As 2012 quickly comes to an end, I again find myself thinking back on the exhibitions I saw this year that stayed with me, particularly the ones that led me to think deeply about their featured works and what they were saying. The following list of shows, in no real order of preference, truly caught my interest and reminded me why I am a collector and true fan of contemporary practice:
Together, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Renaissance Society featured two quite wonderful exhibition pairings, that offered scope of history and representation to these artists' work: Dawoud Bey's tandem shows provided a perspective on his practice that read openly and just beautifully. I continue to be in awe of his eye and his conceptual voice. And Dahn Vo's "We the People" surprised me with its elegance. The presentation of the component pieces in the Pritzker Garden was just sublime. And the use of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago was genius - it's component pieces were incredibly well situated. The work opened up in a fascinating dialog with the spaces, and left me very pleased.
The Lichtenstein retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago was truly one of this year's highlights. James Rondeau's love letter to this artist's vast practice and its strong linearity further reminded me why I was captivated by the work back when I was much younger, and remain so today.
Afterimage at the DePaul Art Museum was a truly exciting exhibition. To see the works of many artists, across time, who I have come to both appreciate deeply and respect immensely, was an opportunity of pleasure. From the beautiful selections of work by the Imagists, to their legacies who are engaging us now with their emotion and vision - this show just got it right.
Industry of the Ordinary's mid career retrospective, Sic transit gloria mundi, at the Chicago Cultural Center, proved again how clearly tied to the present a team of curators can be at this Chicago gem. A really captivating presentation of this collective's creative conscience.
Two exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art proved to be strong favorites, as well. The introduction to Jimmy Robert's practice really caught me by surprise, with its lyricism and simple beauty. His videos, photographs, and constructions together provided a glimpse at a deeply considered exploration of self within the world, that seared with its sensuality and intelligence. And Helen Molesworth's "This Will Have Been: Art, Love, and Politics in the 1980s" took me back home, to the years that formed my activism and engagement with art. I was often left reexperiencing the raw emotions I first felt on seeing many of these artists for the first time, and was reminded again and again how clearly new and real the love and anger were when these pieces were created and exhibited. It was an truly apt time to bring this work forward.
Finally, I will add that the AIC ended the year quite well with the Steve McQueen retrospective and the first museum exhibition for Hito Steyerl. Both of these artists specialize in video, from quite divergent perspectives. However, each has taken this medium forward in quite daunting ways, and the two shows dance nicely together. Bravo.
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