In a welcome and important initiative, curator Susan Aurinko has brought two masterful Indian photographers to Chicago, introducing us to a rising creative center that will surely have an increasing impact on global art. Nandita Raman’s somber black-and-white chiaroscuro images of derelict movie theaters are exquisitely composed and exert a fascination that is heightened by their placement among fresh, glowing and elegantly patterned silk tapestries woven by Haseen Bhai and his family. The same intense sensitivity is evinced in Prabyr Purkyastha’s ultra-precise and complex black-and-white and toned landscapes, which synthesize all the photographic values—light, composition and texture—in scenes that rivet our attention. In their very different ways, Raman and Purkyastha are up to serious business, providing an essential corrective to the wave of conceptual art from East Asia that has captured today’s art world—they provoke us to feel to our depths. (Michael Weinstein)
Through Feb 22 at Flatfile Galleries, 217 N. Carpenter, (312)491-1190.
Related Stories
Across Layers of Reality: A Review of Jacolby Satterwhite at SAIC Galleries The exhibition bills itself as the first major survey of work by the artist. Across its large footprint, audiences can see how Satterwhite’s aesthetic has evolved while maintaining the commitment to personal history and embodied practice that launched his career.
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.
Microcosm: A Review of “Dialogues” at Patron Through each artist-relationship, "Dialogues" offers the viewer a rare opportunity to witness the direct connections that flow through the electric nervous system that both infiltrates and generates Chicago's art world.
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.
