RECOMMENDED This paired exhibit intriguingly intersperses Baras’ aggressive compositions with Deguilio’s mostly quieter work. Baras’ canvases bear blocky, boldly colored thick swaths of oil and acrylic that hover over spray-painted backgrounds. In “Corrupt and Corrupting,” squiggly biomorphic strokes smother gray bars, as though overgrowing the skeletal remains of a Modernist building. In comparison, Deguilo’s paintings are delicately somber black, gray and white affairs; a clear standout is the excellent “Oh Hard Pillow (Snowflakes. Bear. Wipers. Wipers!)”; gray brushstrokes cut through black-dripped shapes, and the variety of forms coalesce into a satisfyingly intricate composition. Also on display are two series of Deguilo’s untitled drawings, awkward doodles suggesting the beginnings of cartoon animals and crowded abstract landscapes. In the exhibit’s one durational piece, Deguilio’s video “Song,” a woman standing in front of a blackboard stares unnervingly into the camera, her features overexposed and washed-out, while half-heartedly lip syncing “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The effect is striking—I much prefer it to John Maybury’s original video—even though the intensity of the spaced-out tribute is somewhat marred by unfortunate skipping edits. The video is curiously paired with a large, delightfully messy bent canvas, looking for all the world like a section of the painter’s studio floor ripped up and shoved against the wall. My only exasperation came from having to listen to Sinéad O’Connor’s Prince cover the whole time I spent in the gallery. (A D Jameson) Through October 20 at Roots & Culture
For Us: A Review of "Something from Something" at Engage Projects Kushala Vora and Adia Sykes’ collaboration "Something from Something" tells us as viewers that knowledge, art, creation, inspiration, love—really anything you can think of—has a place of origin.
Looking Down: A Review of Bob Tanner at Perspective After the loss of his wife, Bob Tanner made two photography series, “At Ocean’s Edge” and “At Winter’s Edge,” that are shown in this meditative show filled with graceful visual poetry.
Women Behind the Lens: A Review of "From Her to Eternity" Courtney Love curates on the street. Just west of Wabash on the corner of Eighth Street, there is a wall of stellar rock star images that includes a special collection made by women photographers over the years.
Collaborative Aesthetics: A Review of [siccer] by Will Rawls Humorous, lighthearted but poignant in its social commentary, “[siccer]” is a project that embraces a unique aesthetic of improvisation and collaboration that ties uncertainties together through trust.
All Too Real: A Review of “Not All Realisms” at The Smart Museum In the compelling exhibition currently on display at the Smart Museum, photographs tell the story of the sixties in Africa. It was a decade of change, resistance, revolution and hard-won independence in many African countries.
