Portraits of Afghanistan
October 4 - November 12, 2011
Photographs by Ivan Lo
The series, Portraits of Afghanistan, is a documentation of daily Afghan life over a span of five years and is a reflection of Lo’s personal experiences in Afghanistan. The photographs also show a side of this war-torn nation often overlooked by western media.
Lo specializes in documenting humanitarian projects as well as the daily life of the communities that they serve. He is actively seeking to continue using his photography for worthy causes in the developing world and beyond. “First and foremost, I want to help others. One way is to use my photographs to fight injustice and spur social change,” said Lo.
Photographs by Ivan Lo
The series, Portraits of Afghanistan, is a documentation of daily Afghan life over a span of five years and is a reflection of Lo’s personal experiences in Afghanistan. The photographs also show a side of this war-torn nation often overlooked by western media.
Lo specializes in documenting humanitarian projects as well as the daily life of the communities that they serve. He is actively seeking to continue using his photography for worthy causes in the developing world and beyond. “First and foremost, I want to help others. One way is to use my photographs to fight injustice and spur social change,” said Lo.
November 23rd - January 8th
Signs of Sustainability
Claudia Smalley & Magda Smolenska
Signs of Sustainability is an exhibition resulting from Claudia and Magda’s artistic partnership, HOBOartlab. Through this collaboration, the artists focus on developing unique oil, watercolor and mixed media paintings on canvas. HOBOartlab donates a percentage of sales to select charities, with the goal being to exhibit art that can positively influence a community and possibly make an impact.
Signs of Sustainability is an exhibition of new paintings and mixed media works by Claudia and Magda. Claudia’s work frequently explores the familiarity of color and composition of historical works by freely reinterpreting them from her own contemporary perspective. For this exhibition, Claudia also introduces a new body of work that harkens back to her industrial design roots and features figurative shapes while playing with composition and color schemes. Magda’s work is a series of paintings that experiment with different media and techniques. Her vast pallet and evidence of tools reveal paintings that are a manifesto of feelings, colors and assemblies. Signs of Sustainability is a visual marriage of strokes, colors, and shapes between two contemporary artists who are interested in positively contributing to the community through the display of their work.
HOBOartlab reached out to their fans through Facebook and Twitter and asked what organizations they were most passionate about. Chicago-based not-for-profit, Vital Bridges was chosen as the organization to donate a portion of the sales to from this exhibition. Vital Bridges’ mission is to help people through metropolitan Chicago impacted by HIV and AIDS to improve their health and build self-sufficiency by providing food, nutrition, housing, case management and prevention services.
Signs of Sustainability is an exhibition of new paintings and mixed media works by Claudia and Magda. Claudia’s work frequently explores the familiarity of color and composition of historical works by freely reinterpreting them from her own contemporary perspective. For this exhibition, Claudia also introduces a new body of work that harkens back to her industrial design roots and features figurative shapes while playing with composition and color schemes. Magda’s work is a series of paintings that experiment with different media and techniques. Her vast pallet and evidence of tools reveal paintings that are a manifesto of feelings, colors and assemblies. Signs of Sustainability is a visual marriage of strokes, colors, and shapes between two contemporary artists who are interested in positively contributing to the community through the display of their work.
HOBOartlab reached out to their fans through Facebook and Twitter and asked what organizations they were most passionate about. Chicago-based not-for-profit, Vital Bridges was chosen as the organization to donate a portion of the sales to from this exhibition. Vital Bridges’ mission is to help people through metropolitan Chicago impacted by HIV and AIDS to improve their health and build self-sufficiency by providing food, nutrition, housing, case management and prevention services.
Featured Exhibition
November 19th - November 21st
November 19th - November 21st
Faces of Africa
Ira Feldman
Faces of Africa is a collection of 16”x20” mounted photographs taken by Feldman during his travels to the coastal regions of Africa. The collection is also featured in a recently published book with the same title. During his time in Africa, Feldman observed the many populations of Africa and the cultural diversity of the indigenous people. As a photographer, he felt compelled to photograph his observations from a unique and intimate perspective. Faces of Africa attempts to capture some of the facets of these various peoples in a documentary style of photography.
In addition to his passion for the people he was able to photograph, Feldman became familiar with the Charles Duna Primary School in Port Elizabeth, Africa. Feldman is donating a portion of his profit of sales from the exhibition to the school. Charles Duna was established in 1962. They currently have 1039 learners coming from the surrounding informal settlements. 80% of the parents are unemployed and those that are working have a low level of education. Their vision is to ensure that they deliver an education that will help emancipate their community out of poverty. Nombulelo Sume is the principal of the school and has graciously provided us with this information.
