This week’s picks from photographer Sara Condo.
Mac Katter, Double Back
Orion Martin, Video Still
Carson Fisk-Vittori, Music was on Plants
Maxfield Hegedus, Bringing Back The Tiger
Joel Dean
Casey McGonagle, Dune
CJ Matherne, Sit The Fuck Down
show off
This week’s picks on what to see this weekend. For more information, go click right here or right here.
When they write a book about Chicago’s early 21st century art, keep an eye out for the promise pages on DIYAGID (Do It Yourself And Actually Get It Done) art collective Temporary Services. See a variety of their works in an exhibition going up this Friday, April 8th @ Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Dr, Evanston, IL.
Temporary Services
Michelle Blade‘s painting and sculpture installation joins a light-sensitive print install from José Lerma in and for this no joke April Western exhibition opening uh Friday, April 8th from 5-8PM @ Western Exhibitions, 119 N Peoria St, 2A.
José Lerma, The Lightweight
Conceptual temporal transitions and a rude joke curated by Easton Miller and featuring Tim Louis Graham, Diego Leclery, Brian McNearney and Matt Sauermilch, opening this Friday, April 8th from 7-11PM @ Heaven Gallery, 1550 N Milwaukee Ave.
Tim Louis Graham, No You Are
New pictures from painterly photographer Heidi Norton at her first solo exhibition with ebersmoore gallery. See last year’s studio visit with her for an introduction, and check the method this Friday, April 8th from 6-9PM @ ebersmoore, 213 N Morgan St, 3C.
Heidi Norton, Untitled
Memory and reproduction are the ideas behind Ian Pedigo‘s new installation of work at 65GRAND titled, A Mouth Which Shouts is a Cave for the Hand. Show opens this Friday, April 8th from 7-10PM @ 65GRAND, 1369 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60642.
Ian Pedigo, To Catch its Strains, You Must Hold Yourself in Waiting
Consider driving farther west on Lake St. than you ever expected for Mark Booth‘s multi-performative exhibition experience called GOD IS REPRESENTED BY THE SEA, opening this Sunday, April 10th from 3-7PM @ ADDS DONNA, 4223 W Lake St, 422.
Mark Booth
go on
This week’s picks (at least the first five) from Ryan Travis Christian, SAOTW OG.
Ted Mineo, Communion
C.F.
Wes Lang, Sit Down, Let Me Buy You a Beer
Matt Brinkman, Untitled (Bath)
Carroll Dunham, (Hers) Night and Day #3
Nick van Woert, Vitruvian
Xavier Barrade, Melt 4
This week’s picks on what to see this weekend. I’m rushed and this weekend is packed so here are links to relevant pages on onthemake.org.
Friday, April 1st from 5-7PM @ Untitled Gallery at Marwen, 833 N Orleans St.
Friday, April 1st from 6-9PM @ Kunsthalle New, 1344 W 18th Pl.
Friday, April 1st from 6-9PM @ Roots & Culture, 1034 N Milwaukee Ave.
Friday, April 1st from 6-10PM @ Thomas Robertello Gallery, 27 N Morgan St.
Friday, April 1st from 6-9PM @ DOVA Temporary, 5228 S Harper Ave.
Friday, April 1st from 6-10PM @ Lloyd Dobler Gallery, 1545 W Division St, 2nd Floor.
Secret opening, shh.
Saturday, April 2nd from 6-9PM @ Alderman Exhibitions, 350 N Ogden Ave, 4E.
Saturday, April 2nd from 6-10PM @ LVL3, 1452 N Milwaukee Ave, 3.
Saturday, April 2nd from 4-7PM @ moniquemeloche, 2154 W Division St.
Saturday, April 2nd from 4-7PM @ Andrew Rafacz Gallery, 835 W Washington Blvd.
Saturday, April 2nd from 6-9PM @ Slow, 2153 W 21st St.
Saturday, April 2nd from 7-10PM @ Monument 2, 2007 N Point St.
Saturday, April 2nd from 7-10PM @ The Hills Esthetic Center, 128 N Campbell Ave, G.
Sunday, April 3rd from 4-7PM @ Julias Caesar, 3144 W Carroll Ave, 2G.
:——-(
This week’s picks from guest Dana Bassett.
Frances Trombly, All Purpose Tarp
sleeper
Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova
Sarah Newberry, Sanity and:or Fear
Nicholas Lobo
Jay Hines, Drum Roll
Beatriz Monteavaro, When Will I See You Again
2000-2010
This week’s picks on what to see this weekend. For more listings (and there are many more) check here and here.
The It’s is Sic at Murdertown, featuring artists David Leggett, Matt Nichols, and Mario Romano. Opening Friday, March 25th from 6-9PM @ Murderdown, 2351 N Milwaukee Ave, 2.
