An Expression of the Divine, A Review of Martine Syms at the Graham Foundation
An immersive and inclusive installation probes the vernacular and strange ends black womanhood in a digital age.
A Living Tribute to a Geoform Master, A Review of Tomma Abts at the Art Institute of Chicago
Tension reigns in the geometric abstractions of Turner-prize-winning painter Tomma Abts.
Escaping the Archivist’s Folly, A Review of Jeremy Bolen at Soccer Club Club
In “Casual Invisibility,” Jeremy Bolen continues to tackle previously visited themes of scientific knowledge in relation to empirical observation, but for this work, the material source now includes glass plate negatives from the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin.
Painting the Dynamics of Networked Cognition, A Review of Ben Tinsley at McCormick Gallery
Tinsley’s recent abstractions are packed with visual energy and excruciatingly fine details.
Glimpse the Floating World Before it Floats Away: A Review of “Painting the Floating World” at the Art Institute of Chicago
This exhibition is only temporary, and perhaps that’s appropriate for an art that celebrates the transitory. No one who loves Ukiyo-e prints should miss this expansive and groundbreaking exhibition of paintings that reveals so much about the world of Ukiyo-e.
Seeing Womanism Through the Artist’s Lens: A Review of Zakkiyyah Najeebah at Adds Donna
In Najeebah’s world, Black women get to be sexual as well as serious, vulnerable but also in control. They are authors, athletes, scholars, actors, artists. They are fully human and they tell their own stories.
When the Personal Is Political, and Vice Versa: A Review of “The Many Hats of Ralph Arnold: Art, Identity & Politics” at the Museum of Contemporary Photography
A lesser-known flaneur of mass media (and a longtime Chicagoan) makes constructions that bring personal and cultural intersections into view.
From Japan to Chicago and Back Again: A Review of Yasuhiro Ishimoto at DePaul Art Museum
This exhibition of photography, films and art books traces Chicago’s role in Ishimoto’s studies and professional work and how that would influence Japanese photography and photo publishing.
Flaunting Fauvist Flora and Fauna: A Review of Stephen Eichhorn at Carrie Secrist Gallery
Pictures of cats and plants might be common online, but Eichhorn’s collages elevate flora and fauna to aesthetic delights.
Laughing at the Image Screen: A Review of Sara Greenberger Rafferty at Document
Discarded materials of commercial film photography, often used for light and color testing, often in the form of slides, provide Greenberger the materials for her collage and multi-media based works. This exhibition sources the ephemera of pre-digital photography in service to a highly advanced, process-based post-digital printing practice.
