“From a Position,” like Russian nesting dolls, begins with a single question that leads to another, then another, and so on. Initially questioning the relationship between a piece of art and its subject, the viewer is encouraged to further contemplate artworks’ relationship to the gallery space, other artworks and the position of self-as-viewer.
The exhibition’s relationships are the actual focus; the show’s strength comes less from the individual power of the pieces and more from their play with one another, the gallery and the viewer. Pieces that don’t “play” with others aren’t as compelling; two drawings by Lucy McKenzie, presenting figures without settings, appear detached from the show (in part due to their placement) and retreat rather than engage. The gallery’s four separate areas reinforce the separation and unification of specific pieces. Upon entering, viewers are blocked by Jason Loebs’ “Barricade.” This translucent plexiglass barricade decorated with barricade-centric articles, forces viewers to alter their entry into the galleries. Other pieces are far subtler in manipulating the gallery environment. The syncopated beats in “Nevercage,” a sound piece by Heather Guertin and Zak Prekop, are so slow that, without a visual component, viewers may initially mistake the sounds as belonging to the building’s old pipes. (Or perhaps credit it to the metal facets in Valerie Snobeck’s installation, which is successfully undifferentiated from the gallery space—appropriate for a show that questions context.) The show’s other works, more clearly defined from the gallery surroundings, may also be read as both subjects and backgrounds. Though this twofold reading of artwork is not exclusive to this exhibition, the old Evanston Art Center manse as a venue certainly heightens the effect more than a white cube could. (Patrice Connelly)
Into the Woods: A Review of Seung Jae Kim at Evanston Art Center Seung Jae Kim created these evocative monochromatic photographs in various wilderness areas of the upper Midwest. The images speak of his affinity for nature while reminding us of the increasingly fragile condition of our earth.
The Whole Package: Looking at the Art Matchmaking of “Not Just Another Pretty Face” at the Hyde Park Art Center Expect an especially exciting moment when the bell rings on the evening of September 14. White cloth that covers up all the artworks shall be pulled from the gallery walls inside the Hyde Park Art Center, unveiling some eighty commissioned works culminating from the latest two iterations—2021 and 2023—of the famed Chicago art matchmaker program.
Home Is Where the Family Is: A Review of Chicago Chiquito at Bridgeport Art Center This small but significant exhibition shows the history of Chicago Chiquito, or little Chicago, the nickname given to La Hacienda, a small town in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. Its families have migrated north to find work for over one hundred years.