Mario Romano, Circuited Limb
Economics examined by artist G. Vincent Gaulin through free-form theater titled IS THIS YOU, WANT? from WORK IN THE WOODS at West Loop project space Spoke on Satuday, March 26th between 6-9PM @ Spoke, 119 N Peoria St, 3D.
G. Vincent Gaulin
Scott Wolniak’s Suitable Video series continues with work from artists Derek Fansler, Ken Fandell, Eric Fleischauer, Gabriel Fowler, Charles Irvin, Emily Jones, Mike Lopez, Daniel Paz, David Servoss, Kwabena Slaughter, Clay Smith, Alexander Stewart, Kirsten Stoltmann, Selina Trepp and Erik Wenzel. Check your sources this Sunday, March 27th at 7PM @ Roots & Culture, 1034 N Milwaukee Ave.
Kwabena Slaughter
Frantically paced weak digital images from artists Cheryl Donegan, Wade Guyton and Tom Meacham, this Sunday, March 27th from 4-7PM @ devening projects + editions, 3039 W Carroll Ave.
Cheryl Donegan
See also: BYOB @ the Archer Ball Room.
Get away with it.
This week’s picks from guest Eric May, artist and director of Roots & Culture.
Cauleen Smith, Capital
Elijah Burgher, Rex Nemorensis
Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Touch Sanitation Performance: Fresh Kills Landfill
Olayame Dabls, Iron Teaching Stone to Rust
Ben Russell, Michoacan: La Muerta / El Traidor
Christine Hill, Volksboutique Armory Apothecary
Dani Leventhal, Feather Stitch
quit talking her to death
This week’s picks on what to see this weekend. As always, check here and here for most listings.
I’ve been a big fan of John Sparagana‘s for a few years, with a soft spot for the sweet spot he hits between intimate construction and mass-production. See what I mean this Friday, March 18th from 5-8PM @ Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1120 N Ashland Ave.
John Sparagana, Untitled (Elsworth Kelly)
POST-SMITHSON @ Noble & Superior Projects
POST-SMITHSON brings together earthwork artworks on the micro-mental or regular-mental scale, and includes video installations from Emilie Crewe, small-scale landscapes from Isabelle Gougenheim, and mystic films from Emily Irvine. Unspiral your jetties this Friday, March 18th from 6-11PM @ Noble & Superior Projects, 1418 W Superior St, 2R.
Artists Jason Smith, Leo Kaplan and Caroline Carlsmith collaborate on dichotomies, with downs and ups and blacks and whites and and More! this Saturday! March 18th from 7-11PM @ Pentagon, 2655 W Homer St.
Caroline Carlsmith, Coyote Pelts
Personal reasons, this Saturday, March 19th from 8PM-12AM @ Gallery Provocateur, 2125 N. Rockwell St.
Eric Wallace, Warrior Woman
hurf durf swag surf
This week’s picks from guest artists David Roman and Heather Mekkelson.
Dieter Appelt, Oppedette
Gerda Steiner, HET VRUCHTBAARHEIDSMYSTERIES
Banks Violette, ZODIAC (F.T.U.):74 ironhead SXL
Trevor Gainer, Provisional Buoy, Chesterhill, Ohio, 2010
Mark Tobey, Mon
Janet Cardiff, Forty Part Motet
Lynda Benglis, Wing
congralatoins
This week’s late picks on what to see this weekend. For more listings, check here and here.
Ben Russell. Opens this Friday, March 11th from 6-9PM @ threewalls, 119 N Peoria St, 2C.
Ben Russell, Levitation
Erik Lindman. Opens this Friday, March 11th from 6-9PM @ Golden Age, 119 N Peoria St, 2D.
Erik Lindman, Pour
Dana Carter. Screening this Saturday, March 12 from 6-9PM @ iceberg projects, 7714 N Sheridan Rd.
Dana Carter
Carol Bove, David Noonan.Opens this Sunday, March 13th from 4-7PM @ The Renaissance Society, 5811 S Ellis Ave.
Amy Grappell
Sorry for the brevity – I’ve got something really good brewing.
This week’s picks from Corinna Kirsch, curator and newly hatched blogger at Art Fag City.
Helen Mirra
Hannah Wilke, Still from "Philly"
Kristen Stoltmann, Listen to the Sea
Claudia Wieser
Gimhongsok, Sort of
Blake Rayne, Cover Letter
Talia Chetrit
clockwork, clockwork, that’s how the block work
You may have noticed that writer Thea Liberty-Nichols has been publishing a series of interviews with Chicago’s art writers over on the Bad at Sports blog, and that she was kind enough to include an interview with me about Chicago Art Review. If you’re curious about the history of this website, what goes on behind the scenes, and possibly where its headed, check out the interview and gain knowledge.
