Moby Dick at Packer Schopf

Timothy Vermeulen's new paintings are based on specific texts from Moby Dick, and currently showing at Packer Schopf Gallery. Tim's figures, and his use of perspective that is just off enough to keep you just unsettled, is reminiscent of the early Northern Renaissance painters, think Hieronymus Bosch and Giotto, but very contemporary. There are lots of things about Tim's work that make each piece not only inviting but engaging, one is his understanding of color and how it effects mood, another is his odd sense of space, as each painting seems to open up to the room. The way he skewed the perspective in the piece made me feel as if I were being enveloped and the paintings became much bigger than their modest 13.5 X 17.5 size.

Each piece was part of the Moby Dick narrative but Tim would place himself in these paintings, participating and exploring as both an onlooker and a participant. His presance in the paintings allowed me to involve myself in the storytelling, reexamining my place in a world in flux. Tim's paintings are brave and confident and this show is not to be missed, unfortunately you only have until the 13th of February to see it.

There will be a special reception for the College Art Association Convention on Friday, February 12, from 5PM until 8PM, which will also host A book release of Words for Paintings by Jason Lahr, whose paintings are also currently on view at Packer Schopf. Don't forget to visit the downstairs gallery while you are there, ventriloquist dummy portraits by Gene Hamilton tie this three person show together quite gracefully, also downstairs get a glimpse of what's next at Packer Schopf.

M155 4m3r1c4

Image from Noble & Superior Projects' blog

If you follow me on FourSquare you'll already know I was at the leet speak filled M155 4m3r1c4, or Miss America, last night at Noble & Superior Projects. I had never been there before and thought it'd be a hoot, and it was. Leet Speak refers to elite speak, because it is encoded, and there are plenty of variations to keep people, not in the know, busy for some time.

Noble & Superior Projects hosted what might have been more of a film screening than an art show, but either way I enjoyed the video. Patrick Bobilin was the Filmmaker of the pair of artists that made up M155 4m3r1c4. Patrick did an excellent job with his, part documentary part fictional self-portrait. It was a linier journey for the most part, although it utilized some wonderful symbolism and imagery to make social as well as cultural commentaries mainly revolving around cause and affect. For those of you that might be interested, you also have the opportunity to look at documentation collected during recording and referenced in the video.

In the kitchen of Noble & Superior Projects was a corresponding show, or a rider to Patrick's video and documentation, of Cara Anne Greene's curated culinary creations. That was cool too.

M155 4m3r1c4
Exhibiting through February 16
Noble & Superior Projects

ChicagoLand at Peregrine Program

I went to my first Peregrine Program opening, which happened to be only their third, to see ChicagoLand, a show that consisted of work by Daniel Lavitt. After seeing it I found it difficult to talk about this show to others, because I wasn't sure what it was to be honest. It was kind of a series of sculptures, but it was also utilizing electronics. One piece in particular was an homage to the late Roger Brown, a house sculpture was hung on the wall in which when you interacted with the door the lights in the windows went on.

The whole show apparently had a technology theme dealing with the electronics of these lights that were part of the pieces. It was set up so that you can view the work in an ascending order of the artists technological prowess. The final piece in the show, the most advanced technologically, really caught my imagination. It was part of a house sticking out of a wall, like those damn baseballs people put on their car's rear window, and the lights in the house are on until you approach it. This is where the advanced technology comes in, although not extremely advanced in the grand scheme of programming, the lights turning off as someone approaches, has a lot to say. Actually, I spoke to the artists about this and the house was a replica of his first apartment in Chicago, and because he didn't like his room mates, he would often pretend not to be home by turning off the lights as they would approach.

I left a bit unsure if it was a sculpture show, that had some electronics, or an electronics show that used sculpture as a vehicle. In the end I guess it doesn't matter but what might matter is that we have a new space in Chicago called Peregrine Program, and although it is only a 13" X 23" box the owner Edmund Chia is showing what he likes and I am always excited about new spaces showing new things.

Talking Haiti on Two Guys and a Guest

This is the first part of Two Guys and a Gust from Thusday January 21st when we were talking to Alex Polotsky about Haiti and Haiti Aid Raffle.


