Thursday, October 13, 2011

Preview: Scott Stack @ Monique Meloche

"I'm not interested in pure green, or pure red, or anything straight out of the tube," he said, "That's not color." All 'round us, punchy near-primary hues popped vividly into focus; Oak Park's autumnal display of foliage was especially glorious that sunny October afternoon. There, in the garden which girdled his home and studio, Scott Stack proceeded to search through the green leaves and red leaves till he found one which was in chromatic transition.

Scott Stack Preview Monique Meloche

"Do you see?" Stack queried, then pronounced: "That's color." And I was reminded that two years ago, when first I met Stack in Monique Meloche's gallery, his painting seemed to be the thing in transition:

Scott Stack @ moniquemeloche
Above: Scott Stack @ Monique Meloche, March 20, 2009

In 2009, Scott Stack appeared to straddle the opposing islands of representation and geometric abstraction; and which would prove to be the more enduring ground was then wholly unknown. In 2011, moving from the garden exterior to the studio interior, I was shocked to learn that every (easily recognizable) trace of the figure, architecture and landscape had vanished from his paintings:

Scott Stack Preview Monique Meloche
Above: Scott Stack outside his Oak Park studio, October 9, 2011
Scott Stack Preview Monique Meloche
Above: Stack's studio doors swung open
Scott Stack Preview Monique Meloche
Above: Scott Stack in studio, in 2011

Linear devices, which once were only ancillary, had grown in importance: becoming the building blocks of his compositions. In the new work, 10mm bands of oil-suspended pigment were arranged and blended on carefully-smoothed, well-gessoed cloth, so that "direction" and the illusion of three-dimensional space were indicated therein apart from any identifiable light source and corresponding shading.

Scott Stack Preview Monique Meloche
Above: Edge detail of new (2010-2011) painting
Scott Stack @ moniquemeloche
Above: Scott Stack with painting in 2009

During the studio visit, Stack spoke in an animated manner about the deconstruction and reconstruction of real physical structures, surveillance technology, war and the popular media portrayal thereof. The subtext of violence which informed his Pop sensibility linked him yet more closely, in my mind, to Ed Paschke--whose (figure) work from the 1980s, e.g., "Tempext," "Torrita," "Coupe Faim," "George Mills," I remembered too as hinging formally upon elements of linear abstraction. Paschke was thirteen years senior to Stack.

Scott Stack Preview Monique Meloche
Above: Stack explains process in studio, 2011

It's interesting to see things change--to see things become more sophisticated and refined--over time. Anne Wilson is now in her 60s; Barbara Kasten is in her 70s; they're both producing great work. As he leaves his 50s, Scott Stack has taken a massive leap forward with these new (2010-2011) paintings. It's worth stopping at the opening:

Saturday, October 15, 2011, from 4:00PM to 7:00PM
moniquemeloche gallery, 2154 W. Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622

Scott Stack Preview Monique Meloche
Above: Stack's brushes

Scott Stack: "City of the Future," runs through November 12, 2011. A talk with his fellow "Oak Parker" Michelle Grabner is scheduled to take place in the gallery on Saturday, November 12, 2011, at 1:00PM.

