Chicago Art World: April 2014

April 29, 2014

2014: Fujui Wang @ Antena

Above: Jon Cates performing in advance of Fujui Wang at Antena Gallery on April 26, 2014.

Fujui Wang, Jon Cates, and Jason Soliday
Realtime Audio-Video / Noise and New Media Performance
7:00 - 9:30 PM
April 26, 2014
Antena
1755 S. Laflin Street
Chicago, IL

http://antenapilsen.blogspot.com/

http://antagonistsanonymous.tumblr.com/

http://numbers.fm/

Hear the first three (quiet) minutes of Fujui Wang's April 26, 2014, performance via Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/93061235

"Fujui Wang, Head of the Trans-Sonic Lab in center for art and techology of Taipei National University of the Arts, specializes in sound Art and Interactive Art. Fujui Wang is the pioneer of Sound Art in Taiwan, who established the first experimental sound zine/label NOISE/Taiwan in 1993.

In 2000 Wang joined ETAT and initiated BIAS Sound Art Exhibition and Sound Art Prize in the Digital Art Awards Taipei. His arts activities contribute to enhancing Sound Art as a new genre in Taiwan's art scene. He has curated The Digital Art Festival Taipei and 'TranSonic' sound art festival. Fujui Wang is dedicated to making and promoting Sound Art and Digital Art creativity in more than a decade."

Quotation above from: http://antenapilsen.blogspot.com/2014/03/fujui-wang-performance-antena.html

Above: Jon Cates performing in advance of Fujui Wang at Antena Gallery on April 26, 2014.

Above: Jason Soliday performing in advance of Fujui Wang at Antena Gallery on April 26, 2014.

Above: Fujui Wang performing at Antena Gallery on April 26, 2014.

Above: Miguel Cortez, proprietor of Antena Gallery, on April 26, 2014.

Above: Paul Germanos changing lenses and testing off-camera flash in Antena Gallery's bathroom on April 26, 2014.

Above: Anna Russett and Nick Briz in the audience at Antena Gallery on April 26, 2014.

Above:
Images (1-15) April 26, 2014;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos.

April 10, 2014

2014: Daniel Shea @ Andrew Rafacz

Above: Johalla Projects' Anna Cerniglia, left, visiting with Daniel Shea, right, during the opening reception for Shea's solo show "A Prairie" at Andrew Rafacz Gallery on April 5, 2014.

Daniel Shea
"A Prairie"
April 5 - May 10, 2014
Andrew Rafacz Gallery
835 W. Washington Boulevard
Chicago IL 60607

http://www.danielpshea.com/

http://www.andrewrafacz.com/

"Daniel Shea’s exhibition 'A Prairie' consists of works that speak to the potential of mythologizing an historical narrative. Examining the construction of this mythology specifically in southern Illinois, the artist creates a fictional narrative, grounded in reality, through stilted monuments.

The exhibition contains photographic extracts from two books, Blisner, Ill. and Blisner, IL which examine what has happened in a single Rust Belt town during the process of deindustrialization. In addition to these photographs, 'A Prairie' presents a new sculpture of a stoplight cast in concrete and a wall painting.

Encompassing a cinematic chronology that begins in rural pastures and ends with a symbol of infrastructure and the drive to order, 'A Prairie' condenses the mythology of early industrial America to its most salient elements. The work questions the perceived robustness of human progress against the backdrop of an inevitable entropy."

Quotation above from: http://www.andrewrafacz.com/exhibition.php?s_id=83

Above: Daniel Shea's "Flag," 2014, concrete, 30 in x 10 in x 5.5 in, ed. of 3

Above: Heather Gabel, top, visiting with Meg Noe, bottom, during Daniel Shea's opening reception for "A Prairie" at Andrew Rafacz Gallery on April 5, 2014.

Above: Daniel Shea's "Leaf Flourish," 2014, acrylic applied to one corner of the gallery walls, 132 in x 9 in, (A stencil cut in the shape of an American Black Walnut frond?)

Above: Art critic Jason Foumberg, left, visiting with painter Gwendolyn Zabicki, right, during Daniel Shea's opening reception for "A Prairie" at Andrew Rafacz Gallery on April 5, 2014.

Above: Daniel Shea's "Prairie," diptych, 2013, print, acrylic, and white oak frame, 20 in x 14 in x 1 in, unique

Above: Scott Hunter, left, and Richard Renfro, right, at Andrew Rafacz Gallery on April 5, 2014.

Above: Daniel Shea's "Waterfall," 2012, print, acrylic, pickled white oak (frame not shown), 45 in x 53 in x 1.25 in, ed. of 3

Above:
Images (1, 3, 5, 7) April 5, 2014;
Images (2, 4, 6, 8) April 10, 2014;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos, where not a slavish reproduction of the original artist's work.

2014: Teen Paranormal Romance @ Renaissance Society

Above: Kathryn Andrews "Friends and Lovers," 2010, Chain link fence, concrete bricks, wood, paint (96 in x 360 in x 432 in) David Kordansky Gallery.

Kathryn Andrews, Ed Atkins, Chris Bradley, Roe Ethridge, Guyton\Walker, Anna K.E., Jack Lavender, Anna Gray & Ryan Wilson Paulsen, curated by Hamza Walker
"Teen Paranormal Romance"
March 9 – April 13, 2014
The Renaissance Society
5811 S. Ellis Avenue
Bergman Gallery, Cobb Hall 418
Chicago, IL

http://renaissancesociety.org/

"Within popular culture, expression given to adolescent drives has only intensified as the genre of Teen Romance has been distilled and repackaged as Teen Paranormal Romance. Twilight, The Hunger Games, True Blood, and the Divergent Trilogy are also dystopic, psychosexual cyphers for the panoply of Obama-era ideological positions from revanchist religious, economic, and sexual politics to Libertarian fever-dream apocalypticism. This exhibition samples artistic production in the wake of a zeitgeist that has rendered the unconscious a derelict playground home to weeds of surrealism."

Quotation above from: http://renaissancesociety.org/site/Exhibitions/Intro.Teen-Paranormal-Romance.644.html

Above: Roe Ethridge "Louise with Red Bag," 2011, Chromogenic print in artist frame (69 in x 52.5 in, Ed. 2/5) Gagosian Gallery.

Above: Kathryn Andrews "Friends and Lovers," 2010, Chain link fence, concrete bricks, wood, paint (96 in x 360 in x 432 in) David Kordansky Gallery.

Above: Anna K.E. "Lucky Weekend," 2013, Wood, tile, aluminum, clothes, paper (19 ft 8 in x 8 ft x 5 ft 5 in) Simone Subal Gallery, left; Roe Ethridge "Louise with Red Bag," 2011, Chromogenic print in artist frame (69 in x 52.5 in, Ed. 2/5) Gagosian Gallery, right.

Above: Jack Lavender "Fantasy Line," Steel tubing, magnets, potato chips box, energy drink bottle, chain (15 ft 4 in x 6 ft 3 in x 6 ft 3 in) The approach Gallery, London.

Above: Guyton\Walker "Canstripe_Pumpkinspice_Mattress," 2013, Mattress (80 in x 60 in x 8 in) Greene Naftali Gallery, New York.

Above:
Images (1-6) March 9, 2014;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos.

April 8, 2014

2014: Here Lies Space @ Heaven Gallery

Above: Heather Mekkelson, foreground, Aron Gent, background, at Heaven Gallery on April 4, 2014.

Robert Burnier, Aron Gent, Heather Mekkelson, Robert Chase Heishman and Jessica Taylor Caponigro
"Here Lies Space"
April 4 - May 11, 2014
Heaven Gallery
1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL

http://www.heavengallery.com/

http://arongent.com/

http://www.heathermekkelson.com/

http://www.world3ideas.com/

http://www.robertchaseheishman.com/

http://www.jessicacaponigro.com/

Above: Heather Mekkelson, foreground, Robert Chase Heishman, background, at Heaven Gallery on April 4, 2014.

Above: Heather Mekkelson, foreground, Jessica Taylor Caponigro, background, at Heaven Gallery on April 4, 2014.

Above: Heaven Gallery's Alma Weiser, left, Robert Chase Heishman, center, Robert Burnier with his artwork, right, on April 4, 2014.

Above: Robert Burnier, left, Aron Gent, right, at Heaven Gallery on April 4, 2014.

Above: "_IMG #17" by Robert Chase Heishman, at Heaven Gallery on April 4, 2014.

Above: An adhesive-backed photographic print by Robert Chase Heishman, affixed to the wall of Heaven Gallery on April 4, 2014.

Above:
Images (1-7) April 4, 2014;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos, where not a slavish reproduction of the original artist's work.

April 7, 2014

2014: Clare Britt & CCSJ @ SideCar Gallery

Above: Michael Kaysen, proprietor of SideCar Gallery, raku firing with his CCSJ ceramics class, April 5, 2014.

