A few blocks west of the Washington and Peoria Street galleries you will find Thomas Robertello Gallery among a slew of West Loop eateries and store fronts on Randolph Street.  The gallery's latest exhibit, "Gravity Buffs" features work from seven artists working across all media exploring the unusual and challenging the norms of the literal.  In an attempt to understand what the artist is trying to convey, the viewer must accept the unbelievable scenarios and characters.  In the gallery's statement it describes that, "each work requires a suspension of disbelief."  The fantastical beings and landscapes presented in the show exist in realms of the unreal; they not only defy gravity, but are elevated to a supernatural status.

Wrestle Nebula, 2007, by Travis LeRoy Southworth acts as the frontispiece for the show.  The energized installation can be seen from the gallery's window, greeting one with flashes of color and light.  The constant motion of the wrestler challenges the perceived space which the artist has chosen as his medium.  Southworth has engineered his work to defy the two dimensional orientation and creates a juxtaposition between the static viewer and the kinetic subject on the screen.

Lilly McElroy the photographer, performance and video artist was first shown in 2008 at Thomas Robertello Gallery with her exhibition, "I Throw Myself at Men."

The physical and hilarious work of McElroy elevates drama to a medium as she creates art from socially awkward behavior.  Into a Bed, 2006, finds the artist mid air in a superwoman-like pose, nodding to the theatrical influences of both Cindy Sherman and the World Famous Bushman.

Cake Toss (2004) and Arrangement (2002) introduce the magical and imaginative world of New York artist Amy Cutler.  The fairy tale visions of Cutler find parallels with work created forty years earlier by outsider artist Henry Darger.  A desolate forest of trees hiding maids with cakes and a young girl seeking safety amid a tower of furniture create dreamscapes of delight and fear.  The revelation of a whimsical land of the absurd seems to reference Darger's earlier creations: The Vivian Girls and The Realms of the Unreal.  Cutler captivates the viewer with the surreal imagery and fine detail of her work and despite my feeling of unrest in her landscapes, I still want to proceed.

-Robyn Farrell Roulo