http://moniquemeloche.com

- Paul Germanos

Friday, September 30, 2011

Opening: September 30 & October 2, 2011, Art in Chicago

Friday, September 30, 2011
Fereshteh Toosi @ Polish Triangle
5:00-7:00PM
Starts at "Polish Triangle," i.e.,
Division, Ashland, Milwaukee
(1600 west and 1200 north)
Performance will move along Milwaukee: NW
Part of the "Out of Site" performance series
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonia_Triangle
http://www.outofsitechicago.com
-
Friday, September 30, 2011
Write Now @ Chicago Cultural Center
5:30-7:30PM
78 E. Washington St.
(Michigan Ave. between Washington and Randolph)
Write Now: Artists and Letterforms includes: Stephanie Brooks, Tom Burtonwood, Derek Chan, Ken Fandell, Doug Fogelson, Jo Hormuth, Industry of the Ordinary, Matt Irie, Carol Jackson, Jason Lazarus, Harold Mendez, Adelheid Mers, Jason Pickleman, Jaume Plensa, Karen Reimer, Joel Ross, Nicholas Sistler, Buzz Spector, Christine Tarkowski, Michael Thompson, Ian Weaver, Bernard Williams
http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/things_see_do/event_landing/events/dca_tourism/writenow.html
-
Friday, September 30, 2011
The Space of the Encounter @ DOVA Temporary
6:00-9:00PM
5228 S. Harper Ave.
(Harper Ave. is "1501 east," at the 53rd Street exit LSD)
The Space of the Encounter includes: Matthew Connors, Rachel Herman, Meredith Miller, Maria Perkovic, as curated by Cassandra Troyan and Zachary Cahill
http://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/dovatemp/

+ + +

Saturday, October 1, 2011
Open Studios @ Cornelia Arts Building
11:00AM-6:00PM
1800 W. Cornelia Ave.
See "Chicago Gallery News" blog for more:
http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/blog/post/2011/09/30/Chicago-Artists-Month-Overview-and-First-Week-Highlights.aspx

+ + +

Sunday, October 2, 2011
Environmental Factors @ Julius Caesar
4:00PM-7:00PM
3311 W. Carroll Ave.
(Carroll Ave. is "328 north," on the Chicago grid)
JC & Veronica Bruce
(and, rooftop)
Ceramics: the world’s most fascinating pastime
http://juliuscaesarchicago.com

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Pictorial: Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

"Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven’s artistic output includes...painting, drawing, collage, computer animation, installation, and zines.[...]Her illustrational technique favors hard-edged flat planes in a neon RGB palette,[...]She appropriates text from a range of discourses, including philosophy, science, poetry, theology.[...]The Renaissance Society will present four new bodies of work, including numerous new works on paper;[...]an interactive computer animation; and a related series of computer generated prints.[...]The new work will be supplemented with selections of work from throughout her career."[1]

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven
In A Saturnian World
September 25 – December 18, 2011
The Renaissance Society
Bergman Gallery
Cobb Hall 418
5811 S. Ellis Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60637

[1] http://www.renaissancesociety.org

See also Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven interviewed by The Renaissance Society Associate Curator Hamza Walker:

http://vimeo.com/29728607

- Paul Germanos

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Pictorial: El Stitch y Bitch @ antena

"El Stitch y Bitch (SyB) was founded in 2008 as a space for knitters, crocheters and crafters in the Pilsen, Bridgeport and Little Village neighborhoods of Chicago. Currently the group is consists of over 20 members, ages 18 and up. Over the years, the group has evolved into a collaborative art group interested in addressing handmade and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture. As DIY culture moves into a contemporary state, many members of the group have found themselves astonished and curious by the inheritance of the handmade skill or the need to carry on the tradition in an adapted manner. Tejer y Joder is a compilation of individual SyB members and independent fiber artists, all interested in the themes of gender, identity, tradition and memory. "[1]

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: antena proprietor Miguel Cortez and guests.

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: Irasema Gonzalez

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: Naomi Martinez

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: Claudia Marchan

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: Claudia Marchan

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: Claudia Marchan

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: Adriana Baltazar 18th Street Immigrants (Dandelion, Chicory, Thistle)

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: Adriana Baltazar 18th Street Immigrants (Dandelion, Chicory, Thistle)

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: Esmeraldo Garcia and Maria Rosa Garcia Sabana (Bedspread)

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: antena after hours.

El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
Above: Downtown as seen from 18th Street in Pilsen.

