from Blisner, Ill.
© Daniel Shea
Blisner, Ill. is concerned with the history and remains of a single Rust Belt town during the process of deindustrialization, and contributes to a larger conversation (and perhaps somewhat dystopian vision) on American industry. The project's operative theme becomes that of mythology (which is perhaps to say, the mythologized version of the history of a place and its people), whereby politics and specificity have been sacrificed in the process of myth creation; Shea's work asks us to consider the cognitive and emotional ramifications of that process. As such, his key strategy is comprised of two interrelated devices: on the one hand, conflating research documents with the artist's creations, and on the other hand, constructing a narrative of Blisner as a fictional place merged from the respective sites and histories of an urban industrial area on Chicago's south side and that of a rural industrial town downstate in southern Illinois.Be sure to see my conversation with Shea to read more about deindustrialization, mythology, and other details about his project. And perhaps more importantly, getting to the relevance of this entry: as we originally noted, selects from Blisner, Ill. were also in the works for exhibition and publication of his first monograph in the near future -- and that time is now, as the Museum of Contemporary Photography will host an exhibition and book release of Blisner, Ill. this Thursday nite (**please note that this is a one-nite only event, so be sure not to miss it**).
Blisner, Ill.
© Daniel Shea
The book was designed by Morgan Brill and produced this past summer while Shea was the Digital Artist in Residence in the photography department at Columbia College. Find out more about the book and pre-order information here.Blisner, Ill. exhibition and book release
works by Daniel Shea
Thursday 4 October, 4-8pm (**one nite only**)
Museum of Contemporary Photography
600 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago
Elsewhere in photo-related works in Chicago this week, LVL3 Gallery opens a new exhibition on Saturday evening titled Falling Short, featuring artists Andrey Bogush, Ryan Feeney, and Bea Fremderman. The group show explores our perceptual ideas of success and failure within an idealized setting -- one that often becomes littered with imperfections.
© Bea Fremderman
Starting from a background in photographic practice, each artist utilizes evolved methods to confront the illusory nature of perfection: be it Bogush's digitally altered objects challenging our original perceptions, Fremderman's restructuring of benign corporate office materials provoking questions about freedom vs. control in bureaucratic settings, or Feeney's probing of image culture and memory and how they affect our experiences.
from the series Color Pickers
© Andrey Bogush
Falling Short
works by Andrey Bogush, Ryan Feeney and Bea Fremderman
opening Saturday 6 October, 6-10pm
LVL3 Gallery
1542 N. Milwaukee Ave., 3rd floor, Chicago
Count those exhibitions among a long list of shows to see in October; a few other ongoing photo-related events and exhibitions worth a look this month include:
Untitled IIT #1 (2012)
© Michael Pfisterer
Beyond the Garden of Cyrus photographs by Michael Pfisterer
ongoing thru 6 October
Devening Projects
3039 W. Carroll Ave., Chicago
Hands III, 2012
© John Opera
People, Places, and Things works by John Opera
ongoing thru 27 October
Andrew Rafacz Gallery
835 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE (Installed and Abandoned, Chicago, IL), 2012
© Joel Ross and Jason Creps
Alleys and Parking Lots © Joel Ross and Jason Creps
works by Joel Ross and Jason Creps
ongoing thru 27 October
Monique Meloche Gallery
2154 W. Division St., Chicago
Further, in Chicagoland photo world mark your calendar for mid-October for the Filter Photo Festival, a week-long series of exhibitions, gallery talks, artist lectures, photo book fair, portfolio reviews, workshops, and more. Check out their website for the details, or download their full schedule.
So on top of all that, perhaps it comes as no surprise that October is also time for Chicago Artists Month -- see their website and schedule for an additional group of exhibitions affiliated with those efforts.