This is the second part of that same show.

Sculptor Bill Boyce Talks With ChicagoArts

Bill Boyce is a sculptor and metal fabricator that has an uncanny sense of how things could go together. His work flows, and organically comes together so consistently beautiful that I would say it was remarkable. Bill will be joining me in the studio for ChicagoArts Live on Tuesday January 26th for a live stream of a follow up interview in which you are invited to participate by asking questions or making comments about Bill and his work or the interview.

Join us on Tuesday the 26th at 7:30pm here


Contact Bill on Facebook here or give him a call at 773-761-7845

If you know, or are, an artists that would like to be interviewed on ChicagoArts contact me through my website at http://www.martinjon.com

Help Haiti and Win Art or Donate Art

I do not normally do this but, this one is from the heart, as they say. I found out less than an hour ago that someone I know died in Haiti. I have never been, nor did I have any inclination to travel to Haiti, but many people that I know have done just that. Two in particular were in Haiti during the recent earthquake.

Sue Frame who I had lived and worked with for a number of years thankfully survived although Flo McGarrell did not. I did not know Flo well enough to feel comfortable speaking about him too much, but I will say he was one of the strongest people I knew, and although I may not have spent long hours getting to know Flo, I do know there is an absence in the world without him.

Sue and Flo were in Jacmel, Haiti, building an artists center. The last I heard was that there was trouble getting the container of tools they had collected past customs. That school has fallen down the priority list now that things like fresh water has been added to the list of needs of the Haitian people.

In response to this loss of a Chicago Area artists, there is a small group of Chicagoans starting an art raffle to help give back to those giving to Haiti. If you are an artists, artesian or anyone willing to donate items to this raffle please upload images and descriptions to this flickr page. Every $5 donated to Doctors Without borders between Wednesday the 13th and Thursday the 21st will buy you on raffle ticket, just send your confirmation email to alexpolotsky (at) gmail (dot) com. For more information visit http://haitiaidraffle.wordpress.com/ , thank you.

Photos via Art21 blog and Sue Frame's Flickr page

Manipulated Found Photos at the Chicago Cultural Center

Pittsburgh artists Susanne Slavick had a show open Friday Jan 8th entitled R&R(...&R) in the Northern most of the Chicago Cultural Center's Michigan Avenue Galleries. Susan works with photographs she finds on the internet of war, desolation and/or destruction. After finding the images she wants to work with, Susanne often digitally manipulates them, but that is far from the beauty that is her artwork. Susan's poetic images come from her painting over these found photographs with Gauche. Her use of contradiction and the way she hints at the unknown is uncanny and attracted me immediately.

The piece that was getting a lot of attention while I was there was Remorse: White Curtains. This piece was based off a photo of a building in which Susan had painted thin white curtains billowing from its windows. The delicate way in which she painted the curtains, and the obvious lack of people, made the work eerie and have an overall feeling of desolation or desertion. These sorts of desolate feelings were not consistent throughout the show thankfully, part of the show also consisted of a series of desert landscapes in which Susanne painted this welling up of water from holes in the ground. These works read as hopeful, and the style in which she painted these, and most of her other pieces, were derived from Persian Masters.

Susanne's reconstruction of the destruction within photographs, digitally as well as physically, reminded me that we are not alone. These works, although sometimes screaming out for change, I see more as accepting of what can not be changed as well as an inner look to change oneself. Susanne has a deep rooted faith in humanity and spirituality, you see this as she exposes the unseen within the photographs she finds. A serious game of Tug-O-War is being played on, and literally through, the wreckage of a car bomb.

Photographs although sometimes seen as absolute facts are, like everything else, biased. Susanne Slavick, whose show will be at the Cultural Center through April 4th, has a wonderful grasp of that bias and sometimes exploits it while other times turning it on its head. All that being said, at the end of the day Susanne is making beautiful work. Is it political? Sure it is. Is it academic? Without a doubt, it is, but you wouldn't know that except for the outrageous title cards which are sure to remind you.