Art Opening: Revolution 2012 Kicks Off Friday (Jan 20) at Jackson Junge Gallery

By chicago-pipeline at January 16, 2012 | 2:01 pm | Print

This past holiday season, 20 “local artists, young and old, BFAs or self-taught,” as New City’s Chris Miller wrote in this recommendation, participated in Wicker Park’s Jackson Junge Gallery’s Angelicies: A Look at the Modern Day Angel.

Angelicies proved that angels can provide great fodder for interpretation. Pieces ranged from a black and white print of what looked like a dominatrix’s rear juxtaposed against a Renaissance era portrait, to lots of muted colors and abstractions, as well as a few clouds and neon green mushrooms. Nary a stereotypical halo was to be found, unless we missed it.

Now that the New Year 2012 is in full swing, Jackson Junge Gallery is tackling another topic which is more political and secular in nature than angels. “Revolution 2012″ has attracted 3o participating artists, using mediums such as painting, photography, sculpture, print work, installation, and digital and fiber arts to create works inspired by the word “Revolution,” which,  like angels, also elicits reactions and emotions of varying perspectives.

“Change is constantly happening around the world, and currently the middle class worldwide is standing together to insist change happen for them, for us, for the 99%.  The artwork for this exhibit portrays where artists think 2012 will take us,” said curator Chris Jackson in a press release.

According to Jackson, pictured, artists chose to address ideas already being expressed in the streets of many cities, including societal issues that serve as impetuses for a ‘Revolution.’  Corporate greed, homelessness, economic inequality, and standing up for the middle class are just a few topics that Revolution 2012 touches on through art.

Here’s a few exhibit highlights:

“Foreclosed Former Selves, Portraits of Present Persons”, Joseph Robert Knox (mixed media on wood, 24” x 48”): Row after row of characters clad in business suits adorn what, at closer examination, is a background of foreclosure listings.  The heads of these characters, in the shapes of houses, are cut out of playing cards and then screwed into place.  The daunting number of these unidentifiable people and lost homes play into the somber mood and perhaps a feeling of guilt as the viewer is faced with the reality of the “American dream”.  “What was once the ‘face’ of our cultural identity now carries with it a very different connotation and harsh associations,” says the artist.

“Citizens United vs. FEC”, Brian Morgan (India ink, acrylic and vinyl paint on wood, 24” x 24”):  The artists says of his painting: “While hundreds of thousands of Americans are being laid-off, or taking pay cuts, people at the top of the economic ladder are reaping record profits and sharing none of the wealth.  If the Occupy Wall Street movement is about anything, it is about this economic inequality. The recent 2010 Supreme Court decision for Citizens United vs. The Federal Election Committee grants corporations the same rights as people, and therefore has opened the floodgates for corporate spending on elections.  If the Supreme Court believes that a corporation is a person, then this painting is my interpretation of what that person looks like.”

“People Scapes”, Rachel Sager (oil on canvas, 42” x 62”): A mass of faceless figures are visualized in a field of red robes.  One prominent figure holds up what appears to be a sign, but the rectangle is empty.  The viewer must decide for themselves what these people are doing, where they are and what they are standing for.  The ambiguous nature applies to a foggy foreshadow of what is to come.

 “The Power to Change,” L. Lee Junge (Installation of painting and sculpture)  The artist describes the idea behind the painting as “A tribute to the individuals of the world that have the courage and strength to bring about change.  The power to influence others is a necessary quality in those who wish to inspire others to begin to think differently.  This influence then begins to spread and soon an army of like thinkers has formed. This new way of thinking continues to grow and multiply at a quicker pace until a whole new world exists.”

Revolution 2012 kicks off with a free and open-to-public reception opening this Friday, Jan. 20, 6-9PM.  The gathering will also include performances based on current events. Revolution 2012 closes Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012. 

Jackson Junge Gallery & Framing, 1389 N. Milwaukee Ave. p: 773-227-7900. Mon.-Sat 11AM-8PM Sun. Noon-5PM.

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