Jason Foumberg

Gay pornography, murderous hipsters, hundreds of penises, "disgustingness"--such subjects and topics are granted their full potential for expression and the right to exist as art under Scott Speh's roof at Western Exhibitions. The offbeat and the off-putting aren't the only type of art that Speh supports, but they offer a glimpse into his rubric of taste. Accordingly, to see the world through contemporary eyes is to necessarily maintain an interest in how fringe culture aggressively flirts with normalcy. Despite the risk-taking, or perhaps because of it, Western Exhibitions' programming is consistently strong, anchored by Speh's knowledgeable engrossment in both the local and international contemporary art scenes.

In the past few months Speh has supported artistic visions that transformed the gallery space into sculptural and conceptual environments. In January, the collaborative artist team Death by Design, Co. created a living-room crime scene where viewers could plan and initiate their own murder. In November of last year, Amanda Ross-Ho made site-specific holes in the gallery walls, their negative spaces evoking large lace patterns. One month before, John Neff filled the gallery with his "Pornographic Pantograph," a device laden with sexual and conceptual trappings.

All of these exhibitions indicate Speh's mission as a gallerist. His motives are not weighed down by gold; Western Exhibitions is not merely an expensive shop, but is rather a haven for artistic experimentation. The more easily commodified artwork featured at Western Exhibitions typically bespeaks Speh's eye for artists who work in a detailed or obsessive manner that blend formal and thought-provoking artistic procedures. In addition to overly detailed drawings that reflect a high degree of skill and labor (such as work by Geoffrey Todd Smith or Carl Baratta), time-based or duration art also falls into this category, such as Stan Shellabarger's walking performances. Shellabarger, with his partner Dutes Miller, will "sew themselves into bed" in the gallery in April, along with exhibiting a thousand origami cranes.

Western Exhibitions also has a "Plus Gallery," or what many galleries refer to as their project room. This space allows viewers to personally engage artwork such as smaller drawings and books. In April, Vincent Como will exhibit his artistic, scientific and cultural investigations about the color black.

Western Exhibitions, 1821 West Hubbard, (312)307-4685.

(2007-04-10)

Also by Jason Foumberg

Tip of the Week
Trench warfare has never been so safe and clean as it is in Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla's new collaborative artwork, "Wake Up"
(2007-04-03)

Portrait of the Artist
Michael x. Ryan has been stalking himself for many years. Like an anthropologist in the field, Ryan has charted his lines of movement in and throughout the cities of Chicago, Manhattan and Krems, Austria. The products of Ryan's pursuits usually take on the form of scientific documentation, such as statistical charts or maps
(2007-03-06)

Gallery of Gallerists
Partners in business and in marriage, Ryan Schulz, 30, and Jodi Navta, 32, opened an art gallery in rural Wisconsin several years ago with the foresight that they would eventually bring it to Chicago. Now celebrating its one-year anniversary in Chicago, NavtaSchulz Gallery, located beneath the green line El tracks on West Lake Street, is gaining a reputation as a reliable tastemaker due to its directors' dedication to talented artists
(2007-02-27)

Tip of the Week
As you enter Max King Cap's "video opera" installation, a booming voice from a darkened corner spouts an abstruse narrative full of symbols and cryptograms
(2007-02-20)

Portrait of the Artist
(2007-01-30)

Tip of the Week
(2007-01-30)

Portrait of the Artist
(2006-12-19)

Tip of the Week
(2006-12-19)

Portrait of an Artist
(2006-12-12)

Tip of the Week
(2006-11-07)

Tip of the Week
(2006-10-10)

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