ADVERSITY. Paintings by Linc Thelen
April 19 to May 11, 2013
After the housing market collapsed in 2008, Thelen was left with the bare essentials, his hands. What could he do but move back to painting as a way to renew his enthusiasm for life? After growing complacent with realist still life's and landscapes, Thelen chose to destroy his hopes of creating the perfect image and jump into an adventure of self exploration in hopes of finding his true voice for creative expression. By depicting dramatic scenes of great conflict and the elation of hope, Thelen created paintings more directly connected with his reality. His use of the circle furthered his intention to deconstruct realism and create a more spontaneous, intuitive and harmonious approach to the painting process.
"Painting forces you to be honest with yourself. It is a pure reflection of who you are and where you are in the present moment. I battle myself, my subconscious, my paints, brushes and the canvas, in an effort to create something that examines the perfectly imperfect adventure of human life."
Thelen believes that through his constant battle, he can catalogue his experience and therefore create a sense of control in the out of control. Because, as he succinctly says, "It is not the act, but the resolution of each painting that achieves my greatest joy."
Being Paint : Duk Ju L. Kim, Darrell Roberts, John Salhus
OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 7PM - 10PM
MARCH 15 - APRIL 13, 2013
The Zhou B Art Center presents a concurrent solo exhibition by Duk Ju L. Kim, Darrell Roberts, and John Salhus. The most immediately apparent common dialogue in their work is communicated through the use of distinct and prominent brushstrokes. Each artist creates compositions of accumulation in which a proliferation of marks are at once graphic and illusory. A sense of spontaneity and presence of the artist's hand recently in contact with the canvas emanates in the beat and scratch of their varied mark making. Exuberance for color is another common denominator in their work. Admittedly seduced by the cult color, to different ends they three alternately use color as structure and color as pure chroma - on its own slippery terms. The contrasts in their imagery all the more serve to illuminate and expand the content in the work as well as each artist's methods and materials involvement. Each individual artist is deeply engaged with the physicality of paint. Duk Ju's marks often operate as dense scaffolding that flesh out architectural spaces and forms that can be at times both interior and exterior. With saturated colors, John creates images with persisting or exaggerated colors masking a disconcerting artificiality. Entrancing layer upon layer of viscous and grainy pigments distinguish the surface of Darrell's canvases, which present an emotive record of steady contemplation. Considerable impetus and sustenance for a lively studio practice comes to each of the artists through an alert engagement with their surroundings, including the communion with one another.
FROM MOTION TO STILLNESS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2013 - MARCH 10, 2013 Opening: Friday, February 15, 2013 7pm - 10pm
From Motion to Stillness is an exhibition and a publication seeking to explore aspects of stillness, quietness, reflection, meditation, inner-peace, solitude, reflection and calmness as a human experience. Despite living in a fast-paced and rapidly changing world, From Motion to Stillness invites the viewer and the reader alike to pause for a moment and experience stillness as interpreted by some of today's most exciting contemporary artists and poets.
From Motion to Stillness takes place in a gallery setting, print and digital formats. The exhibition is co-curated by Sergio Gomez of Chicago’s Zhou B Art Center (www.zbcenter.org) and Didi Menendez of PoetsArtists Magazine (www.poetsandartists.com)
Patrick Earl Hammie
Participating Artists:
Miguel Aguilar
Ruben Aguirre
Brian Evan
Brooks Golden
Mario
Gonzalez Jr
David Guerra
James Jankowiak
Tyrue Jones
Gary Juarez
Won Kim
Brian
Keller
Victor Lopez
Felix Maldonado
Rodrigo Mireles
Ish Muhammad
Jesus
Rodriguez
Chris Silva
Kris Stanek
Mike Ventura
Tyrone Whiteside
Bill Weyna
Has Beens & Wannabes
FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2013 - FEBRUARY 9, 2013 Opening: Friday, January 18, 2013 7pm - 10pm
"Has Beens & Wannabes" is a group exhibition featuring artists that have forged their urban style and imagery in the greater Chicago and Midwest area since the early 80s. These artists started off as teenage subway graffiti artists and slowly gained notoriety in Chicago and abroad. The early 90's were not exactly friendly years to many of these artists who became exiled and unappreciated. Despite the efforts to quiet their voices, these artists continued making their mark and maturing as visual artists.
