SEPTEMBER
Dan Gunn
2010 was a break-out year for Gunn, but 2011 will place his abstract sculptures front-and-center as he opens simultaneous solo shows at the MCA and Monique Meloche Gallery, in addition to work included in a group exhibition at Columbia College titled “Color: Fully Engaged,” curated by Jamilee Polson.
Museum of Contemporary Art, September 3-October 2; Monique Meloche Gallery, September 9-October 8; A+D Gallery, September 29-November 5.
Kelli Connell
Connell was featured in the Museum of Contemporary Photography’s prestigious “MP3: Midwest Photographers Publication Project.” Her photographs dramatize fluid identities and messy sexualities—a double part acted by a single model.
Catherine Edelman Gallery, September 9-October 29.
“Overkill”
Curated by video art collector Jefferson Godard, “Overkill” features artworks that consider personal interactions in public spaces. With work by Manon de Boer, Candice Breitz, EJ Hill, Diego Leclery and Casilda Sanchez.
The Mission Projects, September 9-October 28.
“Dimensional Lines: Art + Dress”
Acclaimed fashion-accessory designer Gillion Carrara curates this group exhibition that considers that relationship between fashion and art, with a Chicago focus. Includes work by Fraser Taylor, Anke Loh, Kristina Sparks (pictured), and others.
Evanston Art Center, September 11-November 6.
Daniel G. Baird and Russell Leng
For the two-artist exhibition titled “Ruins,” painter Leng, from Vancouver, and Chicago-based sculptor Baird present their unique perceptions of architecture and built spaces.
Hungryman Gallery, September 10-October 23.
Barbara Kasten
Kasten has been exhibiting for more than thirty years, and her photographs have quietly influenced a generation of photo-artists. Her new images are made from glass and shadow set-ups in her studio.
Tony Wight Gallery, September 9-October 15.
Public Works 3
The third annual exhibition showcases graphic designers whose work is commercially viable and hangs well on an art gallery wall, too. Featuring Evan Hecox, Andy Jenkins, Michael Cina and Chris Strong.
Public Works Gallery, September 9.
Juan Angel Chávez
Chávez continues to explore the detritus of our urban culture as large-scale and interactive sculptures.
National Museum of Mexican Art, September 9-January 8.
Ellen Greene
Greene is heavily inspired by iconography of tattoos. Her paintings on vintage women’s gloves consider how narratives of love and identity can be writ upon bodies.
Firecat Projects, September 16-October 22.
Bruce Nauman
Nauman last exhibited in Chicago in 2005, so the return of one of contemporary art’s most loved and influential artists will be highly anticipated. Nauman will show “Combinations Described (Chicago).”
Donald Young Gallery, September 16-October 14.
“The Art of Gaman”
The Japanese word “gaman” means “to endure the seemingly unbearable with dignity and patience.” Here, art objects and crafts from WWII-era Japanese American internment camps will be displayed.
Illinois Holocaust Museum, September 25-January 15.
“Wood Type, Evolved”
Seven artists experiment with centuries-old letterpress forms to push the technology beyond its traditional associations.
Center for Book and Paper Arts, September 8-December 10.
OCTOBER
“Blaque Lyte”
Eyeball torturing black light-activated artworks from over thirty artists will be on display. Curated by Paul Nudd and Chris Kerr.
Hyde Park Art Center, October 2-January 9.
MDW Fair
The second installment of this alternative and independent art fair showcases galleries and artworks by emerging artists. The fair includes a conference component, with a keynote lecture by Nato Thompson.
Geolofts, October 21-23.
“Crime Unseen”
This group exhibition considers the relationship between photography and evidence as found at crime scenes.
Museum of Contemporary Photography, October 28-January 15.
James Gallagher
Gallagher’s collages treat bodies—usually headless—as design elements atop found vintage papers.
Pawn Works, October 8.
Dave Kube
Kube’s photographic series, titled “Queering the Landscape,” appends coded GLBTQ terminology on common rural Midwestern scenes, producing at turns humorous and affecting pairings.
Park Schreck Gallery, October 1-November 6.
Jonathan Baldock
Peregrine Program relocates to the emerging Garfield Park gallery district with a show from London-based Baldock, whose objects and paintings playfully—and somewhat ominously—decorate the human form.
Peregrine Program, October 9.
David Allen Sisk
Sisk has a special interest in “loss” and “fragmentation,” which is especially pertinent given his dual careers as a painter and a psychoanalyst.
Morpho Gallery, October 14.
Ryan Travis Christian
Christian’s dense graphite drawings are packed with energy. In a sideshow, Christian presents an exciting collaboration with eleven other artists.
Western Exhibitions, October 21-December 3.
Antonia Contro
In her books, prints and drawings, Contro appropriates the style and feeling of scientific illustration as a way to inquire about what and how we obtain knowledge.
Chicago Cultural Center, October 8-December 28.
NOVEMBER
Ron Terada and Iain Baxter&
The MCA looks to Canada for its autumn exhibitions with two separate solo exhibitions. Terada makes humorous use of popular signage, and Baxter& (yes, that’s a real ampersand in his name) investigates consumer culture.
Museum of Contemporary Art, November 5-January 15.
“Black Gossamer”
A group exhibition curated by Camille Morgan considers the relationship between black identity and clothing.
Glass Curtain Gallery, Columbia College, November 17-February 11.
Thornton Dial and Gee’s Bend
The 83-year old Dial shows paintings and drawings alongside quilts from Gee’s Bend, both from Alabama.
Russell Bowman Art Advisory, November 4-January 7.
“Wood Show”
Featuring artworks made exclusively from wood, such as Michelle Peterson-Albandoz’s constructions formed from old Chicago porches.
Las Manos Gallery, November 4-31.
Karen Reimer
Reimer uses embroidery on domestic linens to critique common assumptions about human relations.
Monique Meloche Gallery, November 19-December 31.
—Jason Foumberg
