Fune-Real @barely_fair
This is an exhibition of 8 paintings in a miniature painted art fair booth by artists from the Los Angeles area. The painting and paintings in this show reference funerals (possibly death, ideas of time passing, changing states of matter, spirit and the body) and (because “real” is part of the word “funereal”) Hal Foster’s Return to the Real — to art and theory grounded in the materiality of actual bodies and social sites.
Artists are Analia Saban, Frank Ryan, Heather Brown, Joshua Aster, Kelly McLane, Kristin Calabrese, Kysa Johnson, and Salomón Huerta.
Here are the gorgeous paintings (price on request):
Analia Saban, Pie Chart (6%, 8%, 15%, 16%, 19% 36%), 2022, Oil pastel on linen, 10 x 8 1/2 inches “I believe numbers play an important role in how we experience reality. How do we feel when we see those percentages? What do they really mean? We react emotionally to different statistics, COVID numbers, finance numbers, minority numbers, etc. Pie Chart (6%, 8%, 15%, 16%, 19% 36%) hopes to take a moment to pause, think about information and info graphics, and their effect on us.”
Frank Ryan, Death’s Head on a Black Mirror to the Sky, 2022, oil on linen over panel, 10 x 8 1/2 inches
Heather Brown, Untitled, 2022, Oil on linen, 10 x 8 1/2 inches
Joshua Aster, Procession, 2022, egg oil tempera on linen, 4 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches This painting is the result of processing waves and alternating bars through a grid of triangles. These patterns weave and slip creating a feeling of reflection. Thinking about fixating on a glowing window during a funeral to keep myself from breaking down completely.
Kelly McLane, “Punk” (Paper Tigers), 2022, mixed medium, 10 x 8 1/2 inches
“I have worked many times with multi medium paintings and objects throughout my career. This painting is the first in a series of paintings with Gouache, ink and Salt water that crystalizes and hardens to present such a physical look and feel. “Punk” was worked on during the beginning of the Ukrainian invasion and I feel this painting fits both physically and psychologically because of all of the belongings and humans being separated from each other; including photographs, etc. This haunting painting is reminiscent of great love and great loss. My portion of proceeds from any sales will be donated to organizations that are helping Ukraine. Global Empowerment Mission and World Central Kitchen.”
Kristin Calabrese, Blanket, 2022, oil on linen, 4 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches This is a painting of a blanket on the ground in footage from the war in Ukraine.
Kysa Johnson, “Ghosts In Common – Subatomic Decay Patterns with Althea and Skeleton in Shankdar IV ( Neanderthal Burial Site in Northern Iraq)”, 2022, ink, watercolor and acrylic on linen, 4 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches Neanderthals buried their dead ritualistically with flowers as we do. Pollen, the remnants of Althea flowers purposefully arranged, was found surrounding 70,000 year old Neanderthal skeletons at a burial site in Northern Iraq. A testament to the things that unite us as humans and our extinct human adjacent neighbors. This piece has images of Althea, an image of one of the skeletons from the burial site tucked under them. These are rendered in subatomic decay patterns, the signature pathways traveled along as subatomic particles decay into other subatomic particles. Tiny patterns exemplary of the cycles of creation, destruction and transformation that unite us all.
Salomón Huerta, 38 revolver, 2022, oil on linen, 4 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches “When I was 6 years old, I carried a gun for the first time. Before crossing the border from Tijuana to San Diego, my dad would strap his .38-Special revolver inside my pants to avoid inspection. He loved his gun. It protected him and his family. Once we moved to East Los Angeles’ notorious Ramona Gardens housing project — one of the most violent neighborhoods in the country at the time — my father carried his gun 24/7. Who needs the cops, he would say? In the evenings, he would place his loaded .38 on the nightstand, where I would place his daily food and drinks. For me, this series of paintings represents more than portraits. They symbolize a simple way of life in the midst of a violent, hyper-reality.”
Fune-Real @barely_fair April 8 – April 24, 2022
See it in the flesh Friday April 8, 6 – 10 PM at 4146 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, IL
There will be beverages, cocktails, and little bites by Mini Dini and Dream Cakes Test Kitchen
9 APR, 11 AM—7 PM
10 APR, 11 AM—6 PM
16 APR, 1—4 PM
17 APR, 1—4 PM
23 APR, 1—4 PM
24 APR, 1—4 PM
OR by APPOINTMENT: contact.juliuscaesar@gmail.com
BARELY FAIR is a miniature art fair operated by Julius Caesar. The fair presents a tiny peek inside the programming of two dozen contemporary art galleries, project spaces, and curatorial projects during EXPO Art Week in Chicago. Included spaces will exhibit works in 1:12 scale booths built to mimic the design of a standard fair. Julius Caesar is an artist-run project space established in 2008. An ever-evolving group of artists acts as co-directors and at present is Josh Dihle, Tony Lewis, Roland Miller, and Kate Sierzputowski.