In addition to his passion for the people he was able to photograph, Feldman became familiar with the Charles Duna Primary School in Port Elizabeth, Africa. Feldman is donating a portion of his profit of sales from the exhibition to the school. Charles Duna was established in 1962. They currently have 1039 learners coming from the surrounding informal settlements. 80% of the parents are unemployed and those that are working have a low level of education. Their vision is to ensure that they deliver an education that will help emancipate their community out of poverty. Nombulelo Sume is the principal of the school and has graciously provided us with this information.
September 27th - November 17th
Common Ground
“Common Ground” is a group exhibition that is proud to be a part of Chicago Artists Month 2010 and the theme, "City As Studio". The three featured Chicago artists include Sam Kirk, Hebru Brantley and Hugo Style. All of the artists live and work in different areas of the city and their styles reflect their urban surroundings and comment on the specifics of culture, politics and environment.
The exhibition brings together these three artists for the first time in one telling statement on their individuality as artists and the found common ground in their inspirations to create. The work includes acrylic and spray paint on wood and canvas, sculptures, multi-media and apparel. The overall exhibition is about characters, individuals, thoughts and movements that have inspired each of the artists and continue to be a driving force for their work. The bold colors, imagery and revealed statements are a reflection of their lack of inhibitions as artists and their personal investments into their work. This is an art exhibition of what is currently happening in the Chicago art scene that should not be missed.
The exhibition brings together these three artists for the first time in one telling statement on their individuality as artists and the found common ground in their inspirations to create. The work includes acrylic and spray paint on wood and canvas, sculptures, multi-media and apparel. The overall exhibition is about characters, individuals, thoughts and movements that have inspired each of the artists and continue to be a driving force for their work. The bold colors, imagery and revealed statements are a reflection of their lack of inhibitions as artists and their personal investments into their work. This is an art exhibition of what is currently happening in the Chicago art scene that should not be missed.
August 30th - September 25th, 2010
Forget About the Future
Forget About the Future is a series of sculptures, installations and paintings that Cydney Lewis has created using found plastic bags. Each piece tells a story about the human subject and is a reflection of Lewis' own studies of the people she sees in her life. Lewis has reinvented the plastic bags she saw stuck in neighbor's fences and caught in the trees. By painting, twisting and forming the bags into her vision, she has created art with our own consumption. The work speaks not only to the narrative she is implying, but begs for a connection between that and what the work is made from. The logos and designs on the bags are not hidden throughout each piece as the vibrant colors and 3-D elements pop out. This labor intensive work is a successful study of our own consumption in relation to the world around us that contains so many individual stories and important interactions.
July 26th - August 28th, 2010
Monuments
Monuments is an artist's in-depth exploration of three closed factories in Indiana; Borg Warner of Muncie, BPB Celotex of Lagro, and Delco Remy of Anderson. Nathanael Gray has been visiting these motionless structures in order to paint them as they currently stand. Gray's paintings are of a fine art quality, as he uses his medium to reflect the shapes and shadows of the rooms and structures that are before him. The series of watercolors are quick studies of each factory and provide a window into Gray's perspective as he paints based on what he sees and also the stories he has heard behind these shut-downs. Gray has built three boxes for each factory which contain multiple paintings within each one. These boxes are on the floor of the gallery and allow the viewer to walk around the structure and also interact with it by opening them up to view more paintings. These "monuments" to the factories represent the structures as they stand motionless now, but allow the viewer to remember something that once was and now is not. The paintings in these boxes are much more intricate studies of the buildings as they stand in light and shadow.
June 13th - July 22nd, 2010
Not Quite There Yet
Glowing Fishes
Argentinian and local Chicago artist, Beatriz E. Ledesma will be exhibiting a series of work entitled, Not Quite There Yet. This series of vibrant work explores our attempts to find a safe space amidst a world of chaos and destruction. By exploring this aspect of life, the work inspires us to question what makes us feel safe and where we go to feel safe, whether that space is a state of mind or an actual place. The exhibition consists of several vibrant mixed media and oil paintings. Each piece exhibits an ethereal demonstration of chaos through brush strokes and painted forms that surround a window or space of calm and safety. Through her work, Ledesma proposes to the viewer a spiritual path to finding safety amidst a current society of materialism and violence. Ledesma's personal beliefs and background reflect strongly through this exhibition of work.
