Chicago Art Department

Evita El Exceso | New Works by Tripa Co. | 03.07.09
Originally uploaded by Chicago Art Department

Evita el Exceso
new work by Tripa Co.
March 7 - March 28

Opening Reception:
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Chicago Art Department
1837 S Halsted
7pm - 12am

2nd Friday Viewing:
Friday, March 13, 2009
6 - 10pm

In the second coming of Tripa Colectivo, Mike Wilgus joins the experimental artist group in their continued exploration of culture and gender issues embedded in the mundane. This collective, co-founded by Jova Durán and Abraham Velázquez Tello in 2007, seeks to create support and representation for Latino and Chicago artists alike. Tripa’s mission has been greatly aided by the Chicago Art Department, for which Velázquez is now a resident artist.

“Evita el Exceso” warns of the dangers of obsessive consumption. Information and object overload is deforming personal identity and violating the space of interaction between human beings. Relationships are mediated by materialism rather than being born out of real connections. The public space is controlled by rhetoric not reality. We are the overload. We are what we consume. We are the excess. Beware.

chicagoartdepartment.org
www.mytripa.com

For more info contact:
Abraham Velazquez Tello
abraham@lunaroja.net

Resident artists, former students, and friends of CAD

Captive audience

The evening's big winner - Mark Cwiakala

Auction Item: Gelato Cake by Chef Ryan Bockenfeld

Winning Bidders - Birdie, Gabe, & Niko

Nathan on the paintbrush mic

Tapedek all dressed up

Mike & Nat just before opening

Chris, Nathan & Jen

Nathan Peck

Stacy Peterson

Kerry Flaherty

Abraham Velázquez

Mike Nourse

Jen Rosenthal

Chris Hales

Raffle/Auction Prizes

Delicious Design League
“Delicious Chicago” (edition of 55)
4-color hand screen print
2008

Chuck Przybyl
“The Steel - from The Remnants Series”
archival C-print
2007

Chuck Przybyl is a Chicago based artist working with photography and video.
www.chuckphoto.com

Jill Lanza
“Untitled”
handmade paper/photos/stitching on wood
2008

Drawing from everyday encounters, I gather colors and textures found in my landscapes. My imagery is built through the creation and destruction of photographs and drawings with letterpress and sewing—to reference and examine the textures and topography that surround us. By combining various photographs and drawings of different spaces, a new place is constructed—one for the audience to discover and experience. Whether in the confines of a book or an installation space, I build paths with my imagery. By stripping and abstracting each element from my surroundings, I am able to review the notion of one’s relation to place.
www.jilllanza.com

Ben Chappell
"I'm Looking Through You"
horizon kompakt 140º panoramic digital print on foam-core
(shot on Fuji Velvia 100)
2007

Ben shoots TV commercials for a living. He shoots film photography for fun and mostly listens to gangster rap and old music.
imsohigh.tumblr.com

Rodrigo "SOLO" Mireles
“Hood Angel 4”
spray enamel/laser print & acrylic on wood panel
2008

SOLO is a Chicago native who specializes in character illustrations. He blends anime and hip-hop aesthetics, and his style is well known in the city's various graffiti circles. He is currently freelancing as a character concept artist for video game companies and is illustrating several comic anthologies for independent book companies. He enjoys cycling.
www.arempire.com

“I donated this piece for the CAD fundraiser because I think what CAD is doing—helping young artists realize their ambitions and dreams through art instruction and practice—is very important.”

Jesikah Ruehle
“Drawings for Disaster (Wrens Build Three Nests)”
screened monoprint on Rives BFK
2008

Jesikah Ruehle graduated with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2008. In general, her work is an investigation into different places and events (both recorded and unrecorded, both public and private, both vast and intimate) and how our experiences of them are informed by their subjective meanings. She is now living outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota where she has started an experimental artist residency program.
www.jesikahruehle.com

“I am donating to CAD because its existence is integral to the Chicago art community and it would be a crying shame to lose it.”

Jeremy Bolen
“Concert Hall”
archival inkjet print
2008

This photo is part of a far larger series entitled "leftover and leaving: abandoned resort towns in America". Some other prints from the series are on display at the Rainbo bar in wicker park all of November. Jeremy Bolen makes photos and music as much as possible.

