LIGHTNESS AND BEING - SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art Gallery

Pinar Aral, Being Sixteen, unglazed ceramic, 2023

Many fine artists create work as a means of processing personal trauma, transforming their practice into a form of therapy. These works often develop into a powerful visual language, inviting audiences to interpret and connect. However, the traumas we experience are rarely ours alone—there is always someone in the audience who resonates deeply and finds a shared understanding.

This past weekend I attended an artist talk at the SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art Gallery. The event coincided with a group exhibition titled Lightness and Being—currently on view in the gallery. The show features more than thirty Chicago artists, showcasing unique and thought-provoking works that explore the concept of Lightness and Being. The exhibition responds to the need for inner serenity in a world that often feels uncertain and chaotic. The artists generally present an optimistic perspective, celebrating the wonder of life and the interconnectedness of humanity. The array of work reflects the beauty of existence while also exploring past wounds and the ongoing journey of resolving inner conflict.

Many fine artists create work as a means of processing personal trauma, transforming their practice into a form of therapy. These works often develop into a powerful visual language, inviting audiences to interpret and connect. However, the traumas we experience are rarely ours alone—there is always someone in the audience who resonates deeply and finds a shared understanding.
 
This past weekend I attended an artist talk at the SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art Gallery. The event coincided with a group exhibition titled Lightness and Being—currently on view in the gallery. The show features more than thirty Chicago artists, showcasing unique and thought-provoking works that explore the concept of Lightness and Being. The exhibition responds to the need for inner serenity in a world that often feels uncertain and chaotic. The artists generally present an optimistic perspective, celebrating the wonder of life and the interconnectedness of humanity. The array of work reflects the beauty of existence while also exploring past wounds and the ongoing journey of resolving inner conflict.

Glen Gauthier, Test for Echo, mixed media collage

These ideas were brought to life during the artist talk, where Glen Gauthier shared insights into his work, detailing his creative process and inspirations. His piece, Test for Echo, is a unique blend of graphic design elements—photography, maps, letterforms, and color strips—that evoke the wonders of childhood: travel, escape, and a yearning for something more. In his artist statement, Gauthier reflects, “Through this work, I engage in a conversation with myself—across time, as a boy, a man, and the future version of myself. It doesn’t all make perfect sense yet, but clarity is slowly emerging.” Gauthier’s deeply personal and biographical composition is just one of the many authentic gems in this exhibition.

 
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Avenue, in Chicago (60622) A closing reception for Lightness and Being, is scheduled for January 11, 2025, from 2-4pm. 

Julian Sarria, An Imaginary Man #3, ink on paper, 2024

 

The Lightness and Being exhibition feature more than thirty artists, presenting a wide range of media—paintings, prints, sculpture, photography, collages, ceramics, mosaics, jewelry, and textiles. The exhibiting artists are, Pinar Aral, Sharon Bladholm, Monica J. Brown, reisling dong, Alan Emerson Hicks, Robert  Fields, Mirentxu Ganzarain, Glen Gauthier, Markus Giolas, Fletcher Hayes, Anne Hughes, Ethan Hutchinson, Natalie Jackson, Damien James, Kathleen King, Pauline Kochanski, Loralyn Kumlin, Kim Laurel, Beatriz Ledesma, Antwane Lee, Michael Miller, Rosalina Perez, Corinne Peterson, Diane Ponder, Renee Robbins, Tom Robinson, Julian Sarria, Nicholas Sistler, Paul Gerard Somers, Eve Sopala, Gerardo Villarreal, Kathy Weaver, Glenn Wexler.

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SoNa CHICAGO
SoNa Chicago Art Gallery highlights contemporary artists from Chicago. The gallery features art in a variety of media including paintings, prints, sculpture, photography, collages, ceramics, mosaics, jewelry, and textiles. The artwork carried by SoNa Chicago reflects the creativity and abundant energy of the human spirit. We value diversity and the perspectives of people with different backgrounds and experiences. Although we will put a spotlight on Chicago artists, we want the dialogue between artists in the gallery to be global. We view our space as a venue for conversation, community, and a celebration of the arts.
 
The name SoNa Chicago represents “South of North Avenue” (SoNa) in Chicago. The gallery is located at 1527 N. Ashland Avenue, which is just South of North Avenue and a few blocks east of the iconic intersection of Damen, Milwaukee, and North Avenue. We are pleased to be part of the vibrant arts and creative community of Wicker Park, Bucktown, and West Town. We look forward to collaborating with our neighbors and with artists and galleries from across the city.
 