El Stitch y Bitch
September 23 - October 22, 2011
antena gallery
1765 S. Laflin St.
Chicago IL 60608

Featuring: Adriana Baltazar, Krissy Bodge, Julia Chau, Esmeraldo Garcia, Irasema Gonzalez, Erika Hernandez, Claudia Marchan, Naomi Martinez, Jackie Orozco, Jessica Phillips, Elvia Rodriguez-Ochoa, and Thelma Uranga

[1] http://www.antenapilsen.com

- Paul Germanos

Friday, September 23, 2011

Opening: September 23-25, 2011, Art in Chicago

Friday, September 23, 2011
Industry of the Ordinary @ Polish Triangle
5:00-7:00PM
"Out of Site" performance series
Starts at "Polish Triangle," i.e.,
Division, Ashland, Milwaukee
(1600 west and 1200 north)
Performance moves.
Industry of the Ordinary is Adam Brooks and Mathew Wilson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonia_Triangle
http://www.outofsitechicago.com
-
Friday, September 23, 2011
El Stitch y Bitch @ antena
6:00-10:00PM
1765 S. Laflin St.
Chicago IL 60608
Adriana Baltazar, Krissy Bodge, Julia Chau, Esmeraldo Garcia, Irasema Gonzalez, Erika Hernandez, Claudia Marchan, Naomi Martinez, Jackie Orozco, Jessica Phillips, Elvia Rodriguez-Ochoa, Thelma Uranga
http://www.antenapilsen.com
-
Friday, September 23, 2011
Riley Henderson @ Chicago Art Department
5:30-10:30PM
"Uninhibited Parameters"
Suite #100
1932 S. Halsted
Chicago, IL 60608
http://www.chicagoartdepartment.org

+ + +

Saturday, September 24, 2011
Reduction or Something Less @ LVL3 Gallery
6:00-10:00PM
Third floor
1542 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
Conor Backman, Magalie Guérin, Matt Nichols
http://lvl3gallery.com
-
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Anthea Behm @ Golden Gallery
6:00-9:00PM
"Objective Confess"
3319 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL 60657
http://goldengallery.co
-
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Harvey Moon @ The Studio
6:00-10:00PM
"marriage of technology and art"
#2B
348 N. Ashland
Chicago, IL
http://www.thisisnotthestudio.com
http://unanything.com

+ + +

Sunday, September 25, 2011
No Place Like Home @ Hyde Park Art center
3:00-5:00PM
Gallery 4
5020 S. Cornell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60615
Lisa Lindvay, Jon Lowenstein, Jason Reblando, Jessica Rodrigue, David Schalliol and Leilani Wertens, curated by Dawoud Bey
http://www.hydeparkart.org
-
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven @ The Renaissance Society
4:00-7:00PM
"In A Saturnian World"
Bergman Gallery
418 Cobb Hall
5811 S. Ellis Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60637
http://www.renaissancesociety.org

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Opening: September 16-18, 2011, Gallery Weekend Chicago

All events listed are free and open to the public.

Friday, September 16
-
3:00PM–5:00PM
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Open Hours at SAIC Graduate Studios
McLean Center, 112 South Michigan Ave.
http://www.saic.edu
-
5:00PM-7:00PM
Donald Young Gallery
Opening reception for Bruce Nauman
224 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 266
http://www.donaldyoung.com
-
5:00PM-7:30PM
Rhona Hoffman Gallery
Opening reception for "bodybraingame"
118 N. Peoria St.
http://www.rhoffmangallery.com

Saturday, September 17
-
10:30AM
moniquemeloche gallery
Cheryl Pope / Dan Gunn artist talk
2154 W. Division St.
http://moniquemeloche.com
-
1:00PM
devening projects + editions
Molly Zuckerman-Hartung interviews Timothy Bergstrom
3039 W. Carroll St.
http://deveningprojects.com
-
2:00PM-5:00PM
DePaul University Art Museum Grand Opening
Re: Chicago examines Chicago artists over century
935 W. Fullerton Ave.
http://museums.depaul.edu/artwebsite
-
3:00PM
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
The Los Angeles Painting Scene
Terry Myers discusses Mark Bradford.
220 East Chicago Ave.
http://www.mcachicago.org
-
4:00PM
Western Exhibitions
Stan Shellabarger artist talk
119 N. Peoria St., 2A
http://www.westernexhibitions.com
-
5:00PM-8:00PM
Corbett vs. Dempsey
Opening reception for Joe Zucker
1120 N. Ashland Ave., 3rd Floor
http://www.corbettvsdempsey.com

