Blog Archives - Mapanare.us Constantly.Consuming.Culture.

P.P.O.W. Showed Work By Thomas Woodruff And Jessica Stoller At Expo Chicago 2014

9/30/2014

Crab Apple and Foxglove by Thomas Woodruff

P.P.O.W. (New York) showed work by Thomas Woodruff and Jessica Stoller at Expo Chicago 2014.

Woodruff refers to himself as a "neo-fabulist." You may not get this from the two upper images by him but the lower image, literally, paints a picture of this neo-fabulousness. His work has the aim of being talismanic in a sense; they ward come from a dark place but ward off the real darkness. They are ornate and...well... fabulous. Find out more about the artist HERE.

Stoller's work are porcelin, china paint and lustre creations. And they seemed in perpetual danger of being knocked over by art show visitors. But they, mercifully, weren't. See more of Stoller's work HERE.

Apple and Dogwood by Thomas Woodruff

Untitled by Jessica Stoller

Still Life Variation, Sanguinic by Thomas Woodruff

Elizabeth Dee (New York) Showed Work By Miriam Cahn At Expo Chicago 2014

9/27/2014

Elizabeth Dee (New York) showed work by Miriam Cahn at Expo Chicago 2014.

Don't these chalk on paper pieces (as marvelous as they are) fool you; Cahn's work is often colorful. She is from Switzerland and lives in both Basel and Bergell.

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery (New York) Showed Work By: Barbara Chase-Riboud, Beauford Delaney, Alfonso Ossorio, Bob Thompson And Nancy Grossman At Expo Chicago 2014

9/27/2014

Untitled by Beauford Delaney

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery (New York) showed work by: Barbara Chase-Riboud, Beauford Delaney, Alfonso Ossorio, Bob Thompson And Nancy Grossman at Expo Chicago 2014.

This year has usually been one or two artists per booth but somehow I slipped up. Perhaps it was the diverse group of artists shown by Michael Rosdenfeld.

Delaney's untitled piece is the sort of abstract painting that is so full of detail and what seem to be figures you could spend an hour looking at it and still not see all the intricacies. But it also is a painting that is powerful from across the room (indeed it almost seems like a different painting from a distance).

Find out more on all the artists by clicking on the gallery above.

Malcolm X #13 by Barbara Chase-Riboud

Claire Oliver (New York) Showed Work By Anna Navasardian At Expo Chicago 2014

9/27/2014

Claire Oliver (New York) showed work by Anna Navasardian at Expo Chicago 2014.

Oliver has gone out of her way to champion the work of young, female artists. Navasardian, 25 years old, creates work that captures those small moments in life, everyday things that are simple and yet important. She uses both live models and Soviet-era photos to create these pieces. She works in acrylic, often also using charcoal on linen. The piece below, Child X, was identified as acrylic on canvas at the show and as acrylic and charcoal on linen on the website.

It doesn't matter, if these pieces were crayon on the back of an old menu they would be just as beautiful.

The artist is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon (BFA) and was named one of the top 25 artists under 25 by Complex Magazine. She is one to watch and you will be able to spot her distinctive style from across the room.

Linda Warren Projects (Chicago) Showed "Piano Room" By Michiko Itatani At Expo Chicago 2014

9/27/2014

Linda Warren Projects (Chicago) showed Piano Room by MIchiko Itatani at Expo Chicago 2014.

Michiko is a professor at the Art Institute of Chicago (so much for the old "those who can't' do teach" b.s.). This work is a painting from Cosmic Theater.

Michiko was born in Kobe, Japan and was received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute in 2014.

These pieces show grand interiors but they also show something grander, there is a window (in this painting literally) into the cosmic in this work. They are beautiful, intricate and full of life, even without human figures. Perhaps the human figures are left

Jennifer Kendler's "Tell It To The Birds" Via The National Resources Defense Council At Expo Chicago 2014

9/25/2014

Jennifer Kendler's Tell It To The Birds was show by The Natural Resources Defense Council at Expo Chicago.

Earlier this year Kendler was named the NRDC's first artist in residence. It is fitting since Kendler's work deals with interaction between humans and the natural world--including how such "interaction" has led to an alarming decrease in biodiversity.

Theaster Gates' Curated "Retreat" At Expo Chicago 2014

9/25/2014

Theaster Gates curated this piece, Retreat. Gates, as you should know, is an installation artist. His work always has a social component.

He is the director of Art and Public Life at University of Chicago. Find out more about his work at theastergates.com.

Jonathan Boos Gallery (New York) Showed Work By Jacob Lawrence And John Rogers Cox At Expo Chicago 2014

9/25/2014

Harlem Street Scene by Jacob Lawrence

Jonathan Boos (New York) showed work by Jacob Lawrence and John Rogers Cox at Expo Chicago 2014.

After writing a number of short pieces--some seemingly more enthusiastic than others and some actually more enthusiastic than others--some posts from art shows unintentionally give short shrift to brilliant work. I mention this specifically here because the work of Lawrence and Cox is truly wonderful.

Lawrence's work depicted African-American life, specifically in Harlem. He used the term "cubism" to refer to his own work but he was not peering across the Atlantic toward his French predecessors (and contemporaries). He painted some of his best known work on cardboard. The piece above, however, is oil on canvas.

Cox, from Indiana, is often placed amongst the "magic realist" painters. What a wonderful name for a school of art--magic realist. He lived and worked in Chicago following World War II and was a professor for over 17 years.

Wheat Field Legacy by John Rogers Cox

Pavel Zoubok Gallery (New York) Showed Work By Judy Pfaff And Mark Wagner At Expo Chicago 2014

9/25/2014

Pavel Zoubok Gallery (New York City) showed work by Judy Pfaff and Mark Wagner at Expo Chicago 2014.

Pfaff's energetic multi-media piece from the early 80s is untitled but it is the sort of piece that lends itself to the viewer creating their own title. Pfaff is best known for her installations and her "non-installation" work seems informed by this work. This piece isn't huge but it has a huge FEEL to it. Sounds crazy.

Wagner's piece, The Thousand Point Buck, is a collage of currency. It has the feel of a mandala from a distance but up close you can see the chopped up bills.

Hill Gallery (Detroit/Birmingham) Showed Pieces By John Walker At Expo Chicago 2014

9/22/2014

Hill Gallery (Detroit/Birmingham U.K.) showed work by John Walker at Expo Chicago 2014.

His colorful work makes use of texture and does and creates complex images in a small pace. This series, The Seal Point Maine Series, have motion and depth and measure 7 3/15 inches by 5 1/2 inches, a little larger than a postcard (indeed these are painted on bingo cards).

The paintings are expressive but the strokes that seem broad in a photo are actually quite detailed.

Walker, from England, is both painter and printmaker. He often works in acrylic but these are oils. Walker is currently the head of the graduate painting program at Boston University.