GLEN GAUTHIER 
Glen Gauthier is a mixed media collage artist who recently moved to Chicago from Dallas where he had a studio and also worked as a Creative Director. His artworks are montages of precise clippings from his collection of old books, brochures, images, and documents incorporated on canvas with acrylic paint. He has exhibited in cities across the United States. For the artist statement about his work in the show he wrote, “My medium is collage, utilizing printed ephemera to serve as a kind of time machine…. These materials with a history have fascinated me since childhood. I’m the youngest of five siblings who grew up in a home with overwhelmed parents in south Louisiana… Through this work, I’m having a conversation with myself through time as a boy, a man, and the future version of myself. It doesn’t all make perfect sense yet, but clarity is slowly setting in.” 

SEEING EACH OTHER: Portraits in Time and Place — NIU Art Museum

Danielle Piloto, New World King (detail), 2024, oil painting

Seeing Each Other: Portraits in Time and Place, opened last month at the Northern Illinois University Art Museum Galleries. The exhibition presents captivating portraiture offering personal insights that expose personality, emotion and even character. 

The twenty-three exhibiting artists were selected from submissions to a national call, and by invitation. The work ranges from conceptual to hyperrealism, producing an intriguing variety of thought-provoking imagery. 

Danielle Piloto’s image titled New World King created in 2024 is from an ongoing body of work titled “The Hats We Wear.” Piloto writes... “With each painting, the subject wears a hat tied to a narrative. For example, New World King is my personal perspective on leaders in the world. It addresses my growing inability to take them seriously. The “King” wears a crown made of paper (origami). He’s looking at the ball of tinfoil, which represents the world.” 

Danielle Piloto, New World King, 2024, oil painting (center image)

 

The hyperrealist painting technique utilized in New World King is visually arresting, capturing every minute detail with precision. Yet, it’s the incorporation of metaphorical elements that elevates the work, transforming it into a visual puzzle that invites deeper interpretation. This layered meaning challenges the viewer to look beyond the surface, inspiring intellectual engagement and offering a subtle commentary on power, society, and human nature.

 

Heather Green, CeCe McDonald, 2015, Oil on Panel

 

Heather Green’s CeCe McDonald created in 2015, depicts a mugshot of a transgendered woman who was arrested in 2011 for defending herself against a violent attacker. 

Green shares the story in the adjacent description card...  “Shortly after the confrontation, she was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, regardless of the serious injuries she sustained and her story outlining a lawful self-defense. With the possibility of a 20-year prison term looming, she felt compelled to accept a plea deal rather than gambling on the outcome of a jury trial.” The story continues... “Despite being targeted of a hate crime, Ms. McDonald accepted the plea for second-degree manslaughter and received a 41-month prison term. She served 19 months in two men’s prisons before her early release in 2014. Her case has received national attention, and she continues to work as an advocate for LGBTQ rights.”

With bold, expressive brushstrokes and an achromatic color palette, Green creates a striking image that exposes the deep emotions of sadness and anger. The artwork confronts the viewer with the raw, visceral response to a prejudicial social system rooted in bigotry and discrimination. The absence of color heightens the emotional intensity, allowing the viewer to focus on the depth of the subject’s pain and frustration. Green’s composition becomes a visual outcry, challenging societal norms and exposing the injustice that fuels these powerful emotions.

Trudy Borenstein-Sugiura, Asteria Hysteria, 2022, Collage (left) 

The Other/Brother, 2021 Collage (right) 

The portraits included in the exhibition go beyond capturing mere representation—portraying not only the subject’s outward appearance but also their personality, soul, and essence—sometimes incorporating metaphorical elements, symbols, or subtle visual cues that hint at a deeper narrative. These evoke a sense of intimacy, creating a connection between the viewer and the subject that surpasses the physical likeness.

Artists included in the exhibition are Trudy Borenstein-Sugiura, Maggie Cappetini, Alyssa Corrigan, Virginia Derryberry, Carly Ellis, Dan Farnum, Julia Fauci, Charles Gniech, Heather Green, Nicholas Gully, Dean Krueger, Isaiah Lee, Carol Luc, Kiara Aileen Machada, Dana Major, Dave Menard, Danielle Piloto, So Young Song, Veronica Storc, Ann Toebbe, Dillon Ward, Amy Taeger, Dan Zamudio. 

