expo chicago – DesignApplause

expo chicago 2023 discovers artists that embrace architecture and design.

Apr 14, 2023

above> self-portrait / zanele muholi / southern guild (cape town) booth #217

note: this post in ‘in-progress’ as we await more details…

more than 140 leading art galleries from 65 cities in 25 countries show off their stable of talent at expo chicago 2022 which is the perfect confabulation and launchpad to contemplate what inspires the art. in this instance, DesignApplause submits that architecture, design, and engineering are one and the same and art is not.

> “what is the difference between art and design? as it applies to graphic design, i will say that the difference between art and design or artist and designers, is expression vs communication. … expression is about the artist and their view, design is about the audience and viewer. expression can be abstract and intangible but design has to be clear for the most part.” ~ anonymous

> “when one attempts to define art, there will be an artist to prove it wrong. ‘art is beautiful’ art becomes ugly. ‘art is emotional’ art becomes emotionless. ‘art is form’ art becomes idea. that’s the problem, art will always shatter definitions.

having said that, i will ignore my own advice and take a crack. i think it comes down to function. design can have many functions, whereas art has one single function. the function of art. digging deeper, the art concept can be portrayed in many different ways. the function of art isn’t singular, its endless.

so design is applied art? or maybe an eames chair is a design object when you’re trying to sell it or sit in it, and an art object when you’re observing it, etc. ~ anonymous

DesignApplause asked galleries if their artists in this show pursued any architectural or design studies in their background. 15 of 30 (50%) galleries point out the following:

southern guild will exhibit at expo chicago for the first time this april, presenting ceramics, sculpture, paintings and wall reliefs by leading artists from across the african continent. these include zanele muholi (south africa), zizipho poswa (south africa), andile dyalvane (south africa), oluseye (nigeria/canada), kamyar bineshtarigh (iran/south africa), patrick bongoy (drc), dominique zinkpè (benin) and stanislaw trzebinski (kenya). rich in materiality and divergent in form, the works in southern guild’s presentation speak of the ingenuity of the human hand and the labour-intensive processes that elevate the prosaic to the sublime.

a highlight of the gallery’s booth will be a large bronze self-portrait by acclaimed artist and visual activist zanele muholi, whose solo exhibition opens at southern guild’s cape town gallery in may 2023. the sculpture represents the artist’s departure from an exclusively photographic oeuvre into a broader, multidisciplinary practice. the booth will also feature two large-scale ceramic and bronze sculptures from zizipho poswa’s critically acclaimed recent solo, ubuhle bokhokho, inspired by the hairstyles traditionally worn by black women across the continent, as well as recent works by andile dyalvane, madoda fani and chuma maweni – all regarded as foremost ceramicists in africa.

anchoring the booth will be an expansive and tactile palimpsest by iranian artist kamyar bineshtarigh effaced from the wall of his studio building – a layering of marks, traces and textures accumulated over two years. central to the artist’s visual lexicon is the explorative use of farsi script and calligraphy that pivots around memory and place, revealing the intricacies of transliteration. southern guild’s booth will also include new paintings by cape town-based artist manyaku mashilo that draw inspiration from historical photographic archives to build self-determined mythological scenes where imagined embodiments of blackness migrate through abstract liminal spaces. in addition, the gallery will present bronze and hand-blown glass sculptures from kenyan artist stanislaw trzebinski’s 2022 solo, solastalgia, that imagine the potent and surreal future of a decimated earth after the extinction of humans.

what makes this gallery unusual but all artists of have studied design.

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above> memphis vase / ettore sottsass / alan koppel gallery (chicago) booth #245 / 1992

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above> untitled / alberto biasi / dep art gallery (milan) booth #400

alberto biasi is one of the protagonists of post-war italian art, as well as one of the founders of the historic gruppo n. after the loss of his mother, he spent part of his childhood with his paternal grandmother in carrara san giorgio, a small town in the province of padua. biasi returned to his hometown at the end of world war ii, and attended classical high school. he later enrolled in the department of architecture at the university of venice, as well as, in a top-level industrial design course. upon the completion of his studies, in 1958 he began teaching drawing and art history at a public school. from 1969 to 1988, biasi served as professor of advertising graphic arts at the professional institute in padua.

in 1959, he participated in various youthful artistic events and with some peers students of architecture formed the enne-a group. in 1960, he exhibited with enrico castellani, piero manzoni, agostino bonalumi and other european artists at the galleria azimut in milan. also in 1960, during a period characterized by the spirit of innovation and experimentation, he formed gruppo n in close collaboration with manfredo massironi. the following year, he joined the movement “nuove tendenze” (“new trends”). in 1962, as gruppo n, he exhibited with bruno munari, enzo mari and milan’s gruppo t in the first programmed art exhibition at the negozio olivetti in milan.

during this period, especially between 1959 and 1960, biasi created the trame, rectangular and permeable objects, where modularity has optical-kinetic implications in relationship between light and the shifting of a person’s gaze. shortly after the realization of the trame series came another important work: namely, rilievi ottico-dinamici, overlapping lamellar structures in contrasting colors that spark special visual effects. always during the 1960s, he produced the torsioni series with the use of mostly bicolor lamelle, used to generate optical dynamism through different observer viewpoints, and his ambienti pieces. he also realized light prisms, which he designed in 1962 and were transferred to environmental dimensions in 1969.

