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 Eye Exam Living on the edge
This fast-paced world of ours won't be running slower anytime soon.
It has been argued that we run from basic responsibilities of mental
and physical health, of taking care of ourselves and those around us
because of how modern society requires that we see ourselves as
instruments of our own social advancement. "Contingent Living," an
exhibit curated by local art maven Michelle Grabner at Bodybuilder and
Sportsman Gallery, takes this notion to task.
Yvette Brackman's "Tundra Stones" evoke curiosity. Patrons are
tempted to handle the sculptures--the lingering light-blue handprints
scream "touch me"--and, upon giving into the impulse, rewarded with a
heat reaction in the stone's chemically active pigment. Made of marine
foam, the stones appear unable to support weight, but patrons can
actually sit on them, a perversity well-suited to the distortions of
perception wherein even stones react to human presence. In the
gallery's project room, Swedish-born Berlin artist Anika Strom's
"Window Pillow: A Berlin Habit" instructs patrons on the utility of
her "elbow pillows." The artist has manufactured a number of these
pillows for added comfort while entertaining her window-gazing habit. A
number of them are actually present in the room, rectangular blocks of
foam in cased fabric with large elbow divots made from a variety of
different materials, including one with a pattern resembling a plastic
seventies kitchen tablecloth. Chicago artists Amy Saxe shows a number of
watercolors on paper, portraits of Chicago high-rise apartment buildings
and skyscrapers, including "Marina City" and "Large Vertical
Goldberg."
Jeanne Dunning's archival ink photograph, "Study for a Work In
Progress" at the rear of the project room continues the Northwestern
University professor's fascination with physically manifested feminine
self-modifications. The photo here depicts a sleeping woman, curled up
in her blankets and pillow, one hand clutching her pillow, one her
blanket and a third resting on the mattress before her face. Rock with you
"Oh-Kay," Julia Hechtman's newest show at Dogmatic Gallery in
Pilsen, takes as its subject the influence of music on street culture,
as exemplified in the merchandising it breeds. Much of the exhibit of
Dura-trans images over lightboxes reads like a fashion spread. Hechtman
posed in a medium body shot, all hands and sheer-stockinged knees, a
glittering diamond pinkie ring. Hechtman facing away from the camera,
hair pulled up in a bun, the letter "J" tattooed in gothic script at
the base of her neck. Hecthman's torso, hands clenched on either side
of an oversized belt buckle that spells out the word "Bitch." Close-up
of Hechtman's bosom, a golden "Julia" necklace resting at the curve
of her breasts.
"Don't Stop," an eight-minute DVD video shown on a wall-mounted
Samsung television, reveals the heart of the exhibition. It opens with a
lingering shot of a spider web blowing in the wind. A slo-mo version of
Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" plays as the soundtrack. Cut to a
talking-head shot of Hechtman in a lowering elevator, trying not to
laugh. Next, a pawnshop window display of a carousel loaded with gold
and silver bracelets, slowly turning. Then, a floor-level shot of a
roller rink, with children and adult legs alike saddled in skates,
struggling to keep their balance as they sail across the floor. The
image appears bit-mapped, as if taken from a streaming video source.
This image fades to a close-up of one of the artist's-name necklaces,
heaving erotically against a black background that alternates between
dimly lit fabric and abysmal darkness. Next, an image of a slo-mo disco
ball that fades into a shot of a pair of Adidas dancing on a
black-and-white checkerboard dance floor, rimmed with the orange glow of
club light. This is followed by a daylit close-up of the "Bitch"
belt-buckle from her Dura-trans image, perhaps riding a bicycle,
flashing with sunglints. The video ends with a close-up of Hechtman,
decked out in ghetto fashion, including a feathery black and white
jacket and pullover cap. She stares back, genuinely adoring the camera
and the inevitable audience beyond. All these charm bracelets, rings and
tattoos scream Hechtman's personal identification with the Latina
culture of her childhood Brooklyn. With the friends and family of that
world a distant past, in her art she is able for a little while once
again to rock. Talking turkey
Lonesome art patrons with some time on their hands over the holiday
should check out "Ten Years Turkey" at Seven Three Split Gallery in
Pilsen. This show couldn't be more in-season: local artist Micki Tschur
will exhibit the taxidermal turkeys she's spent the last ten years
stuffing. These well-preserved birds are certain to both provoke and
disgust. A word of advice: don't go hungry. Contingent Living shows at Bodybuilder & Sportsman Gallery, 119
North Peoria, #2D, (312)492-7261, through January 3. Julia Hechtman
shows at Dogmatic Gallery, 1822 South Des Plaines, (312) 492-6698,
through December 27. Micki Tschur shows at Seven Three Split Gallery,
971 W. 18th Steet, (312) 733-2264, through December 20.
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