Precariat, curated by Ariel Gentalen, showcases artwork by nine Chicago-based artists. While these artists have diverse interests and practice, each individual confronts socially constructed ideas – such as beauty, affluence, and gender – within their work. By reclaiming masculine identified materials through feminized craft, exposing how the greed of a few ruins the lives of many, and actively challenge the gaze of the audience, they challenge these social ideals and lead us to consider what it means to live with a multifaceted identity.
In her most recent book Notes Towards a Performative Theory of Assembly, Judith Butler examines the idea of precarity as an idea that inspired the title of the show as a moment that can produce potential alliances among those who do not recognize that they belong to one another, as it is a social and economic condition, not just an identity. Inspired by Butler, the exhibition will also host a series of programs that will expand upon themes within the show and present opportunities to dialogue on difficult issues. Having these opportunities for reflection on histories/herstories can help form stronger creative alliances to move our bodies forward together. Through these public programs it is possible to learn, listen and explore how we might “belong to one another.”