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above> various / rodrigo valensuela / asya geisber gallery (new york) booth #473

rodrigo valenzuela works across photography, video, and installation, merging his interest in art history, architecture, the concept of work, and the realities of laborers. valenzuela builds scenes in his studio, often working with simple building materials such as cinder blocks, pipes, wooden palettes, corrugated metal, and two-by-fours. the resulting monochrome photographs constantly shift between flatness and architectural space, and between documentary photography and fiction, encouraging an incessant yet pleasurable tension. his compositions resemble miniature ruins built from studio detritus, and are documentative of the artist’s performance in the studio. simultaneously, they clearly reference certain modernist masters – be it abstract-expressionist painters or minimalist sculptors – as well as latin-american brutalist architecture.

rodrigo valenzuela (b. santiago, chile 1982) lives and work in los angeles, ca, where he is an assistant professor and head of the photography department at ucla. valenzuela is the recipient of the 2021 guggenheim fellowship in photography and smithsonian artist research fellowship. he has received the joan mitchell award, art matters foundation grant, and artist trust innovators award. recent solo exhibitions include screen series at the new museum, ny (2019), lisa kandlhofer galerie, vienna, au (2018), work in its place, jordan schnitzer museum of art, eugene (2018); american-type, orange county museum (2018); labor standards, portland art museum (2018); future ruins, frye art museum, seattle (2015). recent residencies include the core fellowship at the museum of fine arts, houston, tx, skowhegan school of painting and sculpture, me, macdowell colony, nh, bemis center for contemporary arts, ne, lightwork, syracuse, ny, and the center for photography at woodstock, ny.

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above> lithostatic / farah salem / hyde park artcenter (chicago / lisbon) booth #453 / 2022

the hyde park art center is proud to present a micro-exhibition of works by regina agu and farah salem that reflect on the relationship between geography, the body, and the histories and traditions embedded in landscapes. salem’s most recent multimedia installations trace relationships between land and ancestral healing practices. informed by her profession as an art therapist and counselor applying somatic-based therapies for trauma healing, research and experiments with movement-based and musical traditions from the arabian peninsula, salem’s practice explores the potential erasure of socio-cultural conditioning that influences and distorts shared realities. salem studied graphic design.

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above> karen knorr / sundaram tagore gallery (new york) booth #209

american/british artist and activist karen knorr (b. 1954) is known for her sumptuous, conceptually driven photographs that employ opulent palaces, museums and temples of western europe and asia to frame issues of power rooted in cultural heritage.

knorr was born to american parents in frankfurt, germany, and raised in san juan, puerto rico. she studied art in paris and london, where she eventually settled in 1976 and still lives today. her multi-cultural upbringing was deeply influential, especially in the formative years of her career when she used photography to make sense of her world as a young puerto rican american assimilating to life in london. her experience as an outsider is part of what sparked her longtime interest in exploring issues surrounding culture and society.

knorr was also inspired by the artistic practices of friends and contemporaries, including photographers bill brandt, bill owens and diane arbus, as well as conceptual artists michael asher, martha rosler, andrea fraser and hans haacke, one of the leading proponents of institutional critique. in the 1970s, knorr studied under noted photographer eileen cowin and artist victor burgin, who opened her eyes to new ways of critically engaging with photography and its relationship to institutions and heritage.

over the course of her career, knorr has used video and photography as a method of critical inquest. her work has consistently examined the meaning of place, often drawing from folklore, myths and allegories to express contemporary ideas. more recently, her titles reference historic works of literature, such as aesop’s fables, the poems of ovid and ancient epics from india, including the rāmāyana, the mahābhārata and the panchatantra.

knorr uses this layered storytelling approach to distance herself from more literal documentary photography. lush, playful and spectacularly colorful, her images of exotic animals digitally fused into grand architectural settings are as aesthetically thrilling as they are thought-provoking. knorr’s work resides almost exclusively in place and space.

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above> pimba agida lll / remy jungerman / fridman gallery (new york) booth #276 / 2020

in his work, remy jungerman explores the intersection of pattern and symbol in surinamese maroon culture, the larger african diaspora, and 20th century “modernism.” in bringing seemingly disparate visual languages into conversation, jungerman’s work challenges the established art historical canon. as art and culture critic greg tate has remarked “jungerman’s work leaps boldly and adroitly into the epistemological gap between culturally confident maroon self-knowledge and the dutch learning curve around all things jungerman, afropean and eurocentric.”

born and raised in suriname, he is a descendant, on his mother’s side, of the surinamese maroons who escaped enslavement on dutch plantations to establish self-governed communities in the surinamese rainforest. within their rich culture, many west-african influences are preserved including the prominent use of abstract geometrical patterns. placing fragments of maroon textiles, as well other materials found in the african diaspora such as the kaolin clay used in many african religious traditions or the nails featured in nkisi nkondi power sculpture, in direct contact with materials and imagery drawn from more “established” art traditions, jungerman presents a peripheral vision that can enrich and inform our perspective on art history.

jungerman attended the academy for higher arts and cultural studies in paramaribo, suriname, before moving to amsterdam where he studied at the gerrit rietveld academy. jungerman studied architecture.

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entering its tenth year as a leading international art fair, expo chicago, the international exposition of contemporary and modern art will host more than 140 leading international exhibitors at expo chicago 2023 in navy pier’s festival hall, presented alongside one of the highest quality platforms for global contemporary art and culture. the exposition draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while engaging the region’s contemporary art community and collector base. the 2023 edition of expo chicago will present various programs and events throughout chicago during expo art week (april 10–16, 2023).

vernissage:
thursday, april 13 | 12:00noon – 6:00pm
by invitation only.

general admission:
friday, april 14 | 11:00am – 7:00pm
saturday, april 15 | 11:00am – 7:00pm
sunday, april 16 | 11:00am – 6:00pm

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what’s the difference between art and design? expo chicago 2022.

Apr 8, 2022

above > collectors enjoying video art by a former graphic designer gregory scott / catherine edelman gallery booth 169

note: this post in ‘in-progress’ as we await more details…

more than 140 leading art galleries from 65 cities in 25 countries show off their stable of talent at expo chicago 2022 which is the perfect confabulation and launchpad to contemplate what inspires the art. in this instance, DesignApplause submits that architecture, design, and engineering are one and the same and art is not.

> “what is the difference between art and design? as it applies to graphic design, i will say that the difference between art and design or artist and designers, is expression vs communication. … expression is about the artist and their view, design is about the audience and viewer. expression can be abstract and intangible but design has to be clear for the most part.” ~ anonymous

> “when one attempts to define art, there will be an artist to prove it wrong. ‘art is beautiful’ art becomes ugly. ‘art is emotional’ art becomes emotionless. ‘art is form’ art becomes idea. that’s the problem, art will always shatter definitions.

having said that, i will ignore my own advice and take a crack. i think it comes down to function. design can have many functions, whereas art has one single function. the function of art. digging deeper, the art concept can be portrayed in many different ways. the function of art isn’t singular, its endless.

so design is applied art? or maybe an eames chair is a design object when you’re trying to sell it or sit in it, and an art object when you’re observing it, etc. ~ anonymous

DesignApplause asked galleries if their artists in this show pursued any architectural or design studies in their background. 24 of 30 (80%) galleries point out the following:

above > artist virginia jaramillo was inspired by product designers charles and ray eames – jaramillo and a selected group of other students would make weekly visits to the celebrated designer charles and ray eames’s studio. there, jaramillo was introduced to design, architecture, and “a philosophy of structure and the purity of form.” these discoveries opened “a different way of seeing” for jaramillo and would guide her artistic thinking and output in the following decades. even as she was learning from the eameses, she began to explore japanese woodcuts and a related aesthetic philosophy, called ma, which she would ultimately channel into “the curvilinear paintings,” her best-known series. / hales gallery booth 323

artist margaret wharton worked in advertising before she received a bfa from the school of the art institute in sculpture. whorton, who passed away in 2014, left behind fantastically crafted sculptural assemblages as well as a body of raely seen conceptual photographs. hers is the story of women artists who came out in the 1970s declaring their feminisst credos. and many, like warton, used the very trappings of their domestic environment as form and content. wharton tells us, “the bandsaw was her paintbrush.’ / jean albano gallery booth 317

above> artist sara cwynar has a degree in design from york university in toronto / foxy production booth 314

above > fredrickson stallard – ian stallard earned a degree in product design and studied architecture (red chair, chrome coffee and side tables) david gill gallery 234

above > artist tomokazu matsuyama has a pratt degree in communications design / gavi gupta booth 211

above> an interesting chat with gallery owner who says none of his artists studied architecture or design / however gallery is overly represented in typographic art – the image above was created by an art & architecture department chairperson (awaiting name of artist) gallery rene schmitt booth 128

above > timothy taylor booth 205

above> featuring designer jonathan meuke (works in the middle) / volume gallery booth 332

note: teh following updated 15 may 2022…
[ expo chicago ], the international exposition of contemporary and modern art, concluded its ninth edition on sunday, april 10, with a high attendance of international collectors and curators alongside 30,000 visitors, exceptional presentations from exhibiting galleries and strong sales, in what was its most global edition to date. on opening day alone, the exposition welcomed more than 8,000 vip guests while raising $260,000 to benefit the museum of contemporary art chicago during the fair’s vernissage. collectors, curators, artists and art professionals enjoyed an exclusive first look at over 140 leading galleries from 25 countries and 65 cities throughout navy pier’s iconic festival hall. expo chicago will return april 13 – 16, 2023.