Jonathan Michael Johnson
“Flair Building - 2nd Generation Prototype”
archival digital print, polymer sheeting, veneer
2008

I first saw it from a car’s backseat window some 25 years ago: the metropolitan framework of Chicago. I remember contorting my body in an effort to take more in. To my young eyes the buildings were impossibly high and overflowing. I was in awe of their presence. This city’s grandeur would imprint in me the power of logic and reason. Stone, glass and metal twisted into epic shapes - direct evidence of our progress as a people. The rational sciences focused into tangible symbols of human strength. The last four years of my life were spent traveling the country. I visited hundreds of cities. And weekly, I returned to my home in Chicago, humbled by the beauty of its corridors and halls. I create rifts in reality – pockets of concentrated time. Space is pushed, pulled and carved via traditional and non-traditional techniques. Each image is born from a series of photographs. These medium format sources may be as large as 120 mega pixels. I implement a process of refinement, where elements not tied directly to the structural integrity of the subject are stripped. The skeleton of the image is handled with a worshipful eye. It is glorified, enhanced and presented to the viewer – not as a byproduct of society, but as an honored stage in humanity’s progress. Michelangelo is known to have carved his ‘David’ under the discipline of disegno. This is the belief that sculpting the male form is likened to the act of divine creation. Michelangelo believed that religion guided his hands with faith.
planckstudios.com

carlsweets
"Uncle Jack"
archival digital inkjet print
2007

The staged, self-portrait performances of carlsweets capture psychosexual behaviors, issues of the body, beauty, and intimacy. He uses photography as documentation of ritual or a rite of passage. The resultant images identify with archetypes of the western pantheon of the collective unconscious and generate a visual depiction of self-diagnosed sublimation.
www.carlsweets.com

Sandi Chaplin
“What grows?”
photography/mixed media
2008

You left behind a microwave, a beanbag chair with a rip in the side, and me. I needed the microwave, but the beanbag chair with a rip in the side… well… I brought it all the way down 4 flights of stairs, but I just couldn’t drag it across the yard and out to the dumpster in the alley. So I left it sitting there - partly on the cobblestone patio we put in last year – but mostly off. I pretend it’s intentional – it’s funky lawn furniture – in reality, though – it’s just funky. All winter long it sat there – the rip growing larger – I’m guessing it’s the work of possum – or stray cats – or rats – or June bugs (although it’s only May)…
Yeah… it’s full of funk. It’s killing the lawn – but it keeps me connected while I feel utterly disconnected – shuffled around and misconnected. I grew into you while you grew out of me. (how can you tell which is the side of a bean-bag chair?) Sometimes – when I remember us together – I think I only remember me.

“Why did I contribute? you asked me and I have NO spine...(plus, you scare me - just a little) ...I have been on hiatus from the art scene... caught up in teaching... and writing... but no gallery shows since I moved to Pilsen. Then I found you on the internet (which is odd that I would find you THERE and not simply in passing - considering you are a block from my house) and you took me into your flock via your photography "class." This led to another show with your ilk - and now... well... now I've drunk so much wine on your premises... I feel like CAD is an old friend - an old, crotchety, "you call that art? That isn't art" friend... CAD was there when I needed someone to support me - to encourage me - to remind me why I started on this crazy artistic journey in the first place... Why did I contribute????!?!?! Seriously?!?!?! Because I love you guys!! I do! You remind me of my art studio storefront days/daze... You're invaluable - you're needed - you're just-in-time for SO many artists needing a nod...”

Edyta Stepien
“Found Object 2 from the "4th of July Series"
C-Print
2006

Edyta Stepien is a multimedia artist that lives and works in Chicago. Found Object 2 is a photograph from a “4th of July” series. The corncob was one of many ordinary objects left behind on the street after a day of celebration for the Fourth of July. Photographing the objects in the studio setting was an attempt to strip them from the common associations and put them in a new context – the objects itself.
www.edytastepien.com

"Why did you donate to CAD? - support the idea of an environment where you can create / share / show artwork.”

Christopher Conrad Korycki
“Devil’s Territory (14th and Canal)/Listen to Slayer”
inkjet print on foam board
2008

I am interested in exploring that elusive territory between highbrow and lowbrow cultures. Extremes, externalities, outliers and outright contradictions from the quotidian to the sacrosanct are investigated and promptly exploited for new realms of meaning, purpose and retinal (dis)pleasure.

“CAD provides a much needed “foot in the door” opportunity to help emerging artists get involved in Chicago’s art scene, as well as foster an environment of collaboration and experimentation.“

Seth Gershberg
“Terrorist Tower”
digital print
2007

SG is a visual artist and Co-founder of the artist collective MF Chicago; he is also a resident artist at CAD. SG's work tends to be experimental and incorporates extreme post-production applied to 2D, 3D and moving visual formats. His VJ activities combine all visual formats and multiple re-sampling. SG has performed at large festivals like Lollapalooza and has worked with many musical artists like Mixmaster Mike, DJ Craze, DJ ESP, Mark Farina, Karsh Kale, Bassnectar, VHS or Beta and the New Millennium Orchestra.

Ariel Sundel
"Summer Snow Mountain Waterfall Crane" (top)
digital print
2004

Ariel Sundel
"Under Construction" (bottom)
digital print
2004

These photographs are part of a collection that explores the interaction between technology and nature and how we perceive their relationship. Generally, I think there is a common perception that technology interferes with nature, disrupting its beauty. But why do we consider technology to be different from nature, if it is an extension of ourselves? Can technology be just as beautiful as nature, and can nature be just as destructive as technology? Does there seem to be a constant battle of the two, or are there moments of synergy?

