery works with a range of artists, helping them to achieve their artistic and professional goals. Western Exhibitions opened at their new location, 845 W Washington Blvd., 2nd floor, on September 7, 2012. In his third solo show with the gallery,[...]
The Renaissance Society // Danh Vo
The Renaissance Society is currently featuring the solo exhibition Uterus by Vietnam-born, Berlin-based artist Danh Vo, on view through December 16, 2012. Danh Vo: Uterus presents previously exhibited work along with new work. Vo’s work in Uterus “suggests a womb-like place for germinating ideas, rather than a setting for finished products.” At the age of[...]
McCormick Gallery // Jack Roth
EXPO CHICAGO is proud to present McCormick Gallery as an exhibiting gallery for our September debut. McCormick Gallery and Vallarino Fine Art are pleased to present the first comprehensive exhibition of work from the estate of Jack Roth (1927 – 2004). Roth was a multi-tasking painter, photographer, poet, collagist, poet, professor, Guggenheim Fellow and PhD[...]
EXPO CHICAGO & Chicago Loop Alliance // IN/SITU in the Loop
IN/SITU in the Loop EXPO CHICAGO and Chicago Loop Alliance Opening reception Inland Steel Building lobby 77 S. Dearborn Thursday, Sept. 6th from 5-8pm Public Hours: 10-6pm weekdays Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA) showcases large-scale installations from the international art and design exposition EXPO CHICAGO/2012 at its Pop-Up Art Loopspace in the iconic Inland Steel Building lobby (77 S. Dearborn).[...]
Stephen Daiter Gallery // Collateral Damage
The subtitle of the current show at the Stephen Daiter Gallery, Collateral Damage, is The Human Face of War, but an equally appropriate title might be Humanity in Spite of War. Out of some of the most violent and horrific moments, the four photographers whose work is exhibited in this show draw empathetic attention to[...]
The Renaissance Society // RenBen2012
On September 8, 2012, The Renaissance Society presents their annual gala and art auction. RenBen2012 will honor Susanne Ghez’s remarkable 40 years of leadership. Driven by curiosity, intelligence and a profound respect for the artist, Ghez’s work has had a lasting impact on Chicago and the larger arts community. This year’s auction of over 60 works features[...]
MCA Chicago // Skyscraper
Skyscraper: Art and Architecture Against Gravity, curated by MCA James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator Michael Darling and co-curated by MCA Marjorie Susman Curatorial Fellow Joanna Szupinska, is an exhibition that investigates the longstanding influence of skyscrapers—their form, technology, and message—on contemporary artistic practices. This is not meant to be an exhibition about the skyscraper per se,[...]
Hyde Park Art Center // Ground Floor
Hyde Park Art Center just opened a new exhibition, Ground Floor, which introduces Chicago to the most promising emerging artists who have recently completed top level MFA programs. A survey exhibition of fresh art that brings together work by Chicago’s new leading talent, Ground Floor acts as a biennial best-of show that challenges and transforms Chicago’s existing[...]
Chicago Cultural Center // Industry of the Ordinary
Industry of the Ordinary opened their mid-career survey, Sic Transit Gloria Mundi, at the Chicago Cultural Center on August 17, 2012. Formed in 2003, Industry of the Ordinary is made up of Adam Brooks, an artist, curator and educator and Matthew Wilson, an artist and educator. Brooks and Wilson were raised in England but have been living and[...]
Donald Young Gallery // James Welling
What a cool show Donald Young Gallery currently has up. I have always loved the photographs of James Welling, but I have never before seen his highly abstract works paired with his more traditional ones. Somehow it really works. Inspired by the paintings of Andrew Wyeth, Welling photographs environments that remind him of or are[...]
MCA Chicago // Phantom Limb
The MCA’s current show, Phantom Limb: Approaches to Painting Today (on view through October 21), argues that “despite periodic laments over the past century that painting is dead . . . this genre of art making is very much alive and well.” Curated by MCA James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator Michael Darling, Phantom Limb refers[...]
Art Institute of Chicago // Roy Lichtenstein
Like almost all of Roy Lichtenstein’s iconic Pop Art paintings, the current retrospective of the artist’s work at the Art Institute of Chicago is big. With over 160 works on display the exhibition, five years in the making, brings together the largest collection of Lichtenstein’s work to date. Without a doubt, Lichtenstein has mass appeal.[...]
Museum of Contemporary Photography: Peripheral Views
Over the past few months, I have worked with the curatorial staff of the Museum of Contemporary Photography to organize the exhibition Peripheral Views: States of America, a group show that is on view at the MoCP through September 30, 2012. Seven members from the MoCP’s curatorial staff, including myself, came together to curate the[...]
Chicago Color Jam // Jessica Stockholder
Chicago has gotten a lot more colorful thanks to Jessica Stockholder’s new public art installation, Color Jam. Commissioned by Chicago Loop Alliance, Color Jam is a three-dimensional painting that covers the streets, buildings and crosswalks surrounding State and Adams. Chicago’s largest art piece, this work provides a canvas of bold colors that people can walk[...]
The Mission // Summer 2012: Vantage Point
EXPO CHICAGO is proud to present The Mission as a participating gallery in our EXPOSURE program this September. The Mission is a Chicago gallery that has opened its second annual preview exhibition, SUMMER 2012: Vantage Point, on view through August 18, 2012. SUMMER 2012: Vantage Point assembles works from six national and international artists, stimulating[...]
Pitchfork Music Festival // Johalla Projects Art Installation
Pitchfork Music Festival kicks off today for a three-day event showcasing over 40 of independent music’s best bands and artists on three stages. New this year, Pitchfork has teamed up with Johalla Projects to present a public installation at the festival by Chicago-local artists Matthew Hoffman and Andrea Jablonski. The goal of the installations is[...]
Kavi Gupta Gallery // Scott Reeder & Henning Strassburger
Scott Reeder’s first solo show at Kavi Gupta Gallery includes a few surprises. Nowhere in sight are his familiar humorous, figurative paintings. Instead the exhibition includes his more recent untitled spaghetti paintings. Made with both raw and cooked noodles and spray paint, these works cover the walls of the gallery. Also included in the exhibition[...]