Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Fundraiser for Jeff and Elizabeth Maldonado


Fundraiser for Jeff and Elizabeth Maldonado, due to the tragic death of their son.

Friday July 31, from of 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
cash donation of $10.00.

All the proceed will go towards funeral expenses and needs of the family. For more info regarding his death go to: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=6935825

APO
1436 W. 18th St.
Chicago, IL 60608

Funeral services will be at Zefran Funeral Home on 1943 West Cermak Road. Thursday July 30, between the hours of 2:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. and On Friday the procession will be at 10:00 A.M.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The HomeAide Stand


The HomeAide Stand

1626 W. 21 St is a storefront supporting local Chicago artists with the focus on recycled art.

Opening July 31, 2009 3pm – 8pm
Grand opening fundraiser for an Illinois Arts Council grant to support a local disabled artist.

http://www.chicagostudioworks.com/

We will also be featuring many local talented artists.

Come and enjoy a bronze sculpture, fiber art, recycled notebooks, photography, paintings and live sitar.

"Surveillance & Spirituality"

"Surveillance & Spirituality":
New works by
Gabriel Villa

Project Wall Space: Cole Pierce

Gabriel Villa’s work is multifaceted and has evolved conceptually since moving to Chicago and has adopted new imagery, themes, and formal strategies and intensified from the use of newfound images.

For the past nine years Villa has lived and worked in Chicago producing an idiosyncratic body of work that builds upon previous work but whose diversity and powerful imagery are direct results of his adopted home. Each of Villa’s images represents either his ongoing transformation into a new, unknown identity, a dual symbol of psychological oppression and a personal memory, a lingering catholic symbol or an icon of the Chihuahua desert.

Thematically, Villa is socially conscious, mostly expressed as empathy for those marginalized for their economic or racial reasons. Surely his work operates between figuration and abstraction, leaving more questions unanswered than answered, but his increasingly powerful combination of signs symbols with his figures and abstraction opens many avenues to interpretation, positive or negative, simple or complex.

His most recent public art work was erased by the city of Chicago by the request of Bridgeport alderman Jim Balcer. This sparked issues of censorship because the mural was commissioned. For more info: http://www.wbez.org/Content.aspx?audioID=34234

For this show he will recreate some of the work that was lost plus show more of his new work.

Opening Friday August 7 from 6pm-10pm
August 7- September 5, 2009

ANTENA
1765 S. Laflin St.
Chicago IL 60608
www.antenapilsen.com
antenapilsen (at) gmail.com
Hours: by appointment
only

BEN RUSSELL : BURNS


BEN RUSSELL presents
BEN RUSSELL : BURNS

CAMLAB (ANNA MAYER & JEMIMA WYMAN)
DIANA GUERRERO-MACÍA
MATT HANNER
SEMICONDUCTOR (RUTH JARMAN & JOE GERHARDT)

1716 S Morgan #2F
Chicago, IL 60608

August 2 to August 30, 2009
Opening reception: 6-10 pm, August 2, 2009
Private viewings by appointment*

*A performance by Camlab will be presented once at 9pm during the opening reception.

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ABOUT THE SHOW:

In remembrance of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the Harrowing Pepsi Shoot of 1984, the Tragic Heat Wave of 1995, and that August '09 sweat on your Midwest brow; in honor of the public swimming pool around the corner, the names of various Midwestern sports teams, the ice cream truck that is actually probably not a drug front, and the sweet rattle of window-mounted air-conditioning units; in praise of art and summertime and the rapid rise in regional mercury, BEN RUSSELL presents its third show in just as many months - BEN RUSSELL : BURNS

Following (hot) on the heels of last month's (smoking) success, an opening that was made complete with the romance of a simulated Mars-Moon eclipse in the cop-infested alleyway (via artists Roxanne Hopper and Julie Rudder), this month's scorcher features two artists and two artist duos of international persuasion. Break your sunglasses, skip the tanning salon, throw that 60SPF sunscreen in the trash and let the BURNS at BEN RUSSELL char to a crisp your inner and outer cultural selves. From the language-branded cowflesh of Chicagoan Diana Guerrero-Macía to the glow-in-the-dark smokebomb abstractions of Matt Hanner, from UK team Semiconductor's sun-flared NASA video grit to the campfire-replacement sculpture and damsel-in-distress performance of CamLab, BEN RUSSELL : BURNS will demonstrate unequivocally that, at least in Pilsen, the heat is on.