“Thank you, CAD, for giving me opportunities to exhibit work that people actually see. I have met some really interesting and talented people through you.”

Bernard Manning
"A Hard Day's Night. #3"
(Shinjuku Yamanote Line, Tokyo Japan)
glicée on archival, coated stock
2007

Bernard Manning is a university educated photographer and designer with an intense interest in the human condition and visual peculiarities. He enjoys documenting his travels and uses photography as an extension of his own curiosity and insight into his surroundings. Bernard considers his work to be marginal, primarily due to his own self-deprecating manner.

Matt Hill
“Lake Superior”
cross processed color slide film, 35mm scan, pigment ink on luster paper
2008

Matt lives and works in Chicago but takes most of his photos while on the road. Not normally for the purpose of preserving a memory, but because foreign environments have proven to be better subjects. Turning onto an unfamiliar road, everything is new and in an unexpected place, and in that environment even the mundane can become exciting and interesting.

Gabe Lanza
“Everyone thought Kim was weird”
archival pigment print on 100% cotton rag
2008

Raised on an underground language of imagery from the flat world contained on the front of cereal boxes, toys and television programs, Lanza blends ironic spice into the expected charm of his visual treats. Using found objects and words to develop his paintings; Lanza mixes the old with his new. His antique frames are built using old trimming and moldings, found scraps of wood, and old wooden drawers. Combining features of cartoon and folk art, his work is a composition of extractions and rearrangements from his drawings and sketches that explore a self-contained reality—another universe incorporating fantasies and illustrations. He brings to it a distinctive liking for tightly stitched paintings, amiable art patterns and crystalline, hard-edged shapes as well as an affection for old wallpaper, tin toys and cartooning. Lanza works both big and small and in two and three dimensions, depicting emotional relations between characters with a touching, comedic sense.
www.gabelanza.com

Abraham Velazquez
“14th and Paulina Series”
Fuji Velvia 4x5 - archival inkjet print
2007

http://lunaroja.net/

Miss. Shellie Fiocca
“Odd Ball Out”
mixed media collage/drawing
2008

My art is my personal therapy and helps me get away from the stress and complications of life. It is my outlet to a quiet place. I paint on found photographs and magazine pages to create my own whimsical little worlds. I enjoy putting a twist on reality and using my imagination with images, text, and the human form. I hope to inspire colorful conversations over coffee and biscuits and remind people that there will always be great stories to tell.
www.focusbalancecreate.com
missshellie.etsy.com

“Why did I donate to CAD? - I love these people and their vision. They have inspired me and have taught me things about myself and my work that I never knew existed - and I am very grateful. I hope to inspire other young artists in Chicago just like they did for me.”

Jessica Vaughn
“Toppled Series”
monotype lith paper transfer/carbon
2008

Hilesh Patel
“Samsara”
wood/aerosol/letters
2008

Hilesh Patel is an artist and educator working in Chicago. His artwork encompasses text, graffiti, street art, stenciling and figure based imagery in mediums such as watercolor, aerosol, oils, ink, paper, wood and metal. He is an Artist Teacher at the non-profit organization, Marwen and has shown work and performed at the Eidolon, Marwen Foundation, Open End Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Around the Coyote among a few. He is a member of ShirtsAgainst, an organization benefiting artists with disabilities or illness.
www.hileshpatel.com

“I donated to CAD because it's a natural reciprocation: to support and give back to CAD as they support new artists and arts education.”

Katie Brown
“Brooke”
oil on canvas
2008

Katie Brown is an artist living and working in Chicago. She received her BA in Studio Art and Art History from Kalamazoo College in 2000. Her paintings are inspired by photo booth strips and faded family photographs in which she explores a look, a feeling, a glimmer of glamour and hazy memories. Katie’s work has exhibited at The Hat Factory, The Ice Factory, Art Institute of Chicago’s 1926 Exhibition Space, Around the Coyote Gallery, Around the Coyote Arts Winter Festival, and Artemisia.
www.kfreshpaintings.com

Miguel Cortez
"Aerial Landscape #3"
oil/acrylic on canvas
2005

Miguel Cortez is an artist living in Chicago and born in Guanajuato, Mexico. He has studied filmmaking at Columbia College and has a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Recent exhibitions include a show in Champaign, IL at the Krannert Museum and at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. Miguel has also shown in Austin at Studio 107 Gallery, Pool Art Fair in Miami, VU Space in Melbourne, Australia, and at Mighty Fine Arts Gallery in Dallas.
www.mcortez.com

“I donated to CAD because I like the space and what you all do and also because Mike is my next door neighbor.”

Colin Luce
"Untitled"
paint on found drawers
2008