Steve Ruiz, Managing Editor of Chicago Art Review, last known photo
For the other interviews, see:
Angee Lennard of the Spudnik Press Cooperative,
James Connolly of the Roger Brown Study Collection,
Susannah Ribstein of Corbett vs. Dempsey,
Dee Clements of The Paper Crane, and
Erik Wenzel of Art or Idiocy?.
I’ll add to that list as they are published.
Unfortunately Bad at Sports no longer runs a comment system, so if you’ve got something to say about about any of these interviews, say it below!
This week’s picks on what to see this weekend. As always, for more listings see here and here.
Ashley Hunt is a researcher and artist whose practice has included documentary projects on the human elements within large government institutions, social movements, and political activity, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Her project, Note on The Emptying of a City is a multi-media deconstructed doc on New Orleans’ government’s refusal to empty the Parish Prison during the storm, and is happening this Friday, March 3rd at 7:00PM @ threewalls, 119 N Peoria St, 2C.
Ashley Hunt, The Corrections Documentary Project
Artists David Cordero and Elliot Layda take on the transfixing intimacy problem known as the Hedgehog’s Dilemma, which describes life as a constant conflict between the human need to drawing others close to us and the human desire to impale them on our spines. Compare strategies this Friday, March 4th from 6-9PM @ DOVA Temporary, 5228 S Harper Ave.
Photographer Matt Austin debuts new road trip documentary photos which play off of the tropes and traditions of tourism photography. Stop by this Friday, March 4th from 7-10PM @ Johalla Projects, 1561 N Milwaukee Ave.
Matt Austin
Sculpture maker Chris Bradley is known for his static and kinetic sculptures built from materials I might have in my garage (including, now that I think of it, a functional garage door once installed at MVSEVM) if I had a garage. Check out the solo show Quiet Company this Saturday, March 5th from 6-8PM @ Shane Campbell Gallery‘s city location, 673 N Milwaukee Ave.
Chris Bradley
Just letting you know. No cover. I was sceptical. It is legit.
This week’s picks from guest Vincent Uribe, artist and director of LVL3 Gallery.
Karin Sander
Justin Kemp, Forever Stall
Daniel Shea, Sigil
Paul Kenneth, Stranger Danger
Dan Shaw-Town
David Shrigley
UglyCute, Color Cube
living near a huge body of water
This week’s picks on what to see this weekend. For more of what’s happening, check out this link and this one too.
Stephen Collier, Brian Guidry and Rachel Jones put on sweaters and flew to Chicago for this gallery-wide group show organized by Keith Couser. Expect plenty of media in both spaces, including Collier’s hipheavy sand dollar sculpture CROATOAN. Catch the opening Friday, February 25th from 5-8PM @ Western Exhibitions, 119 N Peoria St, 2A.
Brian Guidry, Black Gold
Photo installation artist Josh Kolbo put on a sweater and flew to Chicago for this gallery-wide solo show at Tony Wight Gallery, opening Friday, February 25th from 6-8PM @ Tony Wight Gallery, 845 W Washington.
Josh Kolbo, Untitled
Painter You Ni Chae put on a sweater solo show of wash scrapey abstract paintings at 65Grand, titled The Midnight Conundrum and opening Friday, February 25th from 7-10PM @ 65Grand, 1369 W Grand.
You Ni Chae, Basket
Collage Stephen Eichhorn flowers cats sweater Friday, February 25th from 6-9PM @ Ebersmoore Gallery, 213 N Morgan St, 3C.
Stephen Eichhorn, Succulents
bad school
This week’s picks from guest Michael Anthony Simon, a former Chicago artist now living in Buk-gu Gwangju, South Korea.
Mohammad Ehsai
Jorge Tacla
Ayad Alkadhi, Pieta I
Lee Ufan, Relatum
Christine Streuli, Mandala
Mounir Fatmi
life story about how she doesnt give a shit
This week’s picks from me. There are a few good ones I’ve had to leave out, so for a fuller view, check out listings here and here.
Digital artists Jon Rafman, Parker Ito, Micah Schippa, Tabor Robak and John Transue are bringing their online collaborative project PaintFX to Pilsen’s Antena Gallery. I’m pretty curious how (or if) the transition into physical space will be made, and what that’ll do to the artists’ digital-kitch aesthetic. I’ll be checking it out at the opening on Friday, February 18th from 6-10PM @ Antena, 1765 S Laflin St.
I walked into Kavi Gupta by accident last week and got a sneak peak of the big new work from hit painter and long-time personal favorite Claire Sherman, whose show Wild Palms opens this weekend. Painters trip to this Saturday, February 19th from 4-7PM @ Kavi Gupta Gallery, 835 W Washington Blvd.
Claire Sherman, Cliff II
Author and threewalls board member Elizabeth Chodos curated Instruments of Resurrection, an exhibition on the topic of histories and their use in artists’ practices. The show features historic work from Zachary Cahill, Theaster Gates, Matthew Paul Jinks,Aspen Mays and Cauleen Smith, and opens this Saturday, February 19th from 6-9PM @ Roots & Culture, 1034 N Milwaukee Ave.
