The subject of the nude human body stirs powerfully personal and moving reactions in us. It is, possibly, our oldest and deepest taboo. Three artists Etienne Gros, Obaji Nyambi and William Utermohlen explore the meanings of this subject. Gros' ephemeral images of lovers pay tribute to eroticism. Far from pornographic, the images are an homage to the elusiveness of desire and its satisfaction. Nyambi's nudes bring into question traditional familial and social norms. The models' nudity seem to be a forceful and political declaration of their individuality and refusal to be stereotyped. Utermohlen's work depicts stripping away of clothing as a metaphor the for stripping away of artifice, thereby exposing the emotional and psychological state of both himself and the model. After he developed Alzheimer's at the age of 60 his nudes took on his own terror, anger, and deep sense of isolation.
While approaching the subject from different points of view, all three artists force us into complex relationships with their two dimensional images, as their Nudes confront us with their inherent humanity.
William Utermohlen, Cross Legs, 1998.
Obaji Nyambi, The Visit, 1995, chalk pastel.
Etienne Gros, Fumee F9a1, 2009, carbon on paper.
This brief exhibition pairs works on paper by fluxus artist and musician ellsworth snyder with video installations by artists Brittany Pyle and Jeph Porter. Snyder's fluid works lend themselves to the temporality of video, while also echoing the temperament of a musician. To compliment this, a concert featuring two local audio/visual projects, Good Night & Good Morning and The Midwest Hackers, will be held on Thursday, April 15th -- both acts pairing intimate ambient arrangements with video work. For this concert an installation by Brittany Pyle will accompany Good Night & Good Morning's set, and Jeph Porter's live video feedback will accompany that of The Midwest Hackers. This concert will be the second installment in a recurring series of performances, appropriately entitled "The ellsworth snyder Concert Series". On the following evening, April 16th, an opening will be held for the exhibition itself, coinciding with a River North neighborhod opening. Both events are free of charge.
ellsworth snyder, Untitled 2, 2003.
Opening Reception | Friday, April 23rd from 5pm-8pm
Opening Reception | Friday, May 21st from 5pm-8pm
Opening Reception | Friday, June 11th from 5pm-8pm
