REJOICE opening at Swim

Chicago's REJOICE has a show with new work opening tonight at Swim Cafe, 1357 W. Chicago Ave from 6 to 8:30 pm.

Chicago Kid Robot pirate store is now open

Kid Robot's pirate store just opened today at 1573 N. Milwaukee in Wicker Park's Flat Iron Building. They'll be there through December and will feature a number of events including San Francisco based artist Huck Gee signing his new 8" Dunny figure, Hello, I'm Insane this Friday, October 3rd from 6 to 8pm.

On Friday, October 17th, NY artist
Andrew Bell will sign his glow in the dark Kidreaper figure (pictured above) at the store from 6 to 8 pm as well. More upcoming events are listed here.

You Are Forgiven

New Jersey based artist Matt Leines has a new book out now from Philadelphia's Free News Projects. You Are Forgiven features over 100 of his unique drawings from the past seven years. It can be ordered directly from Free News Projects or on Amazon.



Cantab Publishing also has this great little zine available by Matt. I picked one up from Philadelphia's Space 1026 when they had a show at this year's Version Fest in Chicago. It's well worth the six bucks.

Swindle magazine has an article on Matt from when he did this cover illustration for them.

It included this artwork as well...




You can see even more of his work at his show links at Clementine and Roberts & Tilton galleries.

Laurentino Style

I don't know who this is or anything about him. All I can say is wow. This is a photograph by Brazilian photographer Renato Reis.

Day of the Dead show

The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago has the opening for their annual Day of the Dead show on Friday, September 26th. 2008. If you haven't seen their building since they renovated a few years back this is a good time to go.

The reception is free and goes from 6 to 8:30 pm. The museum is free every day and the show goes on 'till December 14th.

The National Museum of Mexican Art
1852 W 19th St.
Chicago, IL

This weekend is also the kickoff for the 38th Annual Pilsen East Artist's Open House. Centered around the intersection of 18th. and Halsted St. the open house lets you check out the unique studios, apartments, and gardens renovated over the years by the Podmajersky family.

My favorite gallery in the Podmajersky buildings is Marilyn Houlberg's space at 731 W 18th St (garden entrance). Marilyn is a specialist in Haitian and Voodoo art and taught for many years at the School of the Art Institute. There's a lot of great folk art, altars, and more to check out in her space.

Here's the schedule for this weekend:
Opening Night Event
Friday, 9/26 - 6 pm to 10pm
Open Studios and Garden
Saturday, 9/27 - 12 noon to 7 pm
Open Studios and Garden
Sunday, 9/28 - 12 noon to 7 pm

The Curated Show, CS:38
2003 S. Halsted
Opening Reception
Friday 9/26 - 6pm to 10 pm

Exquisite Corpse show at Oh No! Doom

Click on the image for a list of artists and other info.

I'm looking forward to We Need Each Other, an exquisite corpse show opening from 6-10 pm, Saturday, October 11, 2008 at Chicago's Oh No! Doom Gallery. The huge collaborative piece they're going to display will consist of 80 1 x 1 foot artworks all connected to each other in a grid 16 feet long by 5 feet high. There'll also be a separate display of work by 20 other artists.

Oh No! Doom
2955 W. Lyndale
Chicago, IL

DALEK/James Marshall and more this weekend

James Marshall aka DALEK will have an opening tonight entitled Temporal Encroachment at Chicago's Phaiz, 673 N. Milwaukee Ave. The show is from 7 to 10 pm and runs through Sun. October 12th.




A show called Six More Miles is opening up the street from 6-9 pm tonight at Roots and Culture, 1034 N. Milwaukee Ave.

There's a group show at Tony Fitzpatrick's Big Cat Press featuring work by Julie Murphy, Dmitry Samarov, and Steve Griff opening tonight from 7 to 11 pm. Big Cat Press is at 2124 N. Damen Ave in Bucktown.




And on Saturday night, September 20th, Christopher Hiltz will have a photography show called Whenever Ago opening from 6 to 10 pm at the illustrious Believe Inn at 2043 N. Winchester. Christopher will also have 100 framed photographs hidden throughout the surrounding Bucktown neighborhood which will be free for the taking.

Beautiful Losers movie

Beautiful Losers is opening tonight at the Gene Siskel Film Center on State and Randolph in Chicago and playing through September 25th. The documentary is based on Aaron Rose's Lower East Side space, Alleged Gallery, and the artists who showed with him during its 10 year existence in the 1990's.


Featuring a group of my favorite artists including Twist/Barry McGee, Margaret Kilgallen, Chris Johanson, Jo Jackson, and ESPO/Steve Powers, the film's title is based on a traveling art show that toured the U.S. and Europe a few years ago. You can check out the catalog and info here.

Kid Robot Pirate Store in Chicago

Kid Robot is opening a temporary shop in Wicker Park's Flat Iron Building on Saturday, October 4th, 2008. They'll be at 1573 N. Milwaukee Ave through December. Chicago's Rotofugi carries a lot of their toys and the Museum of Contemporary Art's gift shop showcases some of their clothing but it'll be nice to see what new things will pop up at the Chicago Kid Robot shop. They'll be having toy signings as well.

I liked this shirt I shot at their New York shop last year. It was based on their Yummy Donut key chains that I got my little cousins hooked on.


Kid Robot also puts out numerous other dope toy lines like Frank Kozic's Smorkin' Labbits and their prolific Dunny series.

Chicago art openings

There's a bunch of good shows opening tonight including...

Wax Burner at A.Okay Official in Lakeview, a group show at 32nd & Urban at 3200 S. Halsted in Bridgeport, a huge Lee Godie retrospective at Intuit www.art.org , and a toy release and art show by Mark Landwehr of Coarsetoys at Rotofugi in Ukrainian Village www.rotofugi.com. 

Lee Godie used to sit on Michigan Ave from the late 60's to the 80's selling her "French Impressionist" paintings and drawings.  I remember her sitting across from the old Water Tower in the 80's.  She also used to draw on b/w photobooth pictures of herself. 

 There's also a free concert called Kittypalooza at the Double Door that will support Tree House, a no-kill cat shelter here in Chicago.  That starts at 8:30 pm and runs 'till 1 am or so.

"Framed" review in Time Out Chicago magazine

I got a nice mention in today's issue.....

"Framed”
32nd&Urban, through Aug 30.


“Framed,” installation view, 2008.
Photo: Mireya Acierto

“Framed” would be noteworthy even if every piece in the show sucked. The majority of the nearly 140 works on display cost less than $100, and nothing is more than $400, a fraction of the lowest prices at most local gallery shows. Yet the participating artists—almost all of whom are Chicagoans—include accomplished professionals, such as Juan Angel Chavez, Mike Genovese and Chris Silva.

Fortunately, the artists in “Framed” pack startling images and ideas into the small wooden frames that give the show its title. (The frames range from 4" x 6" to 11" x 15"; curator Peter Kepha asked the 50-plus artists to create new works for the show or submit existing ones that fit the frames.) Jon Lowenstein’s Slain Lawyer’s Assistant, Guatemala City (2008)—a close-up photograph of a young man lying on an office floor in a pool of blood—intimately conveys the terrifying violence plaguing Guatemala. Violence also overshadows Maria Gaspar’s watercolor of a nude woman brandishing a spear as she stands next to a prone horse. But her work’s abstraction, soft color palette and fine paper yield a different effect on the viewer, suggesting a mythic event.

The other drawings, paintings, collages and photographs in “Framed” tend to be less serious—though several are very strange. Erik DeBat (“RISK”), Blutt and Revise cmw contribute enigmatic works influenced by their street art. Elisa “Pooper” Harkins illustrates a girl’s transformation into a cat. Arielle Bielak puts masks on the subjects of her photographs, which enables her to depict God and the devil sharing a bowl of Lucky Charms. Oscar Arriola photographs a lost-cat flyer, which he strips of any poignancy by replacing the pet’s image with his own cartoon of a grinning feline. And Alta Buden creates a glam portrait with different shades of green glitter. Their fun materials, low-tech techniques and informal subject matter reflect a refreshing spontaneity and willingness to experiment. Maybe nothing here represents great art—but how often can you see (much less buy) really good art for $25?


— Lauren Weinberg

This is the picture that Lauren was refering to.

I came across this reward poster that had completely faded in the sun. All that was left was the text. So I used my new brush marker to draw this cat on there. And as I drew him I thought to myself, if I were a cat, I'd smile for my picture so that's how he came out.

Framed at 32nd & Halsted Gallery, Chicago

Come check out this show I'm in. There's great work by a lot of good people. It opens tonight at 32nd & Urban Gallery at 3200 S. Halsted in Chicaqo's Bridgeport neighborhood.

Sunday by Metaform

This video just makes me happy. The track is Sunday by Metaform. I just picked up his instrumental album, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants which is perfect to listen to while taking the train. You can download Sunday for free on his site, www.metaformonline.com as well as listen to other parts of the album.

GLOW

Tonight's the release party for Busy Beaver Button Company's newest series of artist designed buttons. Featuring art by Julia Rothman, Jay Ryan, Derek Erdman, Jacob Magraw, Alex Jovanovich, Little Friends of Printmaking, Johnny Ryan, Sonny, Kevin Hooyman and Quietlife. This new series is comprised of glow-in-the-dark buttons.

OPENING PARTY:
July 25th at Country Club at 1100 N Damen, Chicago, IL
6:00 - 10:00 pm
Country Club is two blocks south of Division Ave.

Busy Beaver has put out a lot of great buttons over the years.
www.busybeaver.net/soandso

Radar Eyes closing party

Installation shot by Aron Gent

Saturday March 22nd is the closing night for Radar Eyes, a huge, experimental print show co-curated by Ruben Kincaid and Montreal's Seripop at Chicago's Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Featuring work by: Seripop • Xander Marro • Leif Goldberg • Michael DeForge • Rob Doran • Ron Liberti • Daniel St George II • Cody Hudson • Carrie Vinarsky • Sakura Maku • Zeloot • The Little Friends of Printmaking • Justin Gradin • Jesjit Gill • Tom Hohmann • Nolen Strals • Delicious Design • Nina Logan • Mark McGinnis • Raphael Lyons • Lisa Ceccarelli • Dominique Pétrin • Rob Churm • Keith Herzik • Urban Inks • Dan Grzeca • Steak Mtn• J. G. Pizzoli • Luke Frost • Gunsho • Tim Gough • N Freibert • Alphonse Raymond • Other • Dernier Cri • Bongout • Devon Varmega • Matt Hart • DNML • Tetsunori • Push The Button • Dave Bailey • Michael Comeau • Mille Putois • Sonnenzimmer • Mike Krol • Lizz Hickey • E*rock • Brent Wadden • Matthew Lock • Jared Connor • Alvaro Ilizarbe • Luke Ramsey and more.



Saturday, March 22, 2008 7pm - 12pm
Performance by The Killer Whales and special K records guest.
($5 cover after 9m)

The Co-Prosperity Sphere is located at 3219-21 S. Morgan St. 2 blocks west of Halsted St. in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood.


More info at www.lumpen.com