Michael Workman

The Chicago art cooperative Spareroom communicates a familiar problem: where can artists find the space to pursue their work?

The cooperative's annual group show, a miscellany of installations, multimedia presentations and several performances billed this year as "Swallowed [W]hole...What's Eating You?" opens this week. Formed four years ago by a small circle of Art Institute students, the co-op has suffered location changes and shifting membership, counting at present a total of only nineteen members. "Our members are people for whom it's integral that their work be draw from different disciplines. Before joining, they're all asked to write a proposal laying out how they'd like to use our space over the course of the next twelve months," says Spareroom programming administrator Ania Greiner. "For somebody who just wants to teach a yoga class, this wouldn't be a good space."

"My work is about creating images." continues Greiner. "For me, Spareroom is about non-traditional ways of telling stories, of telling stories without texts, letting the story unfold or be evoked instead of being told." Her solution? "I'll have a portable DVD monitor strapped to my body while eating clock-shaped cookies. I've also made images of myself being consumed by time, images I made using Aftereffects software."

At their current location in the roughly 1,700-square-foot former Spiritual Rock Ministry Church at 2416 West North Avenue, there are two small rooms for installation work in the back of what's essentially one big open room and some chairs in a storage closet. Otherwise, the space looks kind of, well, spare. "We want to keep the space empty and neutral rather than cluttered with stuff, so members can use it in any way that they like." explains Greiner. Patrons who come out to the two-night event will encounter variations on a theme of the group's time-arts mission as interpreted by its members.

Pilsen Three-Way

Those with no taste for Wicker Park can head down to the bright lights of Pilsen for a gallery crawl/love fest certain to require aspirin the next morning. Not only will the craftiest dilettante and starry-eyed poseurs be hawking their wares as usual, but they'll be doing it with an Old Style can in hand. Especially now that local property czars, the Podmajerskys, who run the neighborhood like their own personal art-fiefdom, have divvied up the hood to include East Pilsen (as opposed to other points on the compass.)

At Unit B Gallery, the most erstwhile of the Pilsen rugrats, UK-based artist Matthew Noel-Tod goes all out in his first U.S. solo show to recreate the soundstage from Blondie's 1980 hit music video "Atomic" in all it's Thunderdome-inspired anti-glory. Powering the spectacle are Noel-Tod's neon sculptures, film, video and plenty of period costumes. Though a Blondie look-alike will perform, things are sure to get weirder as the night wears on. Especially since they've decided to replace the Blondie song that inspired the production with the soundtrack from F.W. Murnau's silent film "Nosferatu."

Drive-Thru, another gallery housed in a converted storefront and powered largely by director Eric Medine's need to project testosterone, this week offers sculpture, drawings and multimedia by John Wenner and Matthew Butler. Among the work on offer, "homemade gasoline powered go-carts," and the promise of "a large outdoor playground sculpture" will no doubt prove among the most appealing lure for fun-loving patrons.

Formerly Gallery 645, this converted storefront space now houses the unfortunately named Meat Yard Gallery. "On Paper" marks the first exhibit here of 645 artists left over from the move, though whether or not Meat Yard can manage on its own remains to be seen. Their inaugural show of paintings by Jeremiah Kattner was a well-meaning first step, but the current owners have yet to demonstrate their eye. While a group show may not be the best route to coming out with a distinctive voice, at least they're still trying. "On Paper" will showcase the work of eight Chicago-area artists including former 645's co-director, David Cuesta, as well as Jen Poppen, Lauren Feece, Dan Ezra Lang and a handful of newbies.

"Swallowed [W]hole...What's Eating You?" shows at the Spareroom, 2416 W. North, (773)878-8114, November 14-15. Matthew Noel-Tod shows at Unit B Gallery, 1733 South Des Plaines, (312)491-9384, through December 6. John Wenner and Matthew Butler show at Drive Thru Studios, 626 W. 18th, (312)243-7901, through November 30. "On Paper" shows at Meatyard Gallery, 645 W. 18th, (312)738-2536, through December 6.

(2003-11-13)

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