From South to North in Chicago you can see Aspen Mays's work, at the Hyde Park Art Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). Occupying the MCA’s UBS 12 x 12 gallery for the entire month of February is Aspen Mays’s exhibition “Every leaf on a tree.” An installation of two photographic series, Every leaf and Einstein’s Rainbow, Mays once again presents a concentrated investigation into a particular subject.  Despite the apparent world of difference between a tree and a physicist, Mays shows us two bodies of knowledge and how that knowledge is gained, stored and organized.

Every leaf consists of a selection of over 900 photographs that document every leaf on a tree outside the artist’s studio. Mays transforms the gallery into a verdant space with a floor-to-ceiling installation of the images of leaves, organized into giant grids on the left and right walls.  This transformation is especially poignant in the middle of a Chicago Winter and its snow/sleet combination I had escaped from.  The weather aside, the images immediately evoked the various terms associated with botany: axial node, internode, petiole, etc. Mays does not photograph a single leaf in every image.  Some images are of several leaves, a pair or of a singular leaf.  This allows us to see bits and pieces put together to present a semblance of a whole (to quote Lawrence Weiner).  Mays’s process also mirrors science’s process of gathering and classifying information into different branches, or disciplines, that are likewise separate, yet related.  Or Darwin’s concept and drawings of “the Tree of Life,” the common ancestor from which modern genera derive.  Mays's interest in the organization and classification of knowledge that is continued in Einstein’s Rainbow.

Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 1, 2009. Courtesy of the artist.

Inspired by imagining a scientist that only read Einstein, Mays decided to order all the books possible that relate to the famous physicist via the Illinois Collegiate Inter-Library Loan Service.  Mays then arranged the books she received, ultimately more than 2,100 over several months, according to the color spectrum in a custom-made arch that spans two ubiquitous office chairs.  The results are shown in a grid on the back wall of the gallery. Biographies and thick physics tomes exist side-by-side, leveling their usual Library of Congress separations.

The arch itself is a fantastic device, it allowed the ancient Romans to accomplish construction never before possible, but along with aqueducts they also constructed sites of unbelievable barbarism like the Coliseum. Paired with Einstein the implication seems to be how will his contributions to science affect our human future?  Even within the legible book titles there are indicators both positive and negative.  Hitler’s Gift is one such title, reminding us that Einstein left Nazi Germany for the United States in 1933, avoiding the Holocaust.  Einstein’s work also provided the theoretical basis for the development of nuclear energy, which was weaponized in World War II but now presents a viable alternative to oil or coal energy.  

Mays project is so successful because through doing this she is able to glimpse and challenge the human spirit.  She continues her investigation of science without ever lacking for Art.  Her Perhaps Einstein said it best, though, “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.”

--Abraham Ritchie

River North stalwart, Jean Albano is serving up something new with the gallery’s latest exhibition, “New Wave” on view until February 27, 2010.  Handing the curatorial reigns over to gallery staffers, Emanuel Aguilar and Theresa Murray, the exhibition presents a fresh perspective from the experienced dealer.  Screamingly vibrant and visually engaging, the collection of work is a departure from their usual program. Striving to present a new aesthetic, Aguilar and Murray sought out emerging talent and juxtaposed them with gallery heavyweights like Karl Wirsum and Margaret Wharton.  Their attempt to create an open dialogue between the eclectic youth and veteran trailblazers produces a succinct and cohesive vision of the future.

Perfect Equilibriums, F**ck, I Thought I was the Only One that Had Those (2009, seen above) is a complex labyrinth of acrylic paint, layered and intertwined in a stylized fashion trademarked by the Chicago artist Zack Wirsum.  This network of color, line and shape is an impressive greeting upon entering the gallery.  The acrylic on panel stretches 60 x 36 x 2 inches commanding attention that matches the aptly titled painting.  A circuitry of orange, deep blue, lavender and green provide an intricately constructed stage highlighting a bright white pair of New Balance shoes.  The combination of abstract line and form with recognizable objects is indicative of the artist’s work and representative of the 30-year-old’s generation, inundated by technology, material thing and a need for recognition and status.  Aguilar and Murray came across the painting on a studio visit with the artist, part of their campaign to seek out contemporary and relevant work for the exhibition.  Although Wirsum’s work has been exhibited in Albano’s space in the past, including Perfect Equilibriums in the exhibition provides a Midwest comparative to the linear and technically obsessive imagery of West Coast painter Robert Walker.  Despite differences in age or locale, the paintings by these artists reinforce the importance of process and technique, a sometimes forgotten practice in the digital age.

Karl Wirsum, The Formally Young Salvador,1983, acrylic on canvas, 36 1/2 x 30 1/2 inches.

Zack is not the only Wirsum featured in “New Wave”.  Three works by his father and gallery artist, Karl Wirsum were also selected for this exhibition.  One of Chicago’s celebrated contemporary artists, Wirsum first entered the art scene in the 1960s with the Hairy Who group and later recognized as part of the Chicago Imagists.  The curators at Jean Albano have chosen to compare Wirsum’s humor, indefinable graphic space and cartoon-like subjects with the Brooklyn-based artist, Chris Uphues.  Seen immediately above, The Formally Young Salvador (1983) depicts one of Karl Wirsum’s iconic characters, precisely rendered with an animated quality.  Salvador exemplifies the artist’s ability to balance the intense and the playful, a cartoon with a menacing attitude.  A black background and bright, primary colors illustrate the artist’s tendencies to inject clever juxtapositions between elements of reality and the absurd.

Akin to this penchant for comics and pop culture, the paintings and drawings of Chris Uphues take influence from Wirsum, but with a contemporary twist.  Dismissing any conventional perspective or sense of reality, Uphues’s work is highly stimulated with elements of street art and Anime.

Chris Uphues, Frankenstein Love, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 21 x 21 inches.

One of three works in “New Wave”, Frankenstein Love (2009), seen above, is a hybrid of Wirsum and Takashi Murakami.  Similar to The Formally Young Salvador, Uphues’s Frankenstein Love employs a black back drop contrasting a fantastical scene of bright green creatures floating throughout the space.  Although currently in New York, the artist is no stranger to Chicago.  Uphues is an Illinois native and attended The School of the Art Institute.  His work has been exhibited at various galleries around the city and In June 2009, Uphues was the selected artist for the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Works in Progress program.

Betst Odom, I Think This is Yours, 2008, carved cork, 4 x 16 x 26 inches.

Although “New Wave” is heavily dominated by male artists, work by Margaret Wharton and recent Yale-grad Betsy Odom offers a distinct view from contemporary female artists.  Using objects and form to confront gender issues is paramount for these artists.  Two works from the women particularly stand out in the exhibition.  Reminiscent of an article of clothing carelessly strewn about, Odom’s I Think This is Yours (2008), seen above,  is displayed on the floor of the gallery’s main space. The meticulously carved cork sculpture appears to be a sweatshirt, ambiguous of masculine or feminine style.  The title and placement of this work suggests different stages in a relationship: the morning after, moving in and moving out.  Thrown garments and rhetoric like I Think This is Yours give an emotionally charged feeling to which any viewer can relate.

Margaret Wharton has been a leading female figure in contemporary art for more than 20 years.  Synonymous with irony and craft, Wharton manipulates material into witty creations that present a new identity to the viewer.  Composition/Score (2010), seen below, is an assemblage of parts forming an elaborate female figure.  Wharton has disassembled a piano using the ivory keys for hair that shoot out from a tennis racket utilized as the subject’s head.  Other organs from the piano are appropriated throughout Wharton’s created body embellished with baby shoes and wheel standing in for a pelvis.  With Composition/Score, the tenured Chicago artist is dissecting society view of the female figure.  Objectifying each feature and replacing it with common, everyday items.

Margaret Wharton, Composition/Score, 2010, mixed media, 43 x 86 x 2 inches.

“New Wave” at Jean Albano is a refreshing endeavor for Jean Albano Gallery.  Gallery Manager, Theresa Murray explained that she and fellow colleague, Emanuel Aguilar made an attempt to recruit “fresh blood” by way of artists and potential clients.  With a diverse exhibition of work and a range of realistic price points the gallery achieves this ambition.

--Robyn Farrell Roulo

(All images courtesy of Jean Albano Gallery)

Famously hailed in the movie Wayne’s World, Dustin Shuler’s Great Car Spire of Berwyn sculpture stood as the main, if not only artistic attraction in Berwyn, Illinois.  Not always recognized as a cultural destination by Chicagoans, the city’s southwest neighbor is often overlooked.  Contrary to this belief, Berwyn has undergone an artistic renaissance in recent years with a burgeoning community of musicians, artists, writers and performers, giving reason to visit Berwyn despite the now demolished stacked car installation.

The 16th Street Theater is among Berwyn’s artistic venues serving as the suburb’s first professional Equity theater.  Housed in The Berwyn Cultural Center and a program of the North Berwyn Park District, 16th Street offers a strong roster of talent and programming to Chicago.  Established in 2008 by artistic director and theatrical vet, Ann Filmer, the Theater’s mission is “to foster cultural enrichment and education for ALL members of our community through the development and presentation of diverse works and writers for the stage.”  Past productions have included “The Ascension of Carlotta” by Will Dunne, “The Last Barbeque” by Brett Neveu and a collaborative endeavor with Teatro Luna’s Tanya Saracho with “Kita y Fernando”.

Now in its third season, the theater company is introducing plays that deal with identity, race and diversity of culture.  2010 opened with the acclaimed one-man show, “This Train” by Chicago artist, poet and actor, Tony Fitzpatrick.  The eight sold-out performances featured the artist’s exploration into the lore of the Hobo alphabet and musings by Sally Timms and John Rice.  “The End of the Tour” (by Joel Drake Johnson) runs from February 4- March 6, 2010, presenting a comedic drama about one man’s journey home to Dixon, Illinois.   Other productions this season come from Jeff-Nominated “Our Lady of the Underpass” (by Tanya Saracho) and the world premiere of “Menorca” from 16th Street Theater Playwright-in-Residence, Robert Koon.  Whether it’s by car, bus or train, make the trek, and experience the ambitious and thought provoking performances available in Berwyn, Illinois.

--Robyn Farrell Roulo

For more information, please visit 16th Street Theater’s website, http://www.16thstreettheater.org/scripts/now_at_16thstreet.asp

(Images couresy of The 16th Street Theater)