|
Every third Friday, you're
invited to come hang out at the semi-swank Zhou B Art Center for open
gallery night where the gallery's many exhibitions and studios all stand
open for the public to revere. When the first thing you receive upon
entering is a slice of chocolate cake, you know it's going to be good.
The Zhou B Art Center has a front entrance which leads first to the
Zhou B Cafe, then to the vast concrete gallery space. The back entrance
frames the rear exhibit room. The gallery go-ers, all dressed to the
nines, milled in front of abstract splashes of color. This exhibit room,
wooden floor paneled and warmly lit, can usually be counted on to house
a worth-while collection.
This time, it was a show called Terra Focus by painter Alberto Paniaya.
It is an apt name to describe Paniaya's organic forms, earthy colors
in sunny or dusty tones, loose lines and remarkable lacquer technique,
streaking the canvas with uneven blotches of brightly reflective glaze,
making the canvas appear soaked, as if you had taken the piece into
the shower with you and after fogging it up, ran a hand over it. The
overall effect is terrestrial, understood only innately, in a comfortably
abstract way, just like the paintings themselves. As in most cases,
the artist was hanging around, offering handshakes and answering questions.
He also had two tables of hors d'oeuvre and drink including … chocolate
cake.
Embryo (n.d.,
mixed media, 48 x 60 in.) Alberto Paniaya
The rest of the ground floor is concrete, pillared and speckled with
large-scale wooden sculptures and the walls are covered in large paper
panels painted with primative, broad designs, created by the Zhou Brothers
themselves. The space is large with tall ceilings and many open-walled
rooms. An MC has placed himself and some gallery wares in a conspicuous
place, pumping a jauntily-remixed version of The Postal Service. There
are sporadic little pods of chilling space, outfitted in cush lounging
equipment, complete with blue and green mood lighting where art-types
gather together. Different sources of music bled into each other and
amid the rushing voices, I felt more like I was listening to a nightclub
rather than the usual timid hum of an art opening.
The celebratory mood continued downstairs where a large portion of the
space was given over to couches and a singing guitarist. The crowd was
young and excited, pulsing in and out of the many studios. The first
canvas I encountered was a large square work with four exquisitely painted
figures in vivid colors, one emerging from each side. More works in
matching style wrapped around the corner to Rory Coyne's studio, and
to the man himself -- in duplicate. A convincing self-portrait mused
in the corner while Coyne greeted guests. All of Coyne's work is figurative
and many whisper likenesses to Egyptian deities, sporting the heads
of assorted animals. He likes stark disjointedness , odd angles and
detailing textured backgrounds. The well-sculpted forms with a tendency
towards mythology combine a taste for classical realism and one for
smiling allusion.
Another (Conversation)
(n.d., o/c, 6 x 6.5 ft.) Rory Coyne
It felt good to be among an enthusiastic crowd who had all come together
in the spirit of celebrating art! Most of the artists show their welcome
by providing tables of complimentary snacks. The girls could be seen
smiling in their cute new something-or-others and fingering cookies
or carrots, the gentlemen communing over free beers. Everyone sharing
opinions, taking pictures, and interacting with Chicago's great art
community. As I continued, I found Elsa Muñoz's studio where
the theme seemed to be "impending doom". She had several small
oils of densely-colored skies filled with
tornados on the instant of contact. A larger canvas showed a twisted
branch on a table, the end just beginning to smolder. Not everything
is ominous, though. Muñoz's portraits are of expressionist quality
with fine, gentle detail. Her piece "Natalie" has photo-esque
realism with painterly effects, reminding us of the painterly quality
one really does see in the life of a blushing girl's cheek.
The upper floor entry hall
is lined with toilet bowls. Those crazy conceptualists! But to freshen
the place up, a slight hint of earthy richness infused the air where
a growing-wall sprouted broad, thick, waxy leaves and delicate fronds,
all bent towards the ceiling. The plants are full, healthy and verdant,
so much so that they look slightly fake. What a piece for the living
room wall! You can literally breathe in the art. Artist Yva Neal stood
guard to protect the delicate wall from curious fingers. She is excited
about the present and future reality of vertical gardens and spoke on
the process and the benefits of growing a planted wall. Neal also paints
and designs fashions. All of the wearable art she makes show off her
sewing skills. The beauty comes from the cut and arranged layers of
differently-patterned material. Her paintings are more stoic with simple,
bold colors and shapes. I was excited to sign up for her shirt-making
class. Going to classes are the perfect way to support the artist while
incorporating yourself into the active community.
One other exceptional artist I must mention is Martin L. Bernstein and
I must mention him because his art has exploded truly and completely
inside his studio. This man's art consumes the space; it's in in the
style of ivy consuming a university wall. I guess it could be called
junk art in that it's composed mostly of found junk; bent nails, discarded
jewelry, broken, used and useless stuff that's paint-blasted and arranged
in an additive fashion on walls, pieces of furniture, accouterments
like hand-mirrors, and made into bulky, complicated jewelry. His entire
studio is hung thick with beads and unrecognizable materials so that
the visitor must maneuver through the art like someone on jungle safari
moves through low vines. I like the busy bulk and the interactive, mysterious
quality of Berstein's studio.
Personal
Odyessy (mixed media installation, Weston
Art Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2006) Martin Bernstein
Generally speaking, the whole gallery was impressively interactive with
the new intention to impart a more club-like vibe where a younger crowd
feels edgy and en vogue. The art scene is the new cool after-dark socialite
scene. Which, I think is pretty great.
. . . If the enthusiasm continues to center around the art and does
not begin to swing towards indifference when too much distraction takes
away from the purpose. Events like Third Fridays at Zhou B encourage
the enlivened community to converge and experience the new thought in
local art and I encourage art lovers to be a part of this up-and-coming
revamped place, but please, with the intention of art at heart.
|