Sunday, September 18
-
2:00PM–4:00PM
Shane Campbell Gallery (Oak Park)
a/k/a The Suburban
Opening reception for Zak Prekop
125 N. Harvey Avenue, Oak Park, IL
http://www.shanecampbellgallery.com

+ + +

Open Hours @ Participating Galleries
(Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17)
10:00AM–6:00PM
Andrew Rafacz Gallery
Corbett vs. Dempsey
Devening Projects + Editions
Donald Young Gallery
Kavi Gupta Gallery
moniquemeloche
Rhona Hoffman Gallery
Shane Campbell Gallery
Threewalls
Tony Wight Gallery
Western Exhibitions

Contact GWC for Private Events:
info@galleryweekendchicago.com

See Gallery Weekend site for map and additional details:
http://galleryweekendchicago.com

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Pictorial: Nasty, Brutish, and Short @ PEREGRINEPROGRAM

Nasty, Brutish, and Short @ PEREGRINEPROGRAM
Above: Molly Zuckerman-Hartung foreground, center; Hans Peter Sundquist background, left; Dana Degiulio background, right.

Nasty, Brutish, and Short @ PEREGRINEPROGRAM
Above: Molly Zuckerman-Hartung foreground; Dana Degiulio background.

Nasty, Brutish, and Short @ PEREGRINEPROGRAM
Above: Dana Degiulio.

Nasty, Brutish, and Short @ PEREGRINEPROGRAM
Above: Hans Peter Sundquist.

Nasty, Brutish, and Short @ PEREGRINEPROGRAM
Above: Molly Zuckerman-Hartung foreground, center; Diego Leclery background, photo grid.

Nasty, Brutish, and Short @ PEREGRINEPROGRAM
Above: Molly Zuckerman-Hartung foreground, center; Diego Leclery background, photo grid.

Nasty, Brutish, and Short @ PEREGRINEPROGRAM
Above: Diego Leclery.

Nasty, Brutish, and Short @ PEREGRINEPROGRAM
Above: Diego Leclery.

Nasty, Brutish, and Short
Featuring Julius Caesar Gallery partners:
Dana Degiulio, Diego Leclery, Hans Peter Sundquist, and Molly Zuckerman-Hartung
September 4 - October 2, 2011
PEREGRINEPROGRAM
3311 W. Carroll Ave. #119,
Chicago, IL 60624
http://www.peregrineprogram.com

See also: http://paulgermanos.blogspot.com/2010/12/review-molly-zuckerman-hartung-julius.html

Friday, September 9, 2011

Editorial: September 9, 2011 Art Lists

Friday, September 9, marks the opening of the Fall 2011 visual art season in Chicago. Multiple on-line guides are available for the purpose of navigating the gala evening. In fact, the level of redundancy is so great that it seems good to consider the meaning thereof.

But, first, the links to said September 9 event listings and maps:

(1) Stephanie Burke, historically available as published and republished (in part or in whole) at (a) Art Talk Chicago, (b)The Gallery Crawl and So Much More, (c) Bad at Sports, and (d) Chicago Art Magazine:

http://www.chicagonow.com/art-talk-chicago/2011/09/september-9th-opening-of-the-gallery-season/

http://badatsports.com/2011/10-picks-for-the-gallery-season-opener/

(2) Abraham Ritchie, found editing (a) ArtSlant Chicago and (b) Chicago Art Blog, while simultaneously contributing to (c) Flavorpill Chicago, (d) Bad at Sports and (e) Art21 Blog, while advising (f) Sixty Inches From Center:

http://www.artslant.com/chi/events/list

http://flavorpill.com/chicago/events/genres/art

(3) Chicago Art Magazine, founded by Kathryn Born, formerly of Bad at Sports:

http://chicagoartmagazine.com/2011/09/chicago-art-map-season-opening-schedule/

(4) Newcity Art, edited by Jason Foumberg:

http://art.newcity.com/2011/09/06/comprehensive-listing-of-gallery-shows-for-the-fall-opener/

