Garin Pirnia

Nascent West Town gallery Duchess isn't even a year old, but it has already carved out a niche in the Chicago art scene. Channeling the apartment-gallery concept, Kat Parker and Katie Rashid opened the gallery in their apartment last March. Starting a gallery can be quite daunting, but the co-workers have a strong and confident background working for one of Chicago's biggest and most acclaimed galleries, Rhona Hoffman. Despite transitioning with their original concepts and ideas, Parker and Rashid still work at Rhona Hoffman while curating exhibitions at duchess.

Duchess started out to showcase works by younger local artists who haven't acquired much show experience yet. The gallery is a means to display experimental projects in a variety of mediums from painting, sculpture and collage to, in its opening show, artful displays of magnetic tape. The gallery has received quite of bit of attention and continues to flourish with its seasonal exhibitions. Parker and Rashid bring their youthful vibe in seeking out works not only from local artisans, but also from San Francisco, Brooklyn, and internationally.

Art isn't the only kind of exhibitions duchess entertains. Over the summer, the gallery screened a few Icelandic films and, last autumn, Huong Ngo exhibited her costumes exploring social interactions. So far on the roster for this year is the current exhibit entitled "Like, Resembling, Similar," the first group exhibition featuring pieces by three artists hailing from L.A. to Berlin. Parker and Rashid know talent when they see it as they collaborate with artists on the fringes, those who are novices out of art school looking to break into the circuit on a smaller scale.

"Like, Resembling, Similar" shows at duchess, 1045 West Grand, (312)933-5317, through February 28.

(2007-02-06)

Also by Garin Pirnia

Art Break
Josiah McElheny is no stranger to Chicago, having last shown at Donald Young gallery two years ago
(2006-09-19)

Tip of the Week
Avery Preesman was born on the Caribbean island of Curacao in 1968 and currently lives and works in Amsterdam
(2006-09-19)

Tip of the Week
L.A native Kehinde Wiley composes oil paintings featuring portraits of powerful and confident-looking young African-American men filled with backgrounds of vivid and gilded colors that sometimes flow into the forefront
(2006-09-05)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment