Featuring Alan Teller and Lloyd DeGrane, this lush and varied exhibition of twelve Chicago photographers shooting in black and white and color, that is themed on the environment, runs the gamut between beauty shots of nature and gritty studies of trashy urban places. DeGrane strikes a middle ground with his color images of industrial and commercial landscapes, which put us in the midst of the infrastructure that sustains our lives, providing a sense of problematic empowerment, whereas Teller focuses on the odd and endlessly involving textures and shapes of trees and thickets. The most moving and significant images are from Matt Tuteur’s series on the Cabrini Green housing project, covering the stark buildings on an icy pale-blue winter day, the gutted hallways as the tear-down of the project proceeded, and a remarkable wall painting of “Desiree,” floating above a patch of multi-colored brush in a pink frock and a towering pink bouffant, her arms outstretched in pure elation as she sports the most cherubic smile. (Michael Weinstein)
Through October 30 at Chicago Photography Collective, 29 East Madison