Clare Britt
"From Utopia"
March 15 - April 19, 2014
SideCar Gallery
411 Huehn Street
Hammond, IN

http://clarebritt.com/

http://gallerysidecar.com/

Michael Kaysen
Media and Fine Arts 335 Ceramics Class: Raku Firing
April 5, 2014
Calumet College of St. Joseph
2400 New York Avenue
Whiting, IN

http://www.ccsj.edu/

"While Britt’s background is in photography, the work in [her] exhibition ranges from collage-based text pieces to a site-specific installation. Populating the main gallery space are framed 'Ransom Notes,' collages made of text cut out of fashion and lifestyle magazines targeting a female audience. Ransom notes come as a last resort, drastic means to extreme ends. To Britt the ransom note is about demanding and wanting and these notes represent Britt’s wants and demands of herself and of others. They quickly expand into mantras, things we tell ourselves, things we think but would never say. Ransom notes are anonymous and from that anonymity their author gains power. If the ransom notes are a verbalized communication of the artist’s interior life, then the installation in the second floor project space is a pre-verbal or nonverbal expression of that life. While the Ransom Notes have a tone of aggression, desperation and frustration, the installation is a calming ensemble of color and abstraction derived from Britt’s practice of meditation."

Quotation above from: http://gallerysidecar.com/artwork/3284127_Upcoming_Exhibition.html

Above: Clare Britt at SideCar Gallery, April 5, 2014.

Above: Michael Kaysen, proprietor of SideCar Gallery, raku firing with his CCSJ ceramics class, April 5, 2014.

Above: Clare Britt, installation overview, at SideCar Gallery, April 5, 2014.

Above: Michael Kaysen, outside SideCar Gallery, preparing for a raku firing with his CCSJ ceramics class, April 5, 2014.

Above: SideCar Gallery, 411 Huehn Street, Hammond, IN, at sunset on April 5, 2014.

Above: Michael Kaysen, proprietor of SideCar Gallery, raku firing with his CCSJ ceramics class, April 5, 2014.

Above: Clare Britt at SideCar Gallery, April 5, 2014.

Above: Michael Kaysen, proprietor of SideCar Gallery, loads a kiln for his CCSJ ceramics class, April 5, 2014.

Above: Clare Britt's installation in the attic at SideCar Gallery, April 5, 2014.

Above: Michael Kaysen with his CCSJ ceramics students: Amber, Jessica, Rachel, and Kacey, April 5, 2014.

Above: A participant in the CCSJ raku firing at SideCar Gallery, April 5, 2014.

Above: Michael Kaysen, proprietor of SideCar Gallery, raku firing with his CCSJ ceramics class, April 5, 2014.

Above:
Images (1-13) April 5, 2014;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos.

See related post: http://chicagoartworld.blogspot.com/2015/01/2015-michael-kaysen-65grand.html

April 4, 2014

2014: Lucha Clara @ Defibrillator

Above: Christian Cruz performing in Defibrillator's storefront window on March 29, 2014.

Lucha Clara, Christian Cruz and Aliajhane
An interactive, public exhibition of performance art from 7:30-8:30 PM
March 29, 2014
Defibrillator
1136 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL

http://luchaclara.com/

http://www.dfbrl8r.org/

"Lucha Clara (MEXICO/US) has a hybrid identity stemming from her cultural upbringing in Mexico City and the United States. She draws upon cliche, kitsch, Mexican folklore and her love of sensuality. Clara fetishizes and gestures toward not only cultural objects, but also herself as a cultural object. Through seduction and humor, she struggles to navigate the various roles of her cultural upbringing and the ones set upon her by society."

Quotation above from: http://www.dfbrl8r.org/exhibit/balancing-on-the-edge-age

"Defibrillator performance art gallery (a.k.a dfbrL8r or dfb) is a non-profit 501c3 arts organization that contextualizes performance within the visual art realm. dfb provides a gathering place to conceive, present and promote performance art and other ephemeral forms of expression."

Quotation above from: http://www.dfbrl8r.org/about

Above: Aliajhane performing in Defibrillator's storefront window on March 29, 2014.

Above: Lucha Clara performing outside Defibrillator on March 29, 2014, foreground; Joseph Ravens, background.

Above: Christian Cruz performing in Defibrillator's storefront window on March 29, 2014.

Above: Lucha Clara performing outside Defibrillator, interacting with attendee, on March 29, 2014.

Above: Aliajhane performing in Defibrillator's storefront window on March 29, 2014.

Above: Objects in Lucha Clara's storefront window installation at Defibrillator on March 29, 2014.

Above: Lucha Clara (with wig) performing outside Defibrillator, interacting with attendee, on March 29, 2014.

Above: Lucha Clara (without wig) performing outside Defibrillator, beneath attendee, on March 29, 2014.

Above: Lucha Clara, left, and Aliajhane, right, performing in Defibrillator's storefront window on March 29, 2014.

Above: Defibrillator's storefront window on March 29, 2014.

Above: Aliajhane performing in Defibrillator's storefront window on March 29, 2014.

Above: Lucha Clara performing in Defibrillator's storefront window on March 29, 2014.

Above: Christian Cruz performing in Defibrillator's storefront window on March 29, 2014.

Above: Aliajhane performing in Defibrillator's storefront window on March 29, 2014.

Above:
Images (1-15) March 29, 2014;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos.