Sign of the Times
is a group exhibition exploring the current global economic crisis. This
show was initially inspired by Carrie Schneider’s
most recent photos “Recession” and “Miss America.”
Acting once again as her own subject, Schneider set out to explore elements
of physical comedy and its greater psychological repercussions. But as
an American working in a foreign land (Helsinki), during a global meltdown,
not-to-mention being bombarded with headlines about Miss California Carrie
Prejean, Schneider could not help feeling personally responsible and embraced
the topical nature of work. Taking this cue, Sign of Times hopes
to convey the multiplicity of thought in regards to our current situation:
from solidarity to parody, from economic to environmental, and of course
from the political – both left and right. Kim Beck’sMáximo González’s meticulously made
collage-murals are entirely constructed of devalued currency. The work
conflates the “political machine” with the reality of the
“economic machine” that bankrupts developing nations. Kenneth
Tin-Kin Hung’s own website announces art+design+activism.
In a John Heartfield-meets-Monty Python style, his animated, neon-hued,
cut- and-paste montages gleefully skewer all politicians from all sides,
including President Obama, Hillary Clinton,Timothy Geithner, Joe Biden,
Dick Cheney, President Bush, Valerie Jarrett, Felipe Calderón,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Vladimir Putin, Benazir Bhutto and Kim Jong-Il to
name a few. Michael Patterson-Carver’s brightly colored drawings
feature placard-carrying protestors from his “We Need Work”
series illustrating optimism in activism. In his artist statement, Patterson-Carver
says “In the course of my life and activism, I have learned a few
things- including the fact that in order to succeed at anything the first
step you must take is to BELIEVE. This is the reason that everyone in
my demonstration scenes is smiling- they are confident of success."
During the opening reception, Máximo González’s alternative/informal
economy project El Changarrito will be situated
outside the front of the gallery. The changarrito is a small push cart,
likened to that often seen in Mexico (or the streets of Chicago for that
matter) that sell various items from fresh fruit to black market goods.
As a means of intervention or critique, González’s Changarrito
has been situated in front of major art fairs, museums, and flea markets
--most recently the Venice Biennale-- using it both as a platform for
emerging artists as well as a satire of the art market. This time around,
El Changarrito will feature the work of Jacob Goudreault and
Robert Reinard, two local emerging artists without gallery representation.
100% of sales from El Changarrito go directly to the artists.
For further information contact
Whitney Tassie
Director
moniquemeloche
2154 W. Division (@ Leavitt)
Chicago, IL 60622
773.252.0299
www.moniquemeloche.com
tues-sat 11-6pm
drawings from the series “Everything Must Go” are the precious
versions of their printed and handwritten counterparts currently overwhelming
the commercial landscape. As unique hand-drawn pieces, they signal the
more personal repercussions of the economic collapse on the employees
who make or hang these ever-perky, ever-optimistic signs. These signs
announce an amazing, momentous, but also catastrophic, clearance event.
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Michael Patterson-Carver. Des Moines, 2009
Ink, pencil and watercolor on paper, 20 x 15 inches
Kim Beck (American
b. 1970 New Jersey, lives Pittsburgh)
received her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and BA from
Brandeis University. She has exhibited widely including at the Walker
Art Center, the Carnegie Museum of Art, Smack Mellon, Socrates Sculpture
Park, and Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center. Currently participating
in the Space Program with the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation, she
has held other residencies at Yaddo, International Studio & Curatorial
Program, Cité Internationale des Arts, Vermont Studio Center,
and VCCA. She has received awards and fellowships from ARS Electronica,
the Pollock-Krasner, Thomas J. Watson and Heinz Foundations and her
artist's book, A Field Guide to Weeds, was published through the Printed
Matter Emerging Artist Publishing Program and is in its second edition.
She has a current window project at Mixed Greens Gallery NY, an upcoming
installation for The High Line NY and a group show at the Indianapolis
Museum of Art in 2010.
Máximo González (Argentine b. 1971
Paraná, Entre Rios, lives Mexico City) studied Fine Arts in
the Josefina Contte Institute of Fine Arts, in Corrientes, Argentina.
He has had solo shows in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Madrid, Sao Paolo,
London, NY, Milan, Frankfurt, Vancouver, and in 2008 “Recession:
The alternative economies of Máximo González”
at Queen’s Nails Annex San Francisco and “Heart of Lead”
at Valle Orti Gallery in Valencia Spain. Select group exhibitions
include “Arms and Tools” Museum of Modern Art Mexico City
(2004); “Poetics of the Handmade” Los Angeles Museum of
Contemporary Art curated by Alma Ruiz (2006); “Partisan”
in ArtChicago 2009, curated by Mary Jane Jacob; and Changarrito at
the Venice Biennale 2009 “Hacer Mundos - Making Worlds - Fare
Mondi”. His work is in such collections as the Harvard Art Museum,
Equity Office Chicago, and Dirk Dennison Architects. González
made his Chicago debut at Skestos Gabriele Gallery in 2006.
Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung (Chinese b. 1976 Hong Kong,
lives NY) earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State
University. His work has been exhibited at the New Museum, New York;
Yerba Buena Center of The Arts, San Francisco; Berkeley Art Museum,
Berkeley, California; Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah; Postmasters
Gallery, New York; Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, United Kingdom;
Urbis, Manchester, United Kingdom; Hebbel Am Ufer theatre, Berlin,
Germany. He has received several awards throughout his career, including
the Tribeca Film Institute Media Arts Fellowships, the “VIPER
International Award- Internet” in Switzerland and “Honorary
Mention- Net Excellence” in the 2002 Prix Ars Electronica. His
work has been reviewed in The New York Times, Art In America, The
Village Voice, Libération, Le Monde, El Pais, Spiegel and La
Repubblica among many others.
Michael Patterson-Carver (American b. 1958 Chicago,
lives recently Los Angeles, New Orleans, Baja California, Mexico,
San Juan, British Columbia, & Portland) is a self-taught artist
and self-described activist whose first exhibition was at the ICA
London show “Memorial to the Iraq War in 2007.” Since
then he received the prestigious Altoids Award and exhibited at The
New Museum NY in 2008. He has had solo exhibitions in NY, Portland,
Brussels, and upcoming in Paris. This is the first time his work has
been exhibited in Chicago. His work was recently acquired by the American
Folk Art Museum.
Carrie Schneider (American b. 1979 Gurnee, lives
Chicago) earned her MFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago
and her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. Her work is in the collection
of The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Contemporary Photography
Chicago, and the Centre Canadien d’Architecture Montreal. She
had her first solo show at moniquemeloche gallery in 2008 followed
by the FaFa Gallery in Helsinki. In 2009 the Finnish Museum of Photography
Helsinki and Galeri KiT Trondheim Academy of Fine Art Norway both
mounted solo exhibitions. This December the Museum of Contemporary
Art Chicago will debut her newest film in their UBS 12x12: New Artists
New Work series. Schneider is currently making final edits in Florida
on a residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts with Rineke Dijkstra.
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