"Field Studies" Adam Fung and Steve Carrelli – Hofheimer Gallery

An exhibition of paintings and collaborative drawings created by Adam Fung and Steve Carrelli, opened yesterday at Hofheimer Gallery. The unique quality of this exhibition is that the viewer will first gain insight into each individual artist and then have an opportunity to explore a ten-year long-distance collaboration of nearly sixty 5”x7” graphite drawings on paper.

Each collaborative drawing began with one of the artists drawing a few lines—or a small segment of the composition. The partially completed drawings would be sent between Chicago and Fort Worth, Texas—a few at a time—back-and-forth until each drawing was complete. Each compositional fragment would be reviewed, assessed and contemplated—sometimes sitting for days before the opposing artist arrived at a relevant response to the challenge. Once addressed, the new version of the drawing would be sent back for yet another response. The result of this unique process ranges from humor to destruction.

Analyzing the result of this visual conversation, the viewer begins to notice elements of each artist’s personal work… Plumes of smoke from a rocket launch become smoke pouring into an empty room (Fung), The shadow cast by the open flap of an envelope (Carrelli), or the reoccurring image of a plumb bob (Carrelli). But when these personal elements are incorporated with that of the other, a surreal story begins to be told. That story only seems to exist in the viewer’s mind because this body of work is but a personal conversation… a unique chess match where both players win. And we—as viewers—get to interpret the game as we choose. 

The exhibition continues through June 26. Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 N. Damen, Chicago, Illinois 60625. Learn more at: hofheimergallery.com

Adam Fung is an Associate Professor in the School of Art at Texas Christian University. Working primarily as a painter, his nationally exhibited work brings attention to climate change, landscape patterns, and the components of the universe. Exhibited at the national level, His paintings can be found in public art collections at Microsoft, South Bend Museum of Art, and the US Department of Energy’s Fermilab, as well as numerous private collections.

Steve Carrelli is a Lecturer in the Department of Art, Media and Design at DePaul University, Chicago, as well as a Visiting Scholar at the School of Art, Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. His works utilize representational techniques to manipulate the viewer’s perception. His paintings and drawings are included in the collections of the City of Chicago Public Art Program, the Illinois State Museum, the DePaul Art Museum, Northwestern University and Elmhurst College, as well as in numerous other public and private collections.

Hofheimer Gallery is located at 4823 N. Damen, Chicago, Illinois 60625, on the north side of Chicago in the Ravenswood area at Damen and Lawrence. The gallery is dedicated to introducing contemporary fine art in painting, drawing and sculpture from established and emerging artists. The gallery features provocative, engaging, solo and group exhibitions.