Exhibition Entry - (right) Charles Gniech, From Darkness, 2003 acrylic on canvas 

Seeing Each Other: Portraits in Time and Place, continues at The Northern Illinois University Art Museum Galleries through October 19, 2024. The Northern Illinois University Art Museum is located on the first floor of Altgeld Hall, 595 College Ave. DeKalb, IL 60115. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Thursday Noon - 7 p.m.; Sunday Noon - 4 p.m. Visit the website for related events during the run of the exhibition. https://calendar.niu.edu/art_museum

Seeing Each Other: Portraits in Time and Place, was curated by Peter Olsen, Assistant Director, Northern Illinois University Art Museum

 

 

JAMES DEEB – The Other Art Fair – Chicago

James Deeb, Wallflower, oil on board, 14 x 17"

In 2014, I wrote the introduction for a catalog of work by Chicago Artist, James Deeb. The catalog, Masks & Other Stories: small works by James Deeb, highlighted a sampling of the artist’s intimate paintings, each produced with a heavy application of glistening oil paint. Although Deeb’s technique remains consistent and his imagery continues to be inspired by the mysteriously macabre, the artist is exploring new subjects and an expanded color palette. James Deeb’s artist statement lends insight into this most recent modification.

“...I use my work as an attempt to find empathy and pathos... no matter how “dark.” Empathy and pathos, however, have been hard to come by these past few years. As a result, many pieces in my new body of work are visual reports on the pervasive climate of fear and anxiety that I sense around me...”

The work of James Deeb is on view in Booth 79 on the second floor of The Other art Fair, which opens tonight at Artifact Events. With a new twist of the art experience, The Other Art Fair combines affordable artworks by 110 artists, immersive installations, performances, musical entertainment, and a fully stocked bar.

Artifact Events is located at 4325 North Ravenswood Avenue, in Chicago. The Other Art Fair continues through the weekend... Tonight, Thursday the 11th, 6-10 pm; Friday the 12th, 5-10 pm; Saturday the 13th, 11-7 pm; Sunday the 14th, 11-6 pm. Tickets are available online at: theotherartfair.com/chicago

James Deeb, Earthbound, oil, 20 x 16"

James Deeb, Rag Doll, oil, 18 x 24" 

James Deeb was born behind the wall in West Berlin in 1964. He remembers drawing a lot as a child and making animated movies with lumpy clay dinosaurs. He graduated from Indiana University at South Bend in 1988 and received an MFA from Western Michigan University in 1994.  Deeb’s work is darkly humorous and melancholy in roughly equal measures. He refers to it as art in a minor key.

Learn more about James Deeb at jamesdeeb.com

EXPO CHICAGO - April 11-14

EXPO CHICAGO 2024, is returning to Navy Pier from April 11th to 14th for its eleventh iteration. Expo will Showcase 170 of the world's outstanding galleries from 75 cities and 29 nations. The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art will showcase the work of more than 3,000 artists and—as aways—host a wide range of diverse programming.

This year's exposition will introduce specialized segments, including EXPOSURE—dedicated to solo and dual artist presentations from galleries in operation for less than a decade, PROFILE which highlights individual artist installations and thematic exhibitions presented by distinguished international galleries, Editions + Books which presents a curated selection of artist books, editions, and multiples, and—of course—Special Exhibitions offer meticulously curated displays by non-profit organizations. 

Kyle Flubacker, photo

Exhibitor information, scheduled programming, and ticket information can be found at expochicago.com
This is an annual event not to be missed!

Judging ...WHAT THE HECK??!!!

Bradford Purse, Detail, “Pop-Up Balloon Safari at Failing Wildlife Monument”, oil on canvas

Curating a group exhibition is always a challenge. Hours, days—even weeks—are spent viewing, re-viewing, and selecting work that tells an exceptional story with a visual throughline. Having curated more than a hundred exhibitions, I understand the process. Curators, Janice Meister, Claudia Craemer and Debbie Craemer embraced the challenge. Meister selected the wide range of art objects, and the Craemer sisters presented them exquisitely within the Tall Grass Gallery. 

The works in this show surprise, bewilder, and amuse the viewer with strange combinations of reality. I was able to preview the show and honored to select the award-winning work. The judging process is always completely subjective based on the judge’s life experience, knowledge, and personal bias. That said, here are my award selections. 

Award of Excellence

Bradford Purse, “Pop-Up Balloon Safari at Failing Wildlife Monument” oil on canvas.

Timely and beautifully painted, Purse takes an opportunity to make a powerful statement about the state of the world today. With a bit of dark humor and skillful brush, I found myself lost in the beautiful details of the composition. 

Award of Excellence

Jeanne Garrett, “Gold among the Ashes” archival pigment print on rice paper with gold leaking. 

Loosely reminiscent of the work of Jane Fulton Alt who photographed controlled prairie burns in the early 2000s, this intimate piece presents the silent elegance of the destruction and rebirth of the forest floor. Garrett explores various levels of depth within an abstract landscape. Perhaps a comment of the current climate crisis, the image offers many conceptual interpretations. 