In keeping with the by-now time-honored BEN RUSSELL custom, opening-night attendees are invited to feel the (afore-mentioned) heat of the barbecue and bask in the chill of mild inebriation, while supplies last.
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

CAMLAB is a collaboration between Jemima Wyman and Anna Mayer. CamLab has exhibited in group exhibitions internationally and had solo shows at The Block, Queensland University of Technology (Australia), Sea and Space Explorations, Los Angeles, and at 40000 in Chicago. Recently they staged a live performance in conjunction with a social project documented throughout the duration of the exhibition for “Performing Economies” exhibition at Fellows for Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. This summer CamLab is living and working at the Co-Prosperity Sphere in Bridgeport as part of the ThreeWalls residency program. They currently have work in “No Other One Is,” a group show of the summer residents’ at ThreeWalls.

DIANA GUERRERO-MACÍA is an artist deeply invested in the history of language and the usage of signs and symbols in art. Her work demonstrates the construction of universal statements culled from popular narratives as fields of text and image recalling eccentric forms of concrete poetry. Her playful and paradoxical approach to language resonates through her hand-sewn materials of choice: wool, vinyl, cotton, and leather. She received an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a BFA from Villanova University, and studied at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She has received the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant and two residencies at the MacDowell Colony. Her solo shows include Artpace, San Antonio, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Bodybuilder & Sportsman, and Tony Wight Gallery. She has finished public art commissions for the Public Art Fund, NYC, and the Chicago Public Art Foundation. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Fiber & Material Studies and Painting Departments at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

MATT HANNER has exhibited his wall paintings, collages, and installations in group and solo exhibitions at the Hyde Park Art Center, Temporary Services, mini-dutch and Deadtech, Chicago. Additionally he has had exhibitions in Dallas, TX, Puerto Rico, and Denmark. He lives in Porter, Indiana with his wife Erika, daughter Gigi and their moody cat Angelina.

SEMICONDUCTOR make moving images which reveal our physical world in flux: cities in motion, shifting landscapes, and systems in chaos. Since 1999, UK artists Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt have worked with digital animation in an attempt to transcend the constraints of time, scale, and natural forces and explore the world beyond everyday experience. Central to these works is the role of sound, as it creates, controls, and deciphers images, exploring resonance through the natural order of things. Their work has been exhibited at the Tate Britain, ICA London, San Francisco Film Festival, Mutek Montreal, and the Venice Biennale, among other venues worldwide. Recent fellowships and residencies have supported site-specific work, including research and experimentation at the NASA Space Sciences Laboratories of UC Berkeley in California.
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*image1: still from Brilliant Noise by Semiconductor (2006, video, 9:40)

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ABOUT THE SPACE:

BEN RUSSELL is a newly formed art space in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Co-curated by artists Brandon Alvendia and Ben Russell and situated around the front two rooms in the apartment of its namesake, BEN RUSSELL began presenting a series of month-long 5-person shows on Memorial Day Weekend in the year 2009. Participating artists are invited to produce and exhibit work that is in accordance with the title/theme of each show, the name of which will be derived entirely from the 10 letters in the words "ben russell." Future shows may include BEN RUSSELL : BLUENESS, BEN RUSSELL : REBELS, and BEN RUSSELL : BEER. In keeping with the structural conceits of the French Oulipo language group and the spatial and material limits of what is effectively a rented apartment, BEN RUSSELL maintains a set of restrictions for all exhibiting artists by which:

- One artist shall produce a wall-mounted work scaled at a minimum of three quarters of the thirteen by ten foot wall
- One artist shall produce a wall-mounted work at a maximum of one half of the opposing wall space between the two adjacent doors
- One artist shall produce a time-based work to be presented via a CRT flat screen monitor (and associated components) with Dolby 5.1 audio in the adjacent screening room
- One artist shall produce work to be installed in the all-weather sculpture garden
- One artist shall produce work to be performed for the duration of 15-30 minutes during the opening

BEN RUSSELL features a rotating roster of Chicago-based and non-Chicago-based artists and will be open for viewings one night a month and by appointment, as needed.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Calles y Sueños reopens in Pilsen


"Calles y Sueños" presents Semillas de Pilsen

Saturday, August 1 2009, 6pm-10pm

Featuring:

Stick N Move Dance Crew
TABCAT Capoeria Angola
Raíz Viva
Diana Hinojosa
Son del Viento

Exhibition:

Artists from Juchitán, Oaxaca:
César Martínez, Patricia Herrera, Manuel Cabrera,José Angel Santiago, Rodrigo Vasquez Medina, Soid Pastrana, from Miguel Angel Toledo

Artists from Chicago:
Rebecca Wolfram, Bertha Husband, Miguel Cortez, Miguel jiménez, Nuco, and Vicky Cervantes


"Calles y Sueños"
La Casa de Arte y Cultura
1900 S. Carpenter

$8 Suggested Donation
Some food and refreshments provided

La Casa se Arte y Cultura was a cultural space that existed from 1994-1999 in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Come join us for the grand reopening.

For more information contact us at cys_94@hotmail.com
Visit us at www.myspace.com/callesysueños

Calles y Sueños @ Colibri


"Calles y Sueños”

“We realize that we live in the entrails of the “Great Monster,’ hence we walk the streets and dream, our feet in unison with fire in our hearts, crystal minds, agile hands and lucid eyes. “

The foundation for "Calles y Sueños” was developed by several Latino artists, as a creative response to the once prevalent artistic void that existed in Chicago’s Latino arts community in the late 80’s. Its intention was to be nurtured through the change and freedom that was expressed on a multitude of levels. Culturally, the artistic community that was created by “Calles y Sueños” continues to this day cultivate its Latino roots and plant new seeds for its ever-evolving identity to continue to germinate. As the community of “Calles y Sueños” grows we continue to realize we are a transplanted people still growing in a jungle of alienation, racism and economic hardship."

"Calles y Sueños" and Colibrí Gallery/Studio presents

The Art Exhibition and Reception
Who are we, What is our name? and Behind the Disturbances

Saturday, July 25 2009, from 6 to 9pm

Exhibition by young artists Rodrigo VasquezMedina and Jose Angel Santiago from Juchitån, Oaxaca.

Featuring:

MAS Musical and María Blues

THEN

10pm Fandango

Featuring Fandaguero
$8 Suggested Donation

Colibrí Gallery/ Studio
2032 W. 18th Street
312-733-8431

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

SERGENT GARCIA


Manu Chao collaborator & The King of RaggaSalsa!
SERGENT GARCIA
12 Piece Big Band, Chicago Debut!
CumbiaReggaeSalsaSkaFusion!

+ Los Vicios de Papá

Monday July 20th 8:30pm SHOW
Doors at 7:30pm
Logan Square Auditorium
2539 N. Kedzie Blvd
http://soundculturechicago.com/

Thursday, July 02, 2009

BEN RUSSELL : RUSE


BEN RUSSELL presents:
BEN RUSSELL : RUSE

MARCO KANE BRAUNSCHWEILER and MARTINE SYMS PAUL CHAN MIGUEL CORTEZ ROXANE HOPPER and JULIE RUDDER KELLY KACZYNSKI

Opening reception July 5, 2009 from 6-10 pm
July 5 to July 26, 2009

*The performance "NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN" by Roxane Hopper and Julie Rudder will be presented once at 9pm during the opening reception. Paul Chan's video "RE:_THE OPERATION" will only be screened on the 5th of July.
BEN RUSSELL
1716 S Morgan #2F
Chicago, IL 60608
Private viewings by appointment*
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ABOUT THE SPACE:

BEN RUSSELL is a newly formed art space in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Co-curated by artists Brandon Alvendia and Ben Russell and situated around the front two rooms in the apartment of its namesake, BEN RUSSELL began presenting a series of month-long 5-person shows on Memorial Day Weekend in the year 2009. Participating artists are invited to produce and exhibit work that is in accordance with the title/theme of each show, the name of which will be derived entirely from the 10 letters in the words "ben russell." Future shows may include BEN RUSSELL : BLUENESS, BEN RUSSELL : REBELS, and BEN RUSSELL : BEER. In keeping with the structural conceits of the French Oulipo language group and the spatial and material limits of what is effectively a rented apartment, BEN RUSSELL maintains a set of restrictions for all exhibiting artists by which:

- One artist shall produce a wall-mounted work scaled at a minimum of three quarters of the thirteen by ten foot wall
- One artist shall produce a wall-mounted work at a maximum of one half of the opposing wall space between the two adjacent doors
- One artist shall produce a time-based work to be presented via a CRT flat screen monitor (and associated components) with Dolby 5.1 audio in the adjacent screening room
- One artist shall produce work to be installed in the all-weather sculpture garden
- One artist shall produce work to be performed for the duration of 15-30 minutes during the opening

BEN RUSSELL features a rotating roster of Chicago-based and non-Chicago-based artists and will be open for viewings one night a month and by appointment, as needed.

