Andrea Myers’ show finds the artist nimbly using her familiar tools, albeit sparingly. Myers builds her work through the layering or stacking of tinted paper and fabric. Consisting of a floor piece and several screen-printed collages, the show leaves one wanting more. Some works, like “Burrowing,” a humble white collage with concentric, torn paper circles, benefit from their simplicity. Others don’t need their humility, such as the “Peeling Panorama,” another décollage evoking aging plaster walls, yet not billboard-sized. In the sole fabric piece, “Ripple,” she strikes a more complex color tone by jettisoning distinct colors instead of mingling them through screen-printing and finer, more abundant layering. The work calls to mind its namesake with ripples of brilliant fabric emanating from a central point. The chromatic linen waves spill over the plinth limply onto the floor giving the piece a charming animal-like quality. It is the most compelling moment of the show and it proves that Myers remains one of the best manipulators of material in Chicago. (Dan Gunn)
Andrea Myers shows at Lisa Boyle Gallery, 1821 West Hubbard, Second Floor, (773)655-5475, through December 15.
Complicating the Narrative: A Review of Them at Roots & Culture Featuring a cohesive body of works by Flor, Manal Kara and Caleb Yono, the exhibition is a stunning display of the magic that can happen when fixed ideas about artmaking and identity are thrown out the window.
