A week full of art to come

The upcoming week is one of much activity on the art front, with the premier of EXPO Chicago on Wednesday, coupled with multiple events and openings tied to this year's iteration of Gallery Weekend Chicago.  As I prepare for the onslaught of viewing and socializing that will unfold, I am taking a bit of a step backward, and perusing through the offerings that will most likely occupy my energy and time; a process of taking in the big picture and deciding how the internal details will potentially come together.  That this set of events coincides with the Days of Awe (Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur) is an interesting coincidence; for it ensures that much of what I will be contemplating and focusing on will be how the spirit and will are manifest in multiple forms of creativity.  Repentance and redemption will be strongly considered through a very different lens than in years past.

Tonight is comprised of both thoughts of the year I am leaving behind and a thankfulness about what is coming forward in the months that will unfold.  That this has been a year full of both academic and artistic endeavors, as well as challenges and new opportunities leaves me feeling welcome and a bit humble.  Both luck and skill seem to have fostered some interesting successes, as well as some not so welcome losses.  I am curious about what will transpire now in turn, both in the immediate days ahead, as well as in the months that will follow.  Much is on my plate.  Much needs to be reconsidered.  And with all of that, opportunity for new ways of seeing both myself and my talents.

I offer some thoughts about where others should also focus, as EXPO and GWC come up:

Don't miss the opportunity, if you can take it in, to hear Todd Levin in discussion with Sterling Ruby, as part of EXPO Dialogues.  This coming Friday, 9/21.  It should be engaging and enlightening, about practice and opportunity in a global art market.

See the work that Jason Lazarus and Wendy White have produced for Andrew Rafacz's booth at EXPO Exposure.  It is truly beautiful and quite provocative.  And definitely go to Andrew's opening this coming Friday evening -- John Opera premiers his most recent works, cyanotypes on canvas.  They are a daring step forward and catch you off guard.

Hit the west side galleries -- see the current shows that Western Exhibitions, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Document, Alderman Exhibitions, Volume, Kavi Gupta, Thomas McCormick, and Aspect Ratio are presenting.  There is really fine work at each, crossing the borders of historical (McCormick) to truly performative and conceptual (Alderman).  What I have been able to take in already has me doing a lot of hard thinking about process and execution.

I am looking forward to seeing how the Mission has handled Marcelo Grosman's work, in their show "Guilty!"  It is big work and quite provocative in its presentation.  

Dahn Vo is opening his exhibition at the Renaissance Society and the Art Institute of Chicago by showing pieces of "We the People," his to-scale reproduction of the Statue of Liberty.  He is also presenting "Uterus," a survey of new work.  This is an opportunity to truly take in how Vo reconceptualizes identity and history, to bridge present with past.  His lens is strikingly clear, while the story is multi-layered.  I am very curious.  I think others should be too.

There will be much to consider about EXPO, both as it is unfolding, and then after it has departed.  I am excited by what Tony Karman and his team are attempting to create.  I have been lucky to have been included in some of the preparatory events and to share my own vision.  I look forward to seeing his come to fruition.  And to see the response of collectors to a fall weekend in Chicago.  As to what the work will be, at the fair ... from what I have been allowed to see coming from several galleries, including Honor Fraser in LA and Rhona Hoffman here in Chicago, it will be a series of quite well considered offerings.

There are some truly exceptional exhibitions at the museums here in town, to be taken in and considered: Karen Reimer's survey show at Gallery 400 is just simply a shining representation of her practice.  I grow increasingly taken with each viewing of her work.  And I remain excited by both Industry of the Ordinary's exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center and the Jimmy Robert survey at the MCA.  Both included work that left me rather off-guard.

Lastly, I anticipate a great experience next Saturday listening to John Yau interview Gary Stephan at Dan Devening Projects.  Gary's work is terribly addictive -- the gestures simple, yet visually dynamic.  His practice has evolved, I have learned, into something quite well considered.  I look forward to learning how and why.

I anticipate a very interesting post-mortem.  But for now, l'shana tova.  And may you be well inscribed in the book of life.https://www.facebook.com/Chgohunt