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ABOUT THE SHOW:

As a follow-up to last month’s inaugural exhibition (BEN RUSSELL : BENRUSSELL, which foregrounded the apartment-as-found-object), BEN RUSSELL is proud to present the second show of its new and still-dewy-eyed life in the form of BEN RUSSELL : RUSE .

In an attempt to accurately reflect the past, present, and future of the ranks of the Pilsen artist-run spaces that they have joined, BEN RUSSELL’s own artist-curators Brandon Alvendia and Ben Russell have asked Paul Chan (Dogmatic, 1997-2005), Marco Kane Braunschweiler and Martine Syms (Golden Age, 2007-present), Miguel Cortez (Antena, 2008-present), Roxane Hopper and Julie Rudder (VEGA Estates, 2007-present), and Kelly Kaczynski (Unnamed Future Space, ? – future) to present work that abides by the restrictions and theme of their new space. Conceived of in part as a counterpoint to the “Artists Run Chicago” show at the Hyde Park Arts Center, this exhibit features the mostly-new works of seven artists behind five different artist-run spaces in the Pilsen neighborhood.

As such, BEN RUSSELL : RUSE is both wily subterfuge and meta-provocation, an interrogation into the complex relationship of artists and curators as content/context providers through the blurring of authorship. Are curators the new artists or are artists the new curators?

And so: come plumb the depths of psychic surveillance, backwards stage sets, makeshift cosmic phenomena, backyard re-inventions, and Colin Powell reading from Foucault on the inevitability of history! Ponder the differences between the artists' studio practices and curatorial agendas! See the contract** signed by Kelly Kaczynski that makes the exhibition of her work contingent on the future opening of her own Pilsen artist-run space! Sit in the dark and watch a video by Paul Chan!

A veritable Where’s Waldo of trickery shall ensue as any number of RUSEs are laid out by the exhibiting artist-curators. In keeping with the newest of post-holiday customs, day-old fireworks, vegetarian barbecue, and beer will be available to all gallery visitors upon request while supplies last.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

MARCO KANE BRAUNSCHWEILER and MARTINE SYMS are visual artists and conceptual entrepreneurs based in Chicago, Illinois. In 2007, they started Golden Age, a concept shop that sells publications, music, apparel and other editioned works created by artists. Golden Age makes a statement about an alternative mode of making and selling art; that it can be straightforward, accessible, and moderately priced. They are currently interested in using their lifestyle as creative content.

PAUL CHAN lives and works in New York. In 1997 he founded Dogmatic in Chicago with Aviv Kruglanski, Andrew Natale, and Michael Thomas, a space that was "committed to civil and artistic actions that could draw attention to the growing rifts within their community." The gallery exhibited work by Jeremy Boyle, Amanda Ross-Ho, Scott Wolniak and many others. Chan's recent solo exhibitions have been presented at the New Museum, New York (2008); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, (2007); Serpentine Gallery, London (2007); The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, (2006-07); Portikus, Frankfurt, (2006); Magasin 3, Stockholm Konsthall (2006); Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong (2006); UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2005); and The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (2005).

MIGUEL CORTEZ is an artist living in Chicago and born in Guanajuato, Mexico. He currently runs an alternative contemporary art space called Antena in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, and was a founding member of Polvo, an art collective that began in 1996. He has organized various shows throughout the years at the Polvo space and a variety of other alternative spaces. His work has been exhibited recently at the Krannert Museum in Champaign, IL , the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, and the Bridge Art Fair in Miami. Past shows include an exhibit at Mighty Fine Arts Gallery in Dallas, "Lo Romantico" at Glass Curtain Gallery and "Lies that Bill Gates told me: Exploring the Digital Divide" at VU Space in Melbourne, Australia.

ROXANE HOPPER and JULIE RUDDER met while in graduate school at Northwestern University's department of Art Theory and Practice. In 2007 they started up the project space, Vega Estates, from a shared interest in the creation of art and community in Chicago. Both artists work in multiple media, including photography and video and recently their individual practices have both been concerned with light as material - Roxane's being more invested in the spiritual and Julie's in the relationship to the political. Julie is from Eastern North Carolina and Roxane is from San Antonio, Texas.

KELLY KACZYNSKI is an artist living in Chicago but with an affinity to the landscape surrounding the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up. Her work, while existing in a temporal-spatial platform, is predominately materials based. Her most recent exhibition, 'Olympus Manger', Scene II was exhibited at the Hyde Park Art Center, 2008. She teaches in the Department of Art Theory and Practice at Northwestern University.