Artist Choose Artists

Curated by Rebecca Shore, this exhibition gathered 18 established Chicago artists who were asked to select artist who they felt merited greater exposure. The exhibition showcased an interesting mix of under shown artists who worked in a range of media. Artist Ellen Campbell’s paintings and drawings used limited sets of imagery and toyed with historical artistic conventions. Derived from different sources, Campbell’s images recalled the experience of looking into the undergrowth of nature. March Connor’s paintings challenged visual perceptions through narrative and figurative form. Influenced by images of women in the media artist Suzanne Ragan Lentz’s video performances focused on manipulation of the artist body. Karen Lebergott’s paintings drew a parallel between nature and the human form through the dualities between the constraints of scientific design and the laws of nature: chaos, vulnerability, and fragility. Artist Renne Lee used painting as a cathartic approach to her personal life. Using marks, lines, color and texture artist Rebecca Puga created a visual language for her paintings that allowed her audience to view the layers of experience and time in her work. Peter Quinn used mixed media elements, burnt plywood, and industrial discard for his sculptural piece entitled “Athena.” Interested in contemporary drawing Michael Ryan’s works on paper were telling of personal experiences through objects. Thomas Schnedider’s paintings positioned facial components in multiple contexts in repeated dense clusters to create an optical effect and an out of the ordinary experience for his audience. Rachel Selekman used sculpture to give visual form to carnal experience in an attempt to acknowledge the artists own sexuality. Artist Leslie Wilkes juxtaposed insects with glamorous models to explore broader definitions of beauty and the relationships between nature and culture.