4833 rph — Explore and Discuss

Right now at HPAC we have a dynamic and ever-expanding exhibition up called Artists Run Chicago that examines the prominent community of artist-run gallery spaces in the Chicago area, including both current and defunct spaces. I was largely unaware of this community’s existence prior to my post at HPAC, and it has certainly aroused my curiosity as to what opportunities there are to view and exhibit art beyond those great Chicago art museums and galleries that we all know so well. Being an Oak Parker of twenty years, I decided to pay Oak Park’s own The Suburban a visit on Thursday night. The Suburban is in its tenth year of existence and operates in the spaces behind the home of two Oak Park artists, Michelle Grabner and Brad Killam. Coincidentally, I wrote for the Oak Park-River Forest High School newspaper, Trapeze, with the couple’s son Peter. On the introduction of their webpage (www.thesuburban.org), Grabner and Killam explain

We give complete control to the artists in regards to what they choose to produce and exhibit. Thus it’s a pro artist and anti curator site. The Suburban is not driven by commercial interests. It is funded within the economy of our household. Its success is not grounded in sales, press or the conventional measures set forth by the international art apparatus, but by the individual criteria set forth by the artists and their exhibitions. In this, The Suburban is more closely aligned with the idea of studio practice than that of the site of distribution.

I was quite impressed with the clean layout and cool art that The Suburban was displaying in their three exhibition spaces during my visit. Michelle was extremely friendly and hospitable. I brought my best friend Brad who is fairly uninitiated in the arts along on the visit, and he was also quite impressed with the space. Copenhagen artist Henrik Plenge Jakobsen’s installation was easily my favorite, with fabricated sculptural objects evocative of missiles, African objects and phallic imagery. These works are created in a similar vein to artists such as Donald Judd and Richard Serra.

The Suburban is located at 125 N. Harvey in Oak Park and has hours by appointment. They are reachable at www.thesuburban.org or by phone at 708.763.8554

On Friday, I helped artist Mark Porter complete an installation in the Artists Run Chicago exhibition space. The installation was his addition to My Turn, which is gallery mini dutch’s piece in the show. According to the exhibition label text,

My Turn is a site-specific, work in progress embodying mini dutch’s mission statement. Five artists who have previously shown at mini dutch were asked to participate. Each artist will take a turn installing artwork, and each “show” will be up for 8 days.

Rules:
1. The order of which the artists will participate will be randomly chosen
2. Each artist must keep at least 2 elements of all prior artists’ installation work
3. Each of the artists’ installation must be visible in the end process

The end goal is to show an evolving piece- much like how the shows usually change during their run at mini dutch. The focus is on collaboration and domination— there might be some irritation by the first participant because their contribution might be almost non-existents by the end. These artists were chosen not only because they all deal with “physical space,” but also because they don’t know each other. Therefore, they cannot plan what they are going to do and it ends up becoming reactionary to the artwork and to the previous installations.

Porter works in the mediums of kinetic sculpture and drawing. Today he added to the contributions already in place from Jessica Paulson, Matt Hanner and Vivien Park. His work will be added to by Stacie Johnson in a little over a week’s time. Playing off of his interpretation of the wall as a landscape, Porter added a houseplant that will be fed a mix of beneficial and detrimental liquids through a mechanical component. Porter explains the thought process behind the piece: “I’m reacting to what is the result of a collaboration by three artists that don’t know each other. Unknowingly, we all made a landscape together. I’m re-emphasizing that with my own process by linking a mechanical object to a piece of nature.” The piece is Porter’s interpretation of how manmade structures are imposing both with and against nature. Even strategies of development that seem environmentally friendly, such as green architecture, still have detrimental effects on the environment. As Porter says, “Inherently, no matter what we do, it’s destructive to nature.”

Artists Run Chicago remains on view until July 5.

My Turn before Porter’s contribution

After

Installation

Thank you for reading and be sure to join us tonight from 8 p.m. til midnight for Cocktails and Clay at HPAC!