Morgan Blair, “Ted Cruz and Tom Cruz and Ted Bundy Take Poppers on Tropical Cruise Simulator at King of Prussia Mall (King of Prussia, PA), Dedicate Lives to Edible Arrangement Innovator Culture,” 2016. Acrylic and sand over canvas-wrapped panel, 24 inches
RECOMMENDED
Interspersing the work of three millennials, this exhibit is an upbeat homage to better-living-thru-technology without the nods to personal angst, social justice or identity politics that also concern contemporary society.
Most upbeat are the frenzied figure-ground, repetitive painted patterns by Brooklyn artist Morgan Blair. They borrow the precision, tireless energy and mindless chatter of television commercials as lusciously displayed on a flat-screen monitor, without the annoying confrontation presented by Imagism or Pop art. Slices of imagery have been arranged into dynamic patterns that feel sweet and enjoyable, despite provocative titles like “Ted Cruz and Tom Cruz and Ted Bundy Take Poppers on Tropical Cruise Simulator at King of Prussia Mall (King of Prussia, PA)…”
Francesco Lo Castro, “Etna,” 2016. Acrylic, spray enamel and layered epoxy resin on wood, 11 x 14 inches
The acrylic panels fabricated by the southern Florida artist Francesco Lo Castro are a throwback to earlier eras of design. With their aerodynamic and impersonal forms, they suggest Art Deco as well as circuit boards. They would really improve the decor of cabins of commercial aircraft. Yet they also have a kind of slithering, internal, downward movement that creates a darker, more complex mood, so perhaps they are better suited for the VIP lounge.
Zoe Nelson, “Waterfalls,” 2016. Oil on cut canvas, 66 x 60 inches
Chicago-based Zoe Nelson concerns herself with the technology of perception and self awareness. She has produced the largest pieces in the show. They are more like doors than windows, as they open onto new worlds of understanding. They are non-figurative and reference no traditional narrative, but recurring egg-shapes and cut-through openings in the canvas suggest icons of veneration in feminine cultic mysteries. Nelson paints the exposed stretcher as well as the canvas. Both are wonderfully and efficiently painted, so the mind can focus on how carefully, if unconventionally, everything has been done.
What the work of all three artists have in common is the element of surprise, as if you had never seen anything quite like it before. And all are maximalist, squeezing all they can from their limited space on the wall. They exemplify the fecundity of contemporary American art and the energy of this young gallery. (Chris Miller)
Through December 18 at LVL3, 1542 North Milwaukee
Related Stories
Frenetic and Fabulous Grids and Dots: A Review of Geoffrey Todd Smith at Western Exhibitions Smith's mixed-media panels yield energetic yet precise patterns on gridded landscapes.
Watercolors that Gush with Color and Creativity RECOMMENDED Tom Torluemke’s recent shows have featured narrative painting, and something like a human body is represented in the large watercolor “In Search of the Lost Sole by the Sea” in this exhibition. The cartoonish fragments of leg, nose and eye, as well as the wordplay, continues the tradition of Chicago Imagists. Specifically, the cheerful, gentle humor and flat, slithering…
Paintings that Please by Design RECOMMENDED Some folks want a painting that looks good above the sofa, and it’s not difficult to see how effective the works of Adam Siegel can be, as here displayed in an interior design store. They offer an impetuous and occasionally angular contrast to the severe orthogonal lines of the empty white walls of a typical apartment. Their surfaces are…
Eruptions of Color: A Review of Pooja Pittie at McCormick Gallery Nothing is recognizably depicted, but something like a festive spectacle has been achieved with layers of colorful marks that range from orderly patterns of dots to large, dramatic brush strokes.
Color-Coding Chicago's Racial Geographies: Amanda Williams at the Museum of Contemporary Art Showing her “Color(ed) Theory” project alongside new work.
Playful Paintings Beguile in Our “Post-Truth” Present RECOMMENDED What can be said of the role of hyperbole in our misinformation-saturated present? What is the utility of the willfully exaggerated, long a tenet of political rhetoric, in a moment teeming with “crooked” this and “-gate” suffixed that? Erin Hayden’s solo exhibition, “Your Hyperbole Could Be A Screensaver” at Randy Alexander Gallery traffics in the magnified overstatement, bringing to…