“we are thrilled with the enthusiastic return of expo chicago as we once again welcomed a global network of art dealers, curators, museum directors, collectors, artists, and arts enthusiasts to our great city,” said tony karman, president | director. “the city galvanized to provide a vibrant, robust week of activities in support of local and visiting patrons and i am deeply proud that our success proved the importance of this marketplace and re-established our place on the international art world calendar in this april timeslot.”

2019 chicago architecture biennial week #2 calendar.

Sep 28, 2019

above > the gun project memorial project 2019 / mass design group – exhibit designers

“…you hear those numbers all the time, but you never tie names to them. i wanted you to see who my son was.” pamela bosley, mother of terrell bosley / co-founder of purpose over pain

two chicago women whose sons were shot to death inspired the creation of the memorial. pamela montgomery-bosley’s 18-year-old son, terrell, was gunned down in a south side church parking lot helping a friend unload drums from a car. annette nance-holt’s 16-year-old son, blair holt, was killed as he was riding a cta bus home from his south side high school.

designed by the boston office of the mass design group, the reminders, artifacts of those slain, will be displayed in each of four houses. by showing objects from a wide range of victims, the architects are confronting the notion that gun violence is exclusively the province of young african american men belonging to gangs.

each house has 700 openings and there’s space for many more remembrances to be added.

the memorial, which honors u.s.a. gun violence victims, probably will be one of the most talked-about exhibits in the biennial. #stopgunviolence

[ curatorial statement ] titled …and other such stories, the 2019 chicago architecture biennial is rooted in close readings of the spatial realities of its host city. sitting at the crossroads of the great plains and the great lakes, chicago has been shaped by planetary forces: colonial expansion, mass migration, extraction economies, and rapid industrialization. thus, chicago’s urbanism is inextricable from the flows of people, goods, and capital—and the concurrent exploitation of bodies, labor, and nature—that have contributed to its making. today, despite the promise of economic development, chicago, like many other established and emergent global metropolises, faces challenging urban conditions that require the reimagining of forms of exchange between human activity, technology, and the natural world. by extension, owing to its physical geography, chicago is a singular context in which to address climate and ecological concerns shared by many postindustrial societies.

the third edition of the biennial will open 19 september 2019 thru 5 january 2020, and will convene the world’s leading practitioners, theorists, and commentators in the field of architecture and urbanism to further explore, debate, and demonstrate the significance of architectural concepts in contemporary society. the 2019 chicago architecture biennial is led by artistic director yesomi umolu with curators sepake angiama and paulo tavares.

[ events – weekly view ] #cab19 @chicagobiennial

expo chicago 2019: expression vs communication look #2.

Sep 21, 2019

above > study for homage to the square / josef albers / david zwirner (new york, london, paris, hong kong) – booth 239 / 1954 – 1960

what is the difference between art and design? i think it comes down to function. design can have many functions, whereas art has one single function. the function of art.

the question of what’s the difference between art and design often comes up at art expositions, perfect launchpads for such a confabulation. in this instance, DesignApplause submits that architecture, design, and engineering are one and the same.

so design is applied art? or maybe an eames chair is a design object when you’re trying to sell it or sit in it, and an art object when you’re observing it, etc. ~ anonymous

DesignApplause asked galleries if their artists in this show pursued any architectural or design studies in their background. 25 of 39 (64%) galleries point out the following:

above > elevator / gregory scott / catherine edelman gallery (chicago) – booth 167 / 2019

gregory has always blurred the lines between painting and photography, incorporating paintings he did of himself, or his body, back into his photographs. the resulting images were both humorous and odd, challenging the viewer’s perception of photographic truth. then, at the age of 49, scott decided to go to graduate school to strengthen his knowledge of art history and video making. having successfully merged his love of painting and photographs, his interest turned to video and its ability to move and manipulate still images. he received his bachelor degree in graphic design from the institute of design at iit in chicago in 1979 and his master of fine art from indiana university in 2008.

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above > horizontal obeah golio / remy jungerman / fridman gallery (new york) – booth 365 / 2016-18

remy brings together motifs from the de stijl movement with the maroon culture and the winti religion of his native suriname. he is interested in the journey of patterns and textures across time periods and continents. in jungerman’s works, the pared-down, highly stylized forms and primary colors of dutch modernism with inspiration from masters artist/designer piet mondrian and designer gerrit rietveld.

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above >jigawatts / sarah pichilkostner / josh lilly gallery (london) – booth 249 / 2019

the long-term research by sarah is focused on the representation of energy, time, space, self-optimization, productivity, self-reflection and empathy created by objects. solutions involve an interest and understanding of mechanical engineering. through a deep study of the behavior of materials, that combines effortless contemporary methods with laborious and outmoded fabrication techniques, pichlkostner reflects on the social behavior of and towards objects.

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above > tropic of cancer II / john little / mccormick gallery (chicago) – vallarino fine art (new york) – booth 255 / 1960

john started as a very successful textile and wallpaper designer. in 1933 he began classes at the art students league with george grosz, painting mainly cezannesque landscapes and then with hans hofmann in both new york and provincetown, which pushed him towards abstraction and his first serious involvement as a painter. he also happened to be a neighbor of lee krasner and jackson pollock, whom he became close friends.

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above > flow / emi ozawa / richard levy gallery (albuquerque) – booth 424 / 2019

emi strategically arranges color, form, and shadow to create compositions that shift when viewed from different perspectives. originally from tokyo, she studied woodworking at the university of the arts in philadelphia and later an mfa in furniture design from risd.

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above > sound landscape / void /galerie papillon (paris) – booth 413 / 2019

two artists arnaud eeckhout and mauro vitturini founded void to use sound as a medium to represent reality. the medium give shape to move through different fields of design in the form of installations, sculptures, objects, videos, paintings, and performances.

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above > mappings / kay rosen / rené schmitt (berlin) – booth 132 / 2019

kay works with language using words and letters and strategically lays out the content to manipulate the meanings in a very clever and insightful way. though not formally trained as a graphic designer, her typography and design skills inspire.

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above > untitled / devin reynolds / royale projects (los angeles) – booth 272 / 2019

raised in venice, ca, reynolds grew up working on fishing boats, scavenging flea markets with his mother, and surfing crudely painted boards emulating artists such as drew brophy and sean spoto, memories that have greatly informed his practice. inspired by barry mcgee and margaret killgallen, his obsession with marking his alias on the sides of boxcars moved into the studio where graffiti still greatly informs the scale and application of materials used in his work today. reynolds left southern california for new orleans, la to study at tulane university where he received his ba in architecture.

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above > rossiniére / georges rousse / sous les etoliles gallery (new york) – booth 263 / 2015

georges has been a photographer since the age of 9 and evolved into architectural photography, inventing a unique approach that shifted the relationship of painting to space. he began making installations in the types of abandoned or derelict buildings that have long held an attraction for him – creating ephemeral, one-of-a-kind artworks by transforming these sites into pictorial spaces that are visible only in his photographs. he fits well into oscar niemeyer‘s definition of architecture, “”architecture is invention.”

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above > study for homage to the square / josef albers / david zwirner (new york, london, paris, hong kong) – booth 239 / 1954 – 1960

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above > corona & bar cabaret / robert cottingham / tandem press & apex gallery (madison) – booth 262 / 2015 & 2019

although robert is known for his photorealistic depictions of signs, storefront marquees, railroad boxcars and letter forms, he does not consider himself a photorealist artist. his imagery, while derived from the photographs he takes, expands on the photographic image, it does not replicate it. he received his bfa degree from the pratt institute. he later studied art at the arts center college of design.

[ expo chicago 2019: expression vs communication look #1 ]

expo chicago 2019: expression vs communication look #1.

Sep 20, 2019

above > shelves ‘dune’ / zaha hadid / david gill gallery (london) – booth 105 / 2007

what is the difference between art and design? i think it comes down to function. design can have many functions, whereas art has one single function. the function of art.

so design is applied art? or maybe an eames chair is a design object when you’re trying to sell it or sit in it, and an art object when you’re observing it, etc. ~ anonymous

DesignApplause asked galleries if their artists in this show pursued any architectural or design studies in their background. 25 of 39 (64%) galleries point out the following:

physichromie no. 2406 / carlos cruz-diez / ascaso gallery (miami, caracas) – booth 442 / 2002

carlos (1923 – 2019) was an artist and designer.

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cadeira tripe de ferro / lina bo bardi / bergamin & gomide (sao paulo) – booth 311 / 1948-89

pmr chase longue / mendes da rocha / bergamin & gomide (sao paulo) – booth 311 / 1985

patrona alta / oscar niemeyer / bergamin & gomide (sao paulo) – booth 311 / 1971

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above > a fake history of humanity / octavio abúndez / galeria curro (guadadalajara) – booth 101 / 2019

galeria curro‘s proposal deals with knowledge and its representation and reception throughout the history of art and science. octavio abúndez’s new painting project a fake history of humanity offers alternative versions of history to our post-truth era, while deconstructing and creating a tribute relationship with the richter’s color charts. octavia is an architect.

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above > holiday greetings / herbert bayer / stephen daiter gallery (chicago) – booth 143 / 1941

above > the measure of man: a study in perspective / herbert bayer / stephen daiter gallery (chicago) – booth 143 / 1940

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above > coffee table ‘megalith in motion’ / david libeskind / david gill gallery (london) – booth 105 / 2018

above > shelves ‘dune’ / zaha hadid / david gill gallery (london) – booth 105 / 2007

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above > highway with mountain / theaster gates / richard gray gallery (chicago) – booth 139 / 2019

theaster gates is a chicago social practice installation artist, designer with a b.s degree in urban planning and ceramics.

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above > we hold these truths / bob faust / kavi gupta (chicago) – booth 121 / 2019

bob faust is a chicago graphic designer.

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above > chair ‘abrigo’ / mameluca studio (rio de janeiro, miami, new york) – booth 440 / mercado moderno / 2019

above > cafofo / mameluca studio (rio de janeiro, miami, new york) – booth 440 / mercado moderno / 2015

gallery mercado moderno is based in rio de janeiro, miami and new york. founded in 2001 by alberto vicente and marcelo vasconcellos, mercado moderno is a gallery dedicated to brazilian design from the 1950s to 80s and contemporary design-art.

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above > untitled / richard koppe (1916-1973) / richard norton gallery (chicago) – booth 275 / 1951

above > postcard of chicago restaurant well of the sea

richard was the first design student for lazlo moholy-nagy at the new bauhaus chicago. he later turned to painting and some interior design where he created murals and chandeliers for a famous chicago restaurant well of the sea.

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above > various paintings / danielle tegeder / carrie secrist gallery (chicago) – booth 137 / 2017

dannielle is chicago artist integrating languages of architecture, planning and design, and urban construction. inspired by her father who was a pipe fitter in commercial architecture.

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[ expo chicago 2019: expression vs communication look #2 ]

2019 chicago architecture biennial week #1 calendar.

Sep 18, 2019

above > skievvar, 2019 / joar nango

the artist-architect joar nango is a member of the sámi people, an indigenous group from the north of norway and sweden. he creates site-specific installations and self-made publications that explore indigenous perspectives via contemporary architecture. there’s an archival window called skievvarcoolli, designed and built by oceangoing sámi people out of dried halibut stomachs spanning wooden frames. for the biennial, nango’s creative team developed a prototype for a new kind of window screen using this old technology. skievvar is a slightly absurd anti-capitalist piece of ancient-futurist technology carrying old wisdoms through its simple material, presented in chicago, itself a cradle of modernist architecture.

[ events – weekly view ] #cab19 @chicagobiennial

geometry of light farnsworth house revamped for the chicago architecture biennial 2019.

Sep 1, 2019

farnsworth house, the national trust for historic preservation, and mas context presents geometry of light, an art intervention by luftwerk in collaboration with iker gil.

geometry of light is a three-night light and sound art installation in the iconic farnsworth house, designed by mies van der rohe and lilly reich, and on the surrounding land, in plano, illinois. completed in 1951 and opened to the public in 2004,

the art installation will coincide with the third edition of the chicago architecture biennial. both vip and general entry tickets are already available for purchase. geometry of light will run each evening from 7 pm until 10 pm. presented in concert with a sound-piece developed in direct response to the site by oriol tarragó, this intervention will reveal underlying geometries that relate the house to its river floodplain site, topography, and natural landscape.

[ tickets ]
friday, 11 october 2019 (vip)
7:00 pm | $75 | virtue cider, hors d’oeuvres, & shuttle service to/from aurora metra station included in ticket price. event also features a conversation between zoë ryan, john h. bryan chair and curator of architecture and design at the art institute of chicago, artists petra bachmaier and sean gallero, and architect iker gil.
saturday, 12 october 2019
7:00 pm | $35 | shuttle service to/from aurora metra station available for additional fee
sunday, 13 october 2019
7:00 pm | $35 | shuttle service to/from aurora metra station available for additional fee

the farnsworth house was the weekend home of chicago research physician dr. edith farnsworth. this outdoor intervention will uncover the forgotten history of the site and remnants of earlier landscape by revealing the underlying geometries that relate the world-renowned house to its river floodplain, site topography, and key trees that no longer exist.

geometry of light premiered this past february at the german pavilion in barcelona designed by mies van der rohe and lilly reich. the installation was presented as part of the fundació mies van der rohe’s ongoing program of artistic interventions also corresponding with the llum bcn festival and the santa eulàlia festival.

geometry of light is part of the year of german-american friendship 2018|19 initiated by the german federal foreign office, the goethe-institut, and is supported by the federation of german industries (bdi). this project is generously supported by the graham foundation for advanced studies in the fine arts and bosch power tools – north america. additional support provided by chuck thurow, virtue cider, and many individual donors.

above/below > the farnsworth house / photography by kate joyce, mel and phil theobald, tom rossiter courtesy of luftwerk

architecture and design begets art at expo chicago 2018.

Sep 29, 2018

above > expo chicago 2017 featuring work by lara schnitger (anton kern) as part of in/situ chronopolitics / curated by florence derieux

In the art world, DesignApplause attempts an objects-only mindset that could include a sculpture, or a photograph or painting of an airstream trailer for example. However, typically the art conversations becomes limited to works by designers showing in design galleries. For Expo 2013, for the first time, we put this question to the dealers we talked to: are there any architecture or design trained artists in your booth today? 2018 is our fourth iteration of this theme.

above > untitled 1945 / richard koppe / richard norton gallery / chicago / booth 275

born in st. paul, minnesota, richard koppe studied at the st. paul school of art with artists cameron booth, leroy turner and nicolai cikovsky. in 1937, koppe moved to chicago and continued his studies at the institute of design (id) with the noted bauhaus masters laszlo moholy-nagy, gyorgy kepes and alexander archipenko. he became an instructor at the institute of design in 1946 and remained an associate professor at the id until 1963. robert koppe was moholy-nagy‘s first design student.

the new bauhaus was founded in chicago in 1937 by the renowned professor, photographer and artist, laszlo moholy-nagy. the new bauhaus stems from the german bauhaus, a pioneering school of art and design that operated from 1919-1933. the theories and teachings of the bauhaus, which emphasized a synthesis of numerous artistic disciplines, was most influential in championing modernist twentieth century design, fine art and architecture. after adolph hitler closed the german school in 1933, many of the bauhaus teachers, namely through the efforts of moholy-nagy, emmigrated to america to establish and work with the new bauhaus in chicago. industrialist walter paepke, chairman of the container corporation of america, was an early financial backer of the school, which was originally located in the old marshall field mansion on chicago’s prarie avenue. in 1944, the school was retitled the instiute of design (id) and today resides on the campus of the illinois institute of technology. (iit) the school became the first institution in the united states to offer a phd in design. much of moholy-nagy’s curriculum and ideas were outlined in his extensive 1947 book, “vision in motion”. many important prefessors and designers have taught or studied at the new bauhaus/id. these include such artists as serge chermayeff, ivan cherymayeff, alexander archipenko, buckminster fuller, gyorgy kepes, richard koppe, nathan lerner, harry callahan, robert bruce tague, john cage and werner drewes, among others. much of the influence on today’s american modern art, design and architecture may be attributed to the teachings of the chicago new bauhaus.

a serendipitous moment via moholy-nagy chicago design archive and designer steve liska.

above > museum quality #bentply preview of nyc show re moma’s mid-century design exhibitions period works by #isokon #eames and #noguchi / r & company / new york city / booth 131

above > rothko chapel 2018 / gregory scott / catherine edelman gallery / chicago / booth 167

gregory scott was born in ann arbor, michigan in 1957 and received his bachelor degree from the institute of design at iit in chicago in 1979. scott has always blurred the lines between painting and photography, incorporating paintings he did of himself, or his body, back into his photographs. the resulting images were both humorous and odd, challenging the viewer’s perception of photographic truth. then, at the age of 49, scott decided to go to graduate school to strengthen his knowledge of art history and video making. having successfully merged his love of painting and photographs, his interest turned to video and its ability to move and manipulate still images.

above > local 1 chicago 55 west van buren 2008 / david hartt / corbett vs dempsey / chicago / booth 211

graphic design trained david hartt currently is an assistant professor, department of fine arts, school of design, university of pennsylvania

above > www14 2017 / canan tolon / anglim gilbert gallery / san francisco / booth 247

canan tolon, who trained as a designer and architect, explores visualizations of space via illusionistic imagery and constructions. tolon is known for her seemingly abstract paintings with geometric motifs and limited color palettes; over time, however, the rhythmic forms in her compositions begin to come into focus as series of overlain architectural structures and landscapes. these compositions are really tolon’s experiments in visual familiarity, examining the eye’s ability to piece together depictions of space from apparent abstraction. she is also known for large-scale installations with recurring use of dirt, grass, mirrors, and architectural constructions; these reference themes of colonization, urban growth, and land ownership.

above > tecate 2015 / peter alexander / peter blake gallery / laguna beach / booth 261

after initially working as an architect peter alexander rose to prominence in the 1960s with translucent resin sculptures. working with a southern california sensibility, los angeles-based artist peter alexander is most commonly associated with the light and space movement. his primary means of working today is in sculptural forms made of polyester resin reminiscent of his earliest work from 1965-1972. he has also produced paintings, including a series that depicts luminous aerial views of the city lights stretching across the los angeles basin. he also was commissioned to paint a large mural for the walt disney concert hall in los angeles.

above > the conservation center: the laboratory / studiogang / the conservation center / chicago / booth 166

the conservation center: the laboratory by studiogang designers re-imagined in a 19th century warehouse highlighting pre-existing elements such as original finishes and grand arched windows. the conservation center is the largest and most comprehensive private art conservation laboratory in the country. with over 33 years of experience, the center is a leader in the field of art preservation, evolving new treatments and methods to adapt to the rapidly-changing art world.

above > john m armleder / galeria javier lopez & fer frances / madrid / booth 344

swiss artist, john m armleder is internationally recognized for his versatile work that lies in between art and life. his art shows a clear vision of xxth century art history, and he specifically addresses the dilemma of object-ness. from 1979 onwards, armleder began to exhibit his so-called “fs,” furniture sculpture. these pieces comprise the pairing of daily objects with paintings. the artist does this either by integration, in which case the object becomes the canvas, or by placement side by side, where the object becomes like any other element of the pictorial composition. [ full bio ]

back story to this post > apologies, i was told that armleder studied architecture which led him to conceive and juxtapose flat art and 3-dimensional art, i.e., creating the space, an environment, criteria many architects are drawn to. however, research suggests armleder works, which do evoke design and architectural comparisons, is self-taught. he himself believes that art is in the eyes of the beholder. nonetheless, he’s included in this post.

asked how he would define himself and his art armleder said, “obviously i believe that i’m a visual artist, i’ve been interested in painting and doing three dimensional objects since i was a kid. one always believes that the artist knows more, or understands the work he is doing better than the onlooker, or the people who take care of the work, and i think it’s not true. the artist has a very restrictive understanding of his own work because he’s so close to it, and he remembers the moments when he was making it, and the anecdotes, which are just episodes. it’s not at all a universal understanding. i think the art should work on its own, the people who look at the works invent the works again, and the artist is just a side effect. so it’s very difficult for me to say this or that, and i don’t think it’s really my style to try to control the understanding or the focus of the work and say that it’s about this rather than about that. so what binds it all together? it’s obviously time, space—areas. and all that would be wiped out by new time, new spaces.

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note: there were seven galleries who did not hang work at expo chicago, works of their artists who have backgrounds in architecture and design. we plan on adding this work to this post as it comes in.
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expo chicago (september 27-30, 2018), the international exposition of contemporary & modern art, has established the city of chicago as a preeminent art fair destination. opening the fall art season every september, expo chicago takes place at historic navy pier whose vast vaulted architecture hosts leading international art galleries alongside one of the highest quality platforms for global contemporary art and culture. dedicated to rigorous and challenging programming, expo chicago initiates strategic international partnerships, built alongside strong institutional relationships with major local museums and organizations to open parallel exhibitions and events. the 2018 edition of expo chicago will align with art design chicago, an initiative of the terra foundation for american art, to present various programs and events throughout expo art week (september 24–30, 2018) including panel discussions, performances, and activations across the city.

the seventh edition features art from over 3,000 artists represented by 135 international galleries, 27 countries, and 63 cities. Admission includes a dynamic roster of on-site programming, including panel discussions, site-specific installations, film and new media works, and special exhibitions by renowned institutions.

art after hours. pavilion 20th c.

Sep 26, 2018

please join pavilion antiques and 20th c in conjunction with expo chicago for art after hours.

art after hours welcomes expo chicago visitors to view citywide galleries during extended hours on friday, 28 september, 6:00 – 9:00 pm allowing a first look at new exhibitions while experiencing the vibrant local art scene.

jeff martin
excavated vessels
glass is the chosen material for these vessels as the fluidity, immediacy, and intuition of glass working is in conversation with the surprise and wonder of primitive sculpture.
the result of this studio specific method is an object of a cosmic spirit, which look like glaciers, mountain ranges, snow drifts, rock faces, ice caves, and tidal pools hurled into outer space. new works available.
jeff martin, vancouver, british columbia

eric gushee
explorations of space: emergence series
a rigorous dedication to the complex systems that arrive through the repetition of a single act or gesture. the concept behind this series is in its scientific namesake: emergence theory, the notion that a simple set of rules dictates a result. new works available.
eric gushee, chicago, illinois

arno declercq
exploration of form in function
in the strange tribal arts, the wood “iroko” is used in many objects, according to their culture, the ancestors lives in these trees, and they also call this tree “the king of the forest”. new works available.
arno declercq, zaventem, belgium

pavilion at 2055 n damen, chicago il 60647 will be featuring this work plus its ongoing curated selection of 20th historical design and 21st century contemporary design.
773.645.0924
tuesday – saturday 12-5:30

hear here chicago with nick cave and studio gang. chicago architecture biennial and expo chicago.

Sep 17, 2017

navy pier welcomes world-renowned contemporary artist nick cave and international architect and macarthur fellow jeanne gang for here hear chicago, a new site-specific project that incorporates art, design and performance.

the collaboration will be featured at navy pier this fall as part of the free public programming for the chicago architecture biennial and expo chicago, the international exposition of modern & contemporary art.

the locally-based duo, cave and gang, are set to present a series of live productions in which cave’s performers will intersect and respond to a field of dynamic, custom-fabricated objects designed by gang and her practice, studio gang. the performance series includes cave’s newest performance work, up right, and internationally acclaimed heard. both feature his iconic soundsuits, accompanied by chicago’s most talented musicians, including jazz artist kahil el zabar, the chicago children’s choir and others.

studio gang’s “stage buoys” will define a flexible space for performance, responding to the spontaneous interactions of performers and the public. “our design features mobile objects, or ‘stage buoys,’ that will collectively define a space for performance,” said gang.

“reflecting the kinetic experience of nick’s performances, the mobile objects find equilibrium amid the movement of the
performers and bustle of the audience at navy pier.” the “stage buoys” are self-balancing, upright objects with a mirrored finish that react to, and reflect the movements of the
performers, and can be re-arranged for each performance. more than 200 “stage buoys” will demarcate the stage.

studio gang’s “stage buoys” will remain on display throughout the pier once the performance series wraps, serving as temporary art installations and offering guests the unique opportunity to view and engage with the pieces up close through
the course of the 2017 chicago architecture biennial.