2015: Dao Nguyen & Tom Friel in ACRE @ Defibrillator Gallery

Above: The zombie assistant in Tom Friel's ACRE Residency performance at 7:00 PM, on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Dao Nguyen & Tom Friel
"Five Steps to Hell with Poverty"
February 21, 2015
Defibrillator Gallery
1463 W. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL

http://thomasfriel.com/

http://www.daonguyen.com/

http://www.acreresidency.org/

http://dfbrl8r.org/

"Friel engages audiences as costumed characters both on screen and off. His latest multimedia project, 'To Hell With Poverty,' is part of the nomadic collective, 'Sentient Avatars of Astral Collapse.' Fast-paced, incendiary, and satirical, the work suggests solutions for overcoming capitalist oppression. Nguyen’s 'Blackbox Magik' is an interactive installation at the opening event. Inside a caravan, performer Joshua Kent ritually selects and marks each visitor with a tattoo for the night. Artists Dasha Filippova, Julie Henslee, Jane Jerardi, Aya Nakamura, and Moki Tantoco created tattoo images in response to a system of prompts."

"The opening will include an interactive installation by Nguyen and a live performance by Friel. The closing event (7:00 PM, February 28, 2015) will include a performative artist talk by Friel and a performative lecture by Nguyen called 'bibliologarrhythmia.' Gallery hours are at random or by appointment."

Quotation above from: http://www.thevisualist.org/2015/02/five-steps-to-hell-with-poverty-new-works-by-dao-nguyen-tom-friel/

Above: Tom Friel, in costume, in his ACRE Residency performance at 7:00 PM, on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above: ACRE's Emily Green bravely participating in Tom Friel's ACRE Residency performance at 7:00 PM, on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above: ACRE's Emily Green bravely participating in Tom Friel's ACRE Residency performance at 7:00 PM, on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above: The detritus remaining after Tom Friel's ACRE Residency performance at 7:00 PM, on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above: A behind-the-stage view of Tom Friel's ACRE Residency performance props, following his show on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above: Standing outside Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL, looking at Tom Friel's ACRE Residency performance props, following his show on February 21, 2015.

Above: Dao Nguyen's "Blackbox Magik" caravan, seen here following her interactive ACRE Residency performance with Joshua Kent at 7:00 PM, on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above: Dao Nguyen's "Blackbox Magik" caravan, seen here following her interactive ACRE Residency performance with Joshua Kent at 7:00 PM, on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above: Dao Nguyen's "Blackbox Magik" caravan, seen here following her interactive ACRE Residency performance with Joshua Kent at 7:00 PM, on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above: Dao Nguyen seen through the lace curtain entry of her "Blackbox Magik" caravan on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above: Dao Nguyen seen through the lace curtain entry of her "Blackbox Magik" caravan on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above: Dao Nguyen occupying her "Blackbox Magik" caravan on February 21, 2015, within Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Above:
Images (1-13) February 21, 2015;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos

2015: Liz McCarthy & Soo Shin @ Heaven Gallery

Above: Artists Soo Shin, left, and Elizabeth (Liz) McCarthy, right, candid at the opening reception for "The Height Below," at Heaven Gallery, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Elizabeth McCarthy and Soo Shin
"The Height Below"
February 6 - March 15, 2015
Heaven Gallery
1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622

http://liz-mccarthy.com/

http://sooshin.org/

http://www.heavengallery.com/

“The body is our general medium for having a world.” - Maurice Merleau-Ponty

"How do we move forward in the world where there is no definite answer or direction ahead? Often we have to reason and grasp at reality through the debris of our own darkness in which we cannot see our path. The exhibition The Height Below presents Chicago-based artists Liz McCarthy and Soo Shin’s recent works that explore the fear of uncertainty, and the struggle in having faith in something we cannot prove. This collection works reference body and ritual as mediums in search for small epiphanies in the unknown path ahead of them."

Quotation above from: http://www.thevisualist.org/2015/02/elizabeth-mccarthy-soo-shin-the-height-below/

Above: Proprietors of Heaven gallery, David Dobie, left, Alfred, center, and Alma Wieser, right, standing before "The Ecountering" 2013, by Elizabeth McCarthy, at the opening reception for "The Height Below," at Heaven Gallery, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: Elizabeth McCarthy's Untitled 2014, archival inkjet prints on wood, 18x38 inches, at the opening reception for "The Height Below," at Heaven Gallery, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: Soo Shin's "Da Capo" 2015, wood, conduit, paint, resin, 56x30x30 inches, at the opening reception for "The Height Below," at Heaven Gallery, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: Front-to-back, (1)  Elizabeth McCarthy's "Um Um"  2015, digital sound, wood, paint, dimensions variable; (2) Soo Shin's "Awaited" 2014, wood, paint, 26x84x20 inches; (3) Elizabeth McCarthy's "The Ecountering" 2013, archival inkjet print, 36x28.5 inches; (4) Soo Shin's "Parallel Hikes" 2015, wood, paint, epoxy, wire, 74x24x70 inches;all at the opening reception for "The Height Below," at Heaven Gallery, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: Elizabeth McCarthy's Untitled 2014, archival inkjet prints on chiffon and wood, 38x32 inches, at the opening reception for "The Height Below," at Heaven Gallery, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: Soo Shin's "The Height Below" 2014, wood, leather, aluminum pipe, chrome clips, 80x24x5.5 inches, at the opening reception for "The Height Below," at Heaven Gallery, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: Elizabeth McCarthy's "Calendars (Altars)" 2014, archival inkjet prints on chiffon, wood, charcoal, wax, dimensions variable, at the opening reception for "The Height Below," at Heaven Gallery, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: An overview of "The Height Below," second room, at Heaven Gallery, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: Exterior window facing northeast, across Milwaukee Avenue, during "The Height Below," at Heaven Gallery, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above:
Images (1-10) February 6, 2015;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos

2015: Cole Pierce @ Roman Susan

Above: Cole Pierce standing before his artwork at the opening reception for "Phase Transition" in Roman Susan gallery, 1224 W. Loyola Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Cole Pierce
"Phase Transition"
February 6 - 26, 2015
Roman Susan
1224 W. Loyola Avenue
Chicago, IL 60626

http://romansusan.org/

http://www.colepierce.com/

"'Phase Transition' is an installation of recent paintings and a wall mural from Pierce’s geometric abstraction series. In his work, he employs multiple layers of vivid optical rhythms, and purposely counters the rational pattern with unpredictable variations."

Quotation above from: http://www.thevisualist.org/2015/02/cole-pierce-phase-transition/

Above: Cole Pierce's painting on conventional support hung over direct architectural painting (both visible in background of first image) within "Phase Transition" at Roman Susan gallery, 1224 W. Loyola Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: Cole Pierce standing before his artwork at the opening reception for "Phase Transition" in Roman Susan gallery, 1224 W. Loyola Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: Cole Pierce's painting on conventional support hung over direct architectural painting (both visible in background of third image) within "Phase Transition" at Roman Susan gallery, 1224 W. Loyola Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015.

Above: A press JPEG in which color and contrast are seen to vary from work in the gallery, as evident in the third and fourth images here.

Above: The opening reception for "Phase Transition" in Roman Susan gallery, 1224 W. Loyola Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015; unpainted gallery wall and southern window (facing Loyola Avenue) are visible.

Above: The central panel of Roman Susan's gallery window as visible from Loyola Avenue during the opening reception for "Phase Transition" on February 6, 2015;

Above: The entry to Roman Susan gallery, 1224 W. Loyola Avenue, Chicago, IL, on February 6, 2015; painted gallery wall and work on conventional support are visible through glass door.

Above: Loyola Avenue immediately outside Roman Susan gallery, on February 6, 2015.

Above: Roman Susan gallery exterior at left, Loyola Avenue elevated train stop at right, on February 6, 2015.

Above: The Roman Susan gallery bathroom and storage area containing a photograph of gallerist Kristin Abhalter's grandparents--Roman and Susan Lewandowski--wherefrom the gallery's name originated.

Read more:

http://gapersblock.com/ac/2013/02/15/tiny-roman-susan-gallerys-rogers-park-art-injection/

Above:
Images (1-4 and 6-11) February 6, 2015;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos.
Image (5) copyright Cole Pierce, reproduced for scholarly and archival purposes only.

2015: Colleen Plumb @ Pilsen

Above: Colleen Plumb standing before "Thirty Times a Minute" 2014, a projected digital video, with sound, 7:37 minutes in length, looped, shown from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM, on January 31, 2015, at 18th Street and Sangamon Street, in Pilsen, Chicago, IL.

Colleen Plumb
"Thirty Times a Minute"
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
January 31, 2015
18th Street and Sangamon Street
Pilsen
Chicago, IL

http://www.colleenplumb.com/

http://thirtytimesaminute.com/

"Why do so many people want to look at animals? Why do we defend or implicitly support the practice of looking? What does it mean to participate as a spectator of captive animals?

'Thirty Times A Minute' explores elephants in captivity. Since 2009, I have traveled to more than half of the seventy-five zoos in the US that keep elephants, making video of elephants exhibiting what biologists refer to as stereotypic behavior, also called 'weaving.' Only captive elephants exhibit weaving, which includes rhythmic rocking, swaying, swinging the trunk, head bobbing, stepping back and forth, or pacing. These compulsive, repetitive movements cause debilitating, life-threatening damage to the animals’ feet and joints. I have also begun to document circuses and fairs where elephants perform. The project title references the heart rate of an elephant: circus owners have been known to tell visitors that elephants must sway as they doze while standing, keeping with their heart rate of thirty beats per minute.

...In what ways do humans, along with all living beings, seek soothing and connectivity? Can ritualistic behaviors be viewed as a means of escape from present reality, and do forms of escape potentially--or inevitably--become debilitating distortions?"

Quotation above from: http://www.colleenplumb.com/video/warp.statement.htm

Above: Plumb's video projector by means of which "Thirty Times a Minute" has been presented on building facades in 11 different Chicago neighborhoods between October 10, 2014, and January 31, 2015.

Above: Plumb's vehicle-mounted projector in operation on Sangamon Street, immediately south of 18th Street, at the beginning of the Chicago blizzard lasting from January 31, 2015 to February 2, 2015.

Above: A spectator interacts with Plumb's "Thirty Times a Minute" video projection on January 31, 2015, at the intersection of 18th Street and Sangamon Street, in Pilsen, Chicago, IL.

Read more:

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/love-and-loss-and-the-animal-kingdom/

http://www.mocp.org/collection/mpp/plumb_colleen.php

http://www.wipnyc.org/blog/colleen-plumb

Above:
Images (1-4) January 31, 2015;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos