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June 30, 2011 Galleries & Museums | Art Sidebar

        
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A regular guy inspires This Is Paul Halupka

By Lauri Apple

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Baby Paul and His Dad by Pamela Bannos

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Anonym as Paul by Mary Lou Zelazny

Curator Jessica Cochran had met local graphic designer Paul Halupka only once before deciding to dedicate an entire exhibition to him. She interviewed him when he volunteered to sit naked in an installation created by Argentinean artist Maximo Gonzalez for Art Chicago 2009. He was, she says, the "only legit" applicant. "He seemed like a good guy and a cool person, so when I came up with the idea to do a show about some random person, I thought, 'Oh, maybe Paul.'" Cochran e-mailed Halupka and he responded with amusement. The show, This Is Paul Halupka, features works by 13 emerging and mid-career artists—including Kirsten Leenaars, Ryan Richey, Michael X. Ryan,

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A Sound Foundation by Alberto Aguilar

and Mary Lou Zelazny—that focus on different aspects of Halupka's life, from the places where he played as a child to his logo-designing skills. "I call it relational portraiture," Cochran says, "because it involves depicting the same person in a layered way." By concentrating on an average Joe, she adds, the show critiques the manner in which the media thrust people into the spotlight. It also raises questions about the role of the curator as tastemaker or "legitimizer," since Cochran asked the participating artists to carry out a concept that meant something to her but perhaps not to them—or anyone else.

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Tags: Art Sidebar, Jessica Cochran, Paul Halupka, Kirsten Leenaars, Ryan Richey, Michael X. Ryan, Mary Lou Zelazny, This is Paul Halupka, Maximo Gonzelez, C33 Gallery, Columbia College, Columbia College C33 Gallery