(5) Chicago Gallery News, edited by Virginia Berg:

http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/openings.asp

http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/listing.asp?g=7165

(6) The Visualist, (featuring, among others, ArtSlant Chicago's Steve Ruiz, himself a proprietor of another "listing" site: chicagoartreview.com) which seems to have risen from the ashes of former Chicagoan Karly Wildenhaus' onthemake.org:

http://thevisualist.org/

(7) Chicago Art Net, maintained by Jno Cook of Columbia College Chicago:

http://chicagoart.net/calendar.php

(8) Sixty Inches From Center, directed by Columbia College Chicago grads Nicolette Michelle Caldwell and Tempestt Hazel in company with Andrew Roddewig of Clarion New Media:

http://sixtyinchesfromcenter.org/archive/?p=9950

(9) Art Letter, written by Paul Klein, re-blogged on The Huffington Post:

http://www.artletter.com/2011/09/its-here-the-day-weve.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-klein

(10) Gapers Block A/C, edited by Kelly Reaves:

http://gapersblock.com/ac/2011/09/09/art-around-town-20/

+ + +

Direct observation of the phenomena (on-line listing vis-a-vis in-person attendance) has proved that it is not unusual for more people to announce than arrive at an event, e.g., Tom Burtonwood's recent presentation at Hinge Gallery.

Vicarious "experience" of culture, reliant upon the computer screen, has been broadly criticized. The explosion of on-line listing seems to suggest that a yet-more-remote "textual acknowledgement" is now taken as sufficient (or necessary?) participation in the arts.

+ + +

Curiously, Lauren Viera's recent article in the Chicago Tribune did not clarify the relationship between the now defunct onthemake.org and Chicago's other (at least eleven other) visual art calendar, map, and event listing sites. Rather, the quotation by interviewee Jenny Kendler was left to suggest a vacuum (in art reportage) in the wake of onthemake.org's (Karly Wildenhaus') departure: "'Losing (On The Make) is like losing one of these beacons that shows how awesome that community is. (When I heard) I thought, What can Brian and I do to keep it going?'"[1]

Chicago Gallery News has been in existence for 28 years; Newcity's art coverage has run for 22 years; Chicago Art Net has been on-line for 10 years. Viera and Kendler are both competent professionals, and Chicago needs them. But, does Chicago need yet more "listing" sites? Is that really the best place to put time and energy? What are the long-term implications of such comprehensive but superficial engagements as are now regularly made by critics, reporters and the public at large?

Note:

[1] http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-31/entertainment/ct-ent-0825-art-opp-20110824_1_art-institute-website-support-artists/2

See also Time Out Chicago Arts + Culture, edited by Lauren Weinberg:

http://timeoutchicago.com/arts-culture

- Paul Germanos

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Pictorial: Splay @ Roxaboxen

"SPLAY: An International group exhibition that explores sexuality as a platform for self-reflexivity. Through painting sculpture, video, performance and site specific installation, each artist questioned her/his own subjectivity in the face of her/his desires."[1]

Photographs (below) taken on opening night, between 7:00PM & 10:00PM, August 26, 2011.

Splay @ Roxaboxen

Splay @ Roxaboxen

Splay @ Roxaboxen

Splay @ Roxaboxen

Splay @ Roxaboxen

Splay @ Roxaboxen

Splay @ Roxaboxen

Splay @ Roxaboxen

Splay @ Roxaboxen

Splay @ Roxaboxen

Featuring: Madeleine Baily, Steven Frost, Yasi Ghanbari, Elise Goldstein, Rachel Lowther, Ivan Lozano, Brian Maller, Alison Rhoades, Tessa Siddle, Fritz Welch, and Synvia Whitney, as curated by Marissa Perel

"Splay" runs till September 18, 2011
Roxaboxen
2130 W. 21st Street
Chicago, IL 60608
[1] http://www.roxaboxenminicastle.com

See also Bert Stabler's review in Newcity Art: http://art.newcity.com/2011/08/30/review-splayroxaboxen-exhibitions

- Paul Germanos