Award of Excellence

Patricia Stewart, “Wear Pills Meet Fashion” mixed media assemblage: medicine bottles, wood hanger, IV hanger. 

Stewart’s “Wear Pills Meet Fashion” is a statement that highlights the need for some to medicate as a daily ritual—like getting dressed. But the piece also—perhaps unintentionally—comments on the marketing campaigns produced by the pharmaceutical industry, that encourage the masses to accessorize with pills. The number of empty prescription bottles seems to underscore the issue. This unique assemblage is a conceptual version of Munch’s “The Scream.”

Third Place:

Richard Burd, “Elgin Joliet and Eastern Railroad, Park Forest” black and white digital print.

Beautifully composed, this photograph offers a nostalgic moment with a twist of humor. The lavish abundance of textures found throughout the image offer a range of tactile secondary focal points to explore.

 

Second Place:

Randy Buvala, Detail, “Staying Home to Watch the Rain” charcoal on paper with found objects.

Drawn to the honesty of the materials, this culmination of elements results in a fascinating encounter. The rich application of charcoal creates a soft and enchanting experience, like that of a childhood fable.

First Place:

Bradford Purse, “Ebbing Tides of the Heart” oil on canvas.

Beginning a unique visual conversation dealing with universal subjects, Purse presents luxurious imagery to challenge the audience into considering the world in which we live. He dares the viewer to spend time within his compositions, offering up expertly executed details that invigorate the canvas and entice the viewer. I found it difficult to walk away, and when I did, I found myself being pulled back to explore further. Brad Purse is truly a master of both concept and technique. 

The artists included in the WHAT THE HECK??!!! exhibition are, Jay Anderson, Marcia Babler, Judi Boehner, Richard Burd, Randy Buvala, Rita Dianni-Kaleel, Carol Estes, Mary Flynn, Jeanne Garrett, Janet Glazar, Nickie Gunning, Luis Gutierrez, Judith Hanacek, David Jagodzinski, Marie Karambis, Amanda Lorance, Lucy Mueller, Bob Nardi, Diane O’Connor, Bradford Purse, Tali Rachelle, Mary Schiller, Doug Stein, Patricia Stewart, Tanya Wingo-Brown, and Kelly Witte.

WHAT THE HECK??!!! will continue through March 16, 2024, at the Tall Grass Art Gallery located at 367 Artists Walk in Park Forest, Gallery Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am - 4pm. Learn more at www.tallgrassarts.org

MEMORY - Christopher Art Gallery of Prairie State College

Frances Cox, Memory of Watching Plants, 32x32 in, oil on canvas

A juried exhibition titled Memory, opened this week at the Christopher Art Gallery of Prairie State College. The exhibition, curated by Gallery Director Beth Shadur, includes a variety of work addressing the ideas of past experience and nostalgia. 

The school’s gallery guide points out, “Our ability as humans to make and remember memories is what makes experiences rich and defining in our lives. Actually, all living beings have memory, and this is evident by the mysterious ways in which birds migrate successfully, our pets learn our requests for obedience, and how activities for living beings become habitual. But for artists, the ability to process and then elicit memory is particularly profound.”

Frances Cox was raised in a Chicago neighborhood where her parents owned the local bakery. Some of her earliest memories were of drawings produced on an unlimited supply of brown wrapping paper acquired from the family business. She remembers family drives from the city, exploring the countryside and nature. As her work as an artist evolved, Cox redefined landscapes and nature-inspired still-lives.

The work of Frances Cox defines beautiful abundance. Cox orchestrates the repetition of form, pattern, and texture creating lavish compositions with her unique visual vocabulary and a seductive use of jeweled color tones. Each canvas persuades the viewer to renounce reality and immerse themselves into a new organic world. The distinctive contrasting color patterns create a lavishly orchestrated composition suggestive of an abstract cornucopia. 

Other artist included in the exhibition include Joan Ackerman-Zimny, Marcia Babler, Wayne Bertola, Pate Conaway, Helen Dannelly, Jeanne Garrett, Leslie Hirshfield, Pauline Kochanski, Alejandro Lugo, Mary Lynn Maloney, Janice Meister, Betty Ann Mocek, Karen Musgrave, Carol Neiger, Julie Rivera, Jihye Shin, Aaron Sims, and Colette Wright Adams.

The Memory exhibition continues through January 25 at the Christopher Art Gallery. A reception for the artists is scheduled for Wednesday, January 17, 11 am- 1:30 pm. The gallery is found on the main campus of Prairie State College, located at 202 South Halsted Street, Chicago Heights, Illinois 60411. Learn more at https://prairiestate.edu/christopher-art-gallery/