Michael Workman

"Curiosity is more important than intelligence," a novelist friend of mine once remarked. I tend to agree since, while the desire to acquire and apply knowledge is all for the good, work that stops short of the curiosity to inquire beyond known parameters inevitably rings hollow and contrived. But when you manage successfully to balance curiosity and intelligence in the same show--watch out. Matter of fact, a pair of upcoming group shows are marked by the promise of a distinct inquisitiveness that, by stepping outside the security of the comfortably known, offer all the satisfyingly layered illusion of a well-executed levitation.

Taken from the lyrics of a Pink Floyd song, "Catching Up With the Sun" at Klein Art Works is organized by Pond members Howard Fonda and David Coyle. Aside from how the pace of life feels when slowed to a crawl in the violent summer heat, there are intriguing theoretical fortifications to this exhibit worth considering. A proposition by physicist Stephen Hawking appears on the promotional materials, advocating for a unified theory "understandable in broad principle by everyone," that would allow for an inclusive "discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist." The curators seek to elaborate on this notion as a framework for investigating the emerging talent on display. Described by Fonda as "a more idea-based than object-centered exhibit," the curatorial premise explores "notions of time and space through formal and conceptual means," with the first installment focusing on the existential relevance of perception of time.

Using the movement of the sun as a metaphor for taking a close look at present artistic practices is apt. An arc can be traced through the broad variety of mediums presented, providing the viewer creative contrast cases which mirror the fluctuations in time with the change of seasons. This metaphor of a minute variable in time provides the basis for a cycle of change that, in its parallel to the art on display, serves as a framework for viewing the work as a record of points of view on the problem of existence.

Among the patterns of art production represented in "Catching Up With the Sun," a highly technological and technique-oriented catalog of work appears to coalesce, with Scott Roberts' "Devil Cat" heading up the list. A video installation, Roberts updates the recognizable black-and-white image of a cartoon cat, projecting an animated, three-dimensional image of the iconic feline in a corner of the room to strut and stride. Also on exhibit is the work of Bill Gerhard. Using paper ordered from a special distributor, Gerhard sometimes folds or tapes off certain areas to prevent contact, then exposes the sheets to sunlight. Bleaching and fading them to produce simple, geometric abstractions--what remains is a carefully composed source recording of time's transfigurative effects.

The Word Made Landscape:

Transformation also inspires "Hysterical Pastoral: Landscapes and Text," a group show organized by Bay Area curator John Neff at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA). Here the transformation in question adheres to the shift from word to image. A graduate from UIC, Neff describes the essential idea of the show as an effort to present depictions of a "rural life which is filtered through another perception of the original scene." Neff also tosses a self-reflexive psychological element into the mix: describing representations of country life as "hysterical" comes from Neff's experience of having incorrectly remembered and reversed in his mind the Lacanian etiologies of the "hysterical" and the "perverse" as written by philosopher Slavoj Zizek.

Taking this (perhaps infinitely regressive) error as suppositional windowdressing, the more concise occupation of "Hysterical Pastoral" appears to investigate the filtering power of miscellaneous art-critical narratives through the lens of contemporary idealizations of pastoral imagery. "The shift to a three-dimensional or upright plane is a sort of reversal of Leo Steinberg's flatbed picture-plane concept," explains Neff, who also cites as influence Michael Fried's analysis of references to the act of writing in the work of painter Thomas Eakins.

Among the artists on display, Neff singles out Andreas Fischer's landscape paintings--which are based on sketches made by Fischer's father while the artist was on a backpacking trip--as an intermediary example of this filtering. Amy Hauber's "Ovaries and Advanced Degrees," offers another variation and seems, at first blush, to declare the selective process through which organisms either develop and attain maturity or perish. More likely, however, by cutting out the leaves in the shape of letters and arranging them with pins on a piece of wood, Hauber employs naturally occurring materials to artfully point out the role of knowledge in taming nature and its attendant instincts.

On display in the Achilles and Vera Chreptowsky Gallery, the exhibit also showcases the work, among others, of Los Angeles-based artist Sterling Ruby, Chicago artists Mike Wolf, Andreas Fischer, Melissa Oresky, and Milwaukee-based artist Nicholas Frank.

"Catching Up With the Sun" shows at Klein Art Works, 400 North Morgan, (312)243-0400, through August 2. Opening barbecue and reception, July 11, 6-9pm. "Hysterical Pastoral: Landscapes and Text" runs through August 17 at The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 West Chicago Avenue, (773)227-5522. Opening barbecue and reception, July 11, 6-9pm.

(2003-07-09)

Also by Michael Workman

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Attending the opening of "America's Best: Art Inspired by Pabst Blue Ribbon" at the March to the Sea Gallery in the Humboldt Park neighborhood this past Friday, I was keenly aware of the presence of a commercial network.
(2003-07-02)

Eye Exam
Attendance numbers at the opening night of any exhibition serve as no more an indicator of the success of the art on display than prowess at the game of Scrabble functions as a measure of literary talent.
(2003-06-25)

Eye Exam
An impressive amount of art is being done online, and some of the more interesting of these projects shine through as participatory in their approach
(2003-06-18)

Eye Exam
Even if you've never heard of The Roof, you're not likely to be surprised to find out that it's exactly what it sounds like: an art space on the roof of an apartment building.
(2003-06-11)

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(2003-06-04)

Eye Exam
(2003-05-28)

Neo-religion
(2003-05-28)

Eye Exam
(2003-05-21)

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(2003-05-14)

Eye Exam
(2003-05-07)

Eye Exam
(2003-04-30)

Sex in Public
(2002-12-12)

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