At a new Northwest Side gallery called OhNo!Doom is a current group exhibit consisting of work made in tribute to the late Chicago street artist Brendan McGlynn Scanlon, aka SOLVE. Scanlon’s unexpected death at 24 on June 14 shocked the Chicago street-art-and-graffiti communities. The packed opening reception included a video address from Scanlon’s parents via YouTube and a silent auction was held for the pieces in the show, the proceeds of which will benefit the Madison East Art Department, an organization in Madison, Wisconsin, Scalon’s hometown. Curated by Scanlon’s close friend NiceOne, the show includes work by local artists such as Wise, Joey D and Brooks Golden, answering the question “What is solve?” In a variety of mediums including photography, painting, printing and collage, the answers are all different: a friend, an inspiration, an artist, a movement. This group show is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the memorials and tributes to Scanlon throughout Chicago and Madison. Through his death a part of the Chicago art community grew stronger and more committed to the hope and healing that art can bring. An army of artists has formed in the wake of this tragedy, as tributes to Scanlon’s life and work can be seen at every corner of the city, continuing the dialogue on the issues Scanlon cared about in his own work and life. (Sara McCool)
Through September 19 at OhNo!Doom, 2955 W. Lyndale.
In Orbit: A Chicago Aesthetic Emerges in NYC Group Show As the kitchen appliance referenced in the exhibition title signals, these artists seem to share an interest in—and perhaps anxiety about—domestic spaces and the rituals that occur there.