May 3rd - June 12th, 2010
The Peculiar Manifestation of Paint in My Life
Chicago-based emerging artist, Jennifer Cronin brings her large-scale oil paintings to the gallery for a solo exhibition of intimate, self-portraiture. Cronin's paintings focus on the psychology of the domestic space, personal space and the imaginative space in which our minds can take us. The figure in each painting faces her fears as manifested through ominous forms of paint within the space. Sitting on the surface of the canvas, the paint breaks the peace of these quiet, interior moments in which the artist finds herself. The result is a beautifully composed painting that vibrates with captivating tension and anxiety. Cronin's work is deeply visually satisfying and emotionally charged through the gestures of the figure and the ominous paint form in the room. The viewer is faced with the uncomfortable task of seeing something that the subject in the painting is unaware of, and wondering what will happen next. Cronin's work is heavily laced with the psychology of the human mind in our most intimate and lonely moments. Her process takes cues from the historical painted dramas of Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi, as well as the archetypal human fears that are visually represented in popular horror films.
March 26th - May 1st, 2010
The Record is Far From Complete
narrative collages by Lillianna Pereira
Lillianna Pereira of Northampton, MA brings her narrative collage work to Chicago in an exhibition of several framed paper compositions. Pereira's inspiration for her work is mythology and collage is her medium. Pereira pulls images from magazines, newspapers, books and other printed materials in order to deconstruct and reassemble them into a collage. The personal unconscious guides her composition, while the meaning of the pieces emerge to form a narrative. The narratives bring a darker content of uninhibited perspective to these beautiful images that are so delicate in appearance. Much of her work reflects the female experience in society, by juxtaposing these forms with loaded imagery of other objects and forms. The language of myth allows for the imagery to be read universally, but allows room for those interpretations to extend beyond Pereira's intentions. The viewer is asked to interpret the narrative by not only examining the literal images within the work, but by observing how those images, now brought together through Pereira's perspective, reflect the societal, emotional and cultural elements found in the materials that were so carefully chosen.
February 8th - March 24th, 2010
1000 Miles Shy - Jay Lawrence Pearson
1000 Miles Shy is a large-format documentary photography exhibit based on Seattle-based photographer, Jay Lawrence Pearson's hike of the Appalachian Trail. In 2005, Pearson embarked on the Northern half of the AT with his 4x5 field camera, with the intention of taking 3 shots a day. The work speaks strongly from the photographer's point of view through the self-portraits that involve a connection to the trail, as well as the struggle of the hike. Just as importantly as the work is a self-study, it also pays homage to the people of the area who Pearson hiked with and spent various lengths of time with. The intimacy of these photographs reveal a unique perspective from Pearson that seems humble and lacks any sense of intrusion into the subject's lives. The work provides a glimpse into the hiking subculture in America and places this into the setting of a very intimate gallery space. Since the work was exhibited at UIC in 2006, Pearson has taken time to go back over the photographs, rearrange and reinterpret both the experience of the hike and the work itself. 1000 Miles Shy includes many more photographs that have been recently printed in Seattle.
December 21st, 2009 - February 6th, 2010
The Wear Recycle Poster Show - Nicky Watts
Wear Recyle comes to Chicago in the form of hand printed silkscreen posters designed by Catherine Savello and produced by Nicky Watts Studios. Nicky Watts is the producer, sculptor, photographer and researcher for the international project. The posters have been designed based on the final photographs of individuals paired with a sculpture made out of recycled paper. Watts studies the interactions and relationships between the participants involved in the project in order to explore the fragility of interpersonal relationships and draw a correlation between this and the process of working with recycled paper to create a sculpture. The sculpture is inspired by the cast of a body part of that individual and the actual intimate experience of the casting. Wear Recycle will be visiting other countries once it leaves Chicago and will finish with the publication of a book on the entire experience of work relationships through the process and implementation of an artistic vision.
November 1st - December 19th, 2009
Sam Kirk
The "i am" show combines 3 different series of work from 2008 and 2009. The work highlights major influences that have inspired Sam to take on a new approach using more raw materials as her canvas. The exhibit allows for us to see her development as an artist over the past 2 years and provide a window into her future ventures. The work is progressive and speaks to an evolving American culture in which so many other cultures collide and struggle with identity and representation. These ordinary streets contain vibrant and impressive people that we constantly ignore. Sam takes the time to explore the ordinary and share her interpretations with us so that we might appreciate the diversity in current society.