In recent years and after "old world" mentalities have come to past, Europe, South America and the rest of the world have began to appreciate the work of this generation of artists. They have been considered pioneers of the most influential urban art movements of our time. Transforming art, design, music and fashion, these urban legends have risen again to advance themselves into the contemporary artistic landscape.
For the first time since 1986, The Zhou B Art Center in Chicago along with curator and graffiti legend Mario ZORE Gonzalez Jr have gathered a selection of URBAN LEGENDS from the greater Midwest area for this historically significant exhibition. Has Beens and Wannabes honors these artists who started their careers in the 80's and 90's and whose imagery is now recognized as an important contribution to the history of art.
This exhibition serves as a preamble to other important regional, national and international exhibitions to take place as early as 2013 in venues such as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Cultural Center and the National Museum of Mexican Art among many others.
CENTERLINE 2012
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012 - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
Opening: Friday, November 16, 2012 7pm - 10pm
Using the "Year of the Black Water Dragon" as a point of departure, this year's CENTERLINE will exmaine the dynamics of the state of person's cognitive process. Zhou B Artists will be exhibitng works of art based on their 2012: "State of Mind". - Curated by Robin Monique Rios
PARALLEL VISION
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012
Opening: Friday, October 19, 2012
7pm - 10pm
PARALLEL VISION is a solo exhibition by Chicago based artist and curator Sergio Gomez. It explores aspects of our human weakness contrasted with ideas of spiritual empowerment. As a multidisciplinary artist, Sergio seeks to connect all the aspects of his creative career into an organic and parallel direction towards the future. Sergio Gomez is a Chicago based visual artist, Owner/Director of 33 Contemporary Gallery, Curator/ Director of Exhibitions at the Zhou B. Art Center. Founder/Director of VisualArtToday.com; a curated online exhibition space for international contemporary art, Creative Consultant for Idea Seat Marketing & Advertising, Contributor for Italia Arte Magazine and Co-founder of 3C Wear. In addition, Sergio is an accomplished graphic designer, web designer and art & design professor at South Suburban College.
BUSTES en ROSE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012
Opening: Friday, October 19, 2012 7pm - 10pm
Bustes en Rose: Art + Fashion Against Breast Cancer (Bustes en Rose) is a unique, extremely creative, and engaging fundraising event for the fight against Breast Cancer. On October 19, 2012 over 35 artists and designers will exhibit a unique bustier or corset at the Zhou B Art Center to help raise funds for the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force. Bustes en Rose is showcasing sculptural and wearable bustiers and corsets created out of canvas, stainless steal, carved from wood, covered in Swarvoski crystals and much more. All artwork and fashion designs will be available for sale. For more information, visit
JAWAchic
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 - 21, 2012
Opening: Friday, October 19, 2012
5pm - 10pm
Saturday, October 20, 2012 12pm - 6pm
Sunday, October 21, 2012 12pm - 5pm
Jewelry And Wearable Art Chicago is a contemporary exhibition that blurs the lines between fine art and craft. It is an opportunity for collectors to meet artists who have shown work in museums nationally & internationally beside emerging artist who have recently graduated with art degrees, along side professional studio artists.
JAWAchic was created in 2011 by Christine Forni with the generous support from Michael Zhou, director of the Zhou B Art Center, Sergio Gomez,owner of 33 Contemporary Gallery & the team at Octane Rich Media. For more information visit,
www.jawachic.com
The Zhou B Art Center is pleased to present the solo exhibition ZORE by Mario Gonzalez Jr. to take place from August 17 to September 14, 2012. This exhibition is curated by Sergio Gomez. Mario Gonzalez Jr. is one of the most sought-after international graffiti writers living today. His expressive work and artistic versatility extends from street walls to museums and galleries around the world.
The exhibition ZORE is the conclusion of a sixty-four day international tour which started late last year in San Francisco and continued to South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy culminating in Chicago. In his first major one-man gallery exhibition in the US, Mario Gonzalez Jr., known in the graffiti circle as ZORE, brings together a fusion of street styles, colorful letter forms and abstract monochromatic large scale paintings. Drawing from a vast life experience of constant traveling, exploration, self-expression, street culture and art history, ZORE’s unique artistic vision embraces an urban world voice that resinates deeply beyond borders and simultaneously delves with force between fine and street art. His restless search for what he calls “the perfect beat” continues to thrive his insatiable curiosity for life, community and inspiration. In ZORE, this free-spirited individual and urban world citizen has landed at the Zhou B Art Center to make his mark as one of today’s most versatile contemporary artists.
33 Contemporary Gallery in collaboration with the Zhou B Art Center is pleased to announce Facemask. An art exhibition exploring the "other" behind our social media face.
Facemask is not an exhibition about Facebook /Twitter or other social media. Rather, it is a self-protrait exhibition that evolves in the middle of a "social media" revolution.
Facemask explores the hidden personality behind our social media face. Such personality here described as our "other".
This exhibition will take place in the main gallery of the Zhou B Art Center and it is the theme of this year's 8th Annual National Self Portrait Exhibition. We are inviting artists nationwide to submit works exploring the other, not often seen, side of themselves.
The main gallery of the Zhou B. Art Center will become a national laboratory for the exploration and visual representation of the "self". The exhibition will include works ranging from representational, non-representational and conceptual ideas of the self. It will feature works in a variety of media. The Zhou B. Art Center is home to 33 Contemporary Gallery and it is located at 1029 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60609.
The National Self-Portrait Exhibition has become one of our most viewed and anticipated exhibitions. Now in its 8th year, the self-portrait exhibition will focus on the "other" self. All works selected will also be part of the online exhibition. This exhibition showcases high quality works from artists from all over the United States working in a wide range of media and styles.
Chicago’s Twelve is an exhibition celebrating World Earth Day. Curator Sergio Gomez has selected twelve Chicago artists currently turning their attention to Mobilizing the Earth, the focus of this year’s World Earth Day. Through interaction with environmental issues, the re-purposing of found objects, and utilization of non-traditional material, these artists call into question not only our present relationship with our world, but also the possibility of its sustainable future. Works in the exhibition will include installations, sculpture and mixed media. Artists in the exhibition include Jason Brammer, Mary Croteau, Victoria Fuller, Sharon Gilmore, Kim Guare, Salvador Jimenez Flores, Dana Major Kanovitz, N. Masani Muhammad, Yva Neal, Connie Noyes, Alfonso Piloto-Nieves, and Vivian Visser.
Corinna Button's solo exhibition About Face at the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago explores issues of identity as they relate to our social interactions and the drama of daily life. At first impression, Button's work manifests an exuberant aesthetic beauty derived from her complex layering process and mastery of printmaking techniques. Beyond the immediate surface and the conspicuous masquerade depicted in her figurative works, one finds the intensity and feminine sensitivity of an artist engaged in an arduous personal journey. About Face portrays a narrative and an exploration of our common social drama as observed, perceived or remembered by the artist.
Corinna Button was born and raised in Great Britain where she received her fine art education at Croydon School of Art. It was there, while in post graduate school, that she earnestly studied printmaking. Her love for the printmaking processes led her to adopt it as one of her
primary mediums of expression. Presently, Button's studio practice delves between painting, drawing, collage and printmaking. In fact, there is not a dividing line between them as she simultaneously works in all these mediums. The result is a cohesiveness ofexpression and form which revers the history of art making while conversing with our contemporary realities.
Button's admiration for the works of abstract expressionists such as Franz Kline and William De Kooning emerge as an indirect influence in her studio practice. The female human forms depicted in her work appear to capture life from the expressive spontaneity of her process. But chance is not a mere result of spontaneity. In Button's works, surprise and accidental gestures invite a continuos engagement between her and the work as she masterfully negotiates between the accidental and the controlled elements of each piece. It is in this affair of action and effect that Button gives birth to a distinctively textured and well orchestrated visual narrative.
Thematically, the work of Corinna Button addresses the social interactions and personal perceptions of our private and public human existence. In particular, those experienced by women. In Button’s work, there seems to be a constant observation and commentary about the cultural parameters of human interaction. Button's idol series explore the isolation and impersonality of today’s cultural pop idols with all their excesses and apparent invulnerability. Often depicted with their eyes closed in a slightly seductive, royal or composed posture, these idols resemble classical figurative sculpture with a contemporary expression and theatrical flair.