Lakeview gallery Autumn Space opens project for the affirmation of the new project after the affirmation of the new, an exhibition of new video paintings from artist Travis Wyche with words to back it up. See it this Sunday, February 20th from 6-8PM @ Autumn Space, 1700 W Irving Park Rd, #207.
my writing desk is full of live scorpions
Ellen Hartwell Alderman has spent the last few months working on an independent art space. Located near the corner of Ogden and Carroll, and with a dual curatorial focus on art and architecture, the aptly titled Alderman Exhibitions is a welcome addition to the group of more professional alternative spaces such as 65Grand and Devening Projects + Editions. For its inaugural exhibition, Ms. Alderman brought in new work from Raquel Ladensack, a Chicago photographer currently completing her MFA at University of Illinois at Chicago.
Raquel Landensack, Iceland II
Ladensack’s photographs have a lot to do with using distance in composition and emotional impression. Her work is split between pictures that are shot so close up that the subject blooms into abstraction, and photos zoomed and cropped at such a distance and in such a way that her landscapes flatten and collapse. The formal techniques link well with Ladensack’s eye for atmosphere, and some of the best images convey an observational hum between present stillness and distant action.
Raquel Ladensack, Iceland IV
Raquel Ladensack, Michigan IV
This difference is best shown in Ladensack’s Shifting Ground I and II, an excellent diptych showing Atlantic waves crushing against a distant Icelandic seawall. At the bottom of each frame is the top of a sill or balcony which serves to both separate the viewer from the scene, and to creating a double awareness of the natural violence over there and constructed safety over here. This separation turns the landscape into something to like a caged animal, to be viewed but not experienced.
Raquel Ladensack, Shifting Ground I
Raquel Ladensack, Shifting Ground II
Being from a place in the world so clipped to a grid that even the biggest views are highway etched with one-point perspective, this distant flattening effect makes such works as Shifting Ground or Iceland II lose some of their landscapiness and turn into something else. Likewise, near works like Liminal Space, Untitled, and Egress flit between still life and abstraction, playing off of the representational trust inherent in photography (i.e. I am aware these objects would be recognizable if only I could recognize them). There is some of James Turrell here, most directly in Iceland III, but generally too in many others where the natural world is used as a route into abstraction.
Raquel Ladensack, Iceland III, 2010
Raquel Ladensack @ Alderman Exhibitions
Approaching abstraction through representation seems to be a popular topic of conversation in the art I’ve been seeing in Chicago. It would be easy to place Ladensack alongside Heidi Norton, another photographer whose works collapse space and distort distance; or even with painter Andrew Falkowski, particularly in his Crowns series. It is a good conversation to see, and Ladensack brings to it an appreciated and functional atmospheric angle.
I give it a:
Raquel Ladensack‘s show runs between January 15th and March 28th @ Alderman Exhibitions, 350 N Ogden, 450E.
This week’s picks from me.
Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes
Cristofano Allori, Judith witht he Head of Holofernes
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, Judith Beheading Holofernes
Gaspare Traversi, Judith Holding the Head of Holofernes
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes
Peter Paul Rubens, Judith with the Heal of Holofernes
Hans Cranach, Portrait of a Lady of the Saxon Court as Judith with the Head of Holofernes
HEADS
A Review of Chicago Art Review
A few months ago I asked Corinna Kirsch to trade blog posts with me. It’s been a while, but seeing that I’ve lately been busy on another project, and so haven’t generated much content for this project, and given that Ms. Kirsch has been so kind as to send me something to post, please enjoy her review of Chicago Art Review, Seven Artists of the Week, and the kicker line I’ve had too much fun with.
A Review of Chicago Art Review & Seven Artists of the Week
by Corinna Kirsch
Anything that can be looked at, any such thing that can be felt or opined, can be built into an essay that (maybe hopefully) other people will want to read.
At the close of almost every Chicago Art Review post, Steve inserts an odd, casual one-liner. I monitored CAR’s amusing closers and found that they contain a constant progression from implied intimacy to overheard conversational disasters. As impersonal as the Seven Artists of the Week posts can be — just seven images taken from other sources, without much contect, and then just pasted on the page — the one-liner adds a personal element, a “Hey, I know that if you’re reading this, you’re a live person, breathing and sentient, and not a cat, rock, or trashbin.” As overwhelming as the internet is, my tumblr, blog, and twitter are all about connecting with other people. I’m not lonely, but you know, writing online is often a solitary practice. I write without know who, if anyone will read what I’ve written. It’s just me and my iBook, yo.
Some of my favorite one-liners from CAR written over the past year:
Steve, you’re totes romantic.