Untitled (CERN 7.20.12), 2012
© Jeremy Bolen
More specifically, the images in Cern are part of a long-term project Bolen began in 2011 working around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in France and Switzerland. In an underground tunnel spanning 17 miles, the LHC is an awe-inspiring behemoth of scientific innovation and research: it can produce 600 million particle collisions per second, and has recreated and recorded the conditions in the universe at the time of the Big Bang. This potential, however, is not without its problems: the LHC has raised concerns within the surrounding communities and beyond, about the possible effects of the research, including the possibility of creating black holes (!). And in a similar way, such consequences reveal a fundamental glitch in the overall scientific process: the extent to which natural materials and forces are disturbed through research. It is in that regard where scientific exploration and Bolen's explorations merge quite nicely: even the act of photographing has that same result (whether intended or not) of manipulating its subject, and altering perception and representation.
Untitled (CERN 7.18.12), 2012
© Jeremy Bolen
Cern
new works by Jeremy Bolen
opening Saturday 9 February, 4-7pm
Andrew Rafacz Gallery
835 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago
Also on the block that nite, Kavi Gupta Gallery opens an exhibition with conceptual artist Johanna Billing and her newest film "I'm gonna live anyhow until I die" (2012). The video blends fiction and documentary as it details individual experiences within changing societies -- in this case set in Italy and influenced by her time in Rome during protests against university reforms in 2010, which has focused the film on the future outlook for today's youth and the evolving populist political sphere around them.
still from "I'm gonna live anyhow until I die", 2012
© Johanna Billing
In addition, the project space at Kavi Gupta features three new large paintings by Matthew Metzger, revealing his ongoing explorations in abstraction."I'm gonna live anyhow until I die"
work by Johanna Billing
-and-
Waver
works by Matthew Metzger
opening Saturday 9 February, 4-7pm
Kavi Gupta Gallery
835 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago
And next door, take some time to check out the work in Bound and/or Stapled (or not), a selection of new artist books at Western Exhibitions. On view are books by Nina Hartmann, Terence Hannum, Leah Mackin, Andy Moore, and others.
Untitled (Bound), 2012
© Leah Mackin
Bound and/or Stapled (or not)
selection of new artist books
ongoing thru 9 March
Western Exhibitions
845 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago
Meanwhile, if you're in the NW part of the city, or feeling adventurous to make the trek up there, check out the new space 3433, a project of five artistic collaborators which opens up Saturday nite. Their inaugural exhibition Hammers Down features works by Sean Lamoureux and Sam Trioli, in a presentation that experiments with the visual and physical space of the room. Inspiration comes from part of a poem by Susan Howe, who writes: "Effaced background dissolves remotest foreground".
As such, the viewer is guided to search for their own interpretive connections to and between the works.
© Sean Lamoureux
Hammers Down
works by Sean Lamoureux and Sam Trioli
opening Saturday 9 February, 6-9pm
3433
3433 N. Kedvale Ave., Chicago
Lastly, wanted to catch up on a few notable exhibitions that are still ongoing but let this serve as a final notice that they close in the next few weeks.
At Schneider Gallery, the show Second Nature features large photographic prints by Tony Favarula (one of the collaborators at 3433) that investigate a tableau of his personal domestic space. Here, Favarula begins with sketches and recollections of simple everyday moments in his home, then later sculpts and stages them into dramatic (some by their stark simplicity, others by their elaborateness) re-enactments for the final photograph. In this way, the viewer is allowed to enter the artist's private space and potentially identify cues and triggers from their own personal domestic experiences.
Untitled (Interior), 2012
© Tony Favarula
Favarula's careful detailing and use of light and color evoke historical images of realist painting. Of particular interest is his self-portrait (seen below), a revealing insight into the artist. With a reference to classical compositions, the portrait carries a curious duality: on the one hand the viewer is aware that his representation is staged and controlled, yet on the other hand there is this inescapable identification with his expression and body language, namely in a way that portrays the rigor and exhaustion of his practice -- the labor of work plus artistic pursuit plus raising a family; and at the end of a workday, in a quiet private moment alone, where the domestic space can provide a temporary haven of relief and respite.
Self-Portrait, 2012
© Tony Favarula
Second Nature
photographs by Tony Favarula
ongoing thru 23 February
Schneider Gallery
230 W. Superior St., Chicago
And if you haven't been to the Cultural Center yet (or experienced any of the multitude of side events coinciding with) to see Sic Transit Gloria Mundi, first of all shame on you, second of all you have only one week left. The show chronicles the span of works from Industry of the Ordinary (aka the collaborative duo Adam Brooks and Matthew Wilson), whose work takes many forms but is predominantly performative and often seeks to rope the viewer into the act. In a similar spirit, the exhibition also includes countless objects, artworks and projects from other creators throughout the Chicago art world. Combined with IOTO's conceptual and ingenious use of wit and humor, the results seen in Sic Transit Gloria Mundi are often quirky, surprising, and just straight comical (in the best kind of way).
Match of the Day II, 2005
© Industry of the Ordinary (photo by Greg Stimac)
Taken as a whole, the installations, performances and collaborations further the duo's mission to provoke viewers into a wider philosophical examination of what exactly (and why exactly) we define as "ordinary" or "normal", either in art or in our everyday experiences.Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
works by Industry of the Ordinary, and others
ongoing thru 17 February
Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington St., Chicago
