Galleries This Weekend
The Circus Collages of C.T. McClusky
Through 5/25:Galleries
The complete collection of McClusky's collages, which he made from household objects and that depict his life as a traveling circus clown. Reception Fri 1/11, 5-8 PM.
756 N. Milwaukee Ave.
River West
312-243-9088Monstrosity
5/10-5/25:Galleries
A group show featuring several students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, including curator Peyton Rack. Viewing by appointment only. Reception Fri 5/10, 5-10 PM.
Pictures at an Exhibition
Through 5/25:Galleries
Group show featuring "a diverse collection of selected fine art." Reception Thu 2/21, 6-9 PM.
The Jettisoned
Through 5/26Galleries
Inspired by "the tradition of the tableau vivant in painting and photography as it maps representations of identity and the bodily," Yoni Goldstein and Meredith Zielke created this experimental film installation depicting scenes of living portraiture. Part of Anatomy in the Gallery. Reception Fri 3/22, 5-8 PM.
Mirror Box
Through 5/26Galleries
Group show featuring work that examines the loss of identity that comes with losing a limb, highlighted by "Joanne Tilley’s sculptures of dolls with limb differences." Part of Anatomy in the Gallery. Reception Fri 3/22, 5-8 PM.
Reading Room
5/5-5/26:Galleries
Group show featuring multidisciplinary work that explores "reading in various fashions—leisure, research, skimming, pleasure." Reception Sun 5/5, 1 PM.
From Russia to America: Art of Three Generations by the Livchitz Family
5/3-5/28:Galleries
A tribute to what would have been Russian realist painter Chaim Livchitz's 100th birthday, this exhibit displays the work of Chicago-based, Russian-American artists whose work spans three generations. Reception Sat 5/4, 6-9 PM.
1012 N. Dearborn St.
Gold Coast/Mag Mile/Streeterville
847-864-5323Unknown Pleasures
5/10-5/30Galleries
BOLT resident Laura Davis presents Joy Division-inspired reappropriations of jewelry and furniture. Reception Fri 5/10, 6-9 PM.
No Gods No Masters
5/10-5/30Galleries
Group show featuring HATCH artists, which focuses on the significance of GIFs. Reception Reception Fri 5/10, 6-9 PM..
In Metamorphosis
5/3-5/31Galleries
It's always interesting to see two artists working independently of one another exhibited together. Done right, the juxtaposition can both enhance the viewer's understanding of each artist as an individual and allow for the creation of new meaning in the interplay between their work. That's the case with Vivian van Blerk and Douglas Stapleton's joint show "In Metamorphosis," which can be interpreted as an examination of narrative. Using ambrotype, an early photographic process that involves creating a positive image on a pane of glass, van Blerk captures characters from mythology in the moment their fate is sealed. He shows us Icarus as his wings begin to melt against the sun, and Daphne transforming into a tree to escape the lustful Apollo. By using an antiquated technique to re-create mythological scenes with modern models (his Dyrope is African-American), van Blerk pulls the story out of time, creating a mood that's neither past nor present. What we're left with is a consideration of the eternal recurrence of archetypes—the cautionary tale of Icarus, the exemplary chastity of Daphne—in both life and art. While van Blerk removes his subjects from time, Stapleton uses time as a subject, layering historical images and cultural references in collage. He creates what appear to be Speedos on a Roman frieze and Victorian birds over Italian frescoes, building a history that's both condensed and fractured, reconfigured according to a particular point of view. Stapleton presents another way the story of humanity can be told—by gathering elements of reality and applying them where we think they belong. —Sarah Nardi
Flesh: Photographs by Justice Howard
Through May 31Galleries
Photographic prints that celebrate alternative sexuality. Reception Fri 2/1, 7 PM.
Joan Mitchell: At Home in Poetry
Through 5/1:Galleries
A retrospective of work Mitchell made in collaboration with noted poets, including Frank O’Hara, Bill Berkson, and Charles Hine.
Medley: A Collage Show
Through 5/31:Galleries
A series of two- and three-dimensional collages. Reception Fri 4/12, 6-10 PM.
