Artists Space

Recent Art from Chicago

March 8 – April 5, 1986

Group exhibition and installation organized by Susanne Ghez

A black and white photograph of a painting of a pastoral landscape with trees and a waterway.
Bill Benway, The Bath of Hercules in the Love Canal, 1986. [A black and white photograph of a painting of a pastoral landscape with trees and a waterway.]

Susanne Ghez, the curator of the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, was invited to organize an exhibition at Artists Space that would represent Chicago's contemporary art scene. Ghez selected eleven Chicago artists of various ages invested in representations of the figure in painting and sculpture. Joseph Hilton's painting, Beside the Sleeping Guards (of Cairo) Night and Day (1986) resuscitates the aesthetic of 19th century Orientalist painting, repurposed in service of queer narratives. Reaching even further into the history of the figure's representation in Western art, Deven Golden photographs classical Greek torsos in scenes constructed with an almost filmic logic. In a piece touching on figurative concerns more obliquely, Tarra-Din (1983), Michael Paha installed an aquarium containing birds, plants, crickets, and frogs in the gallery, positing the work as a "microcosm," or an environment which would sustain the life cycles of several organisms indefinitely. By including Paha's work in a survey of figurative practices, Ghez opened up the possibility of seeing Tarra-Din as its own representation of the human body – itself an ecosystem supporting and sustaining the lives of other organisms.

Recent Art from Chicago was one of several exhibitions Artists Space had organized over the years to present cross-sections of the contemporary art scene in other cities, which in the past had included Buffalo, Toronto, and Los Angeles.

A figurine human head and hands appear from an amalgamation of various objections and materials hanging on a white wall.
Neraldo de la Paz, Angel, 1982. [A figurine human head and hands appear from an amalgamation of various objections and materials hanging on a white wall.]
A black and white photograph of a sculpted, rough-hewn house-like object with a black background.
Don Baum, Safe, 1984. [A black and white photograph of a sculpted, rough-hewn house-like object with a black background.]
A drawing with seven figures without appendages where six of them are carry a large figure and one follow behind. The outline of an urban landscape is visible behind them.
Deven Golden. Drawing for Death of Pompey, 1986. [A drawing with seven figures without appendages where six of them are carry a large figure and one follow behind. The outline of an urban landscape is visible behind them.]
A diptych drawing of one figure sitting cross-legged on the left and another figure lying down next to flowers in a vase depicted on the right.
Joseph Hilton, Beside the Sleeping Guards (of Cairo) Day and Night, 1986. [A diptych drawing of one figure sitting cross-legged on the left and another figure lying down next to flowers in a vase depicted on the right.]
A drawing of various nude human figures appearing in space with a white background.
Joseph Hilton, Beside the Sleeping Guards (of Cairo) Day and Night, 1986. [A drawing of various nude human figures appearing in space with a white background.]
An abstract painting with the appearance of two faint human faces emerging from the imagery.
Wesley Kimler. Funeral Party II, 1985. [An abstract painting with the appearance of two faint human faces emerging from the imagery.]
A fanciful drawn landscape of hunters following deer next to a figure in front of their desk next to a window and fireplace.
David Kroll. The Intrusion of Fear, the Fear of Knowing, 1985. [A fanciful drawn landscape of hunters following deer next to a figure in front of their desk next to a window and fireplace.]
A drawing of various animals running or flying around in an indoor dwelling with three figures in states of disarray around them.
David Kroll. The Aftermath of Columbus' Coming, 1985. [A drawing of various animals running or flying around in an indoor dwelling with three figures in states of disarray around them.]
Two figures appear entangled on a pedestal in front of other figures along with another figure in the background hanging upside down.
Paul Lamantia. Paper Doll Lounge, 1985. [Two figures appear entangled on a pedestal in front of other figures along with another figure in the background hanging upside down.]
Three figures with misshapen faces appear together in an surreal setting.
Paul Lamantia. The Critic (A Portrait of Dennis Adrian), 1984. [Three figures with misshapen faces appear together in an surreal setting.]
A small constructed dancing figurine appears on a pedestal with light shining on it from the right creating a shadow on its left.
Neraldo de la Paz. Melania's Thigh, 1982. [A small constructed dancing figurine appears on a pedestal with light shining on it from the right creating a shadow on its left.]
A nude figure with a nude figure emerging from its neck is pierced with three arrows while its arms are hidden behind its back. Blood-like lines appear dripping from the arrows. A sky is visible behind the figure.
Neraldo de la Paz. San Sebastian, 1984. [A nude figure with a nude figure emerging from its neck is pierced with three arrows while its arms are hidden behind its back. Blood-like lines appear dripping from the arrows. A sky is visible behind the figure.]
A view of a large amorphous creature with eyes and mouth on the right next to a dwelling space with a figure lying on a bed with clothes and other accoutrements nearby.
Jim Lutes. Lazy, 1985. [A view of a large amorphous creature with eyes and mouth on the right next to a dwelling space with a figure lying on a bed with clothes and other accoutrements nearby.]
Dirt appears on the edges of the floor and in the plastic clear cases hanging above them in a gallery setting.
Installation View from Recent Art From Chicago, Artists Space, March 8, 1986 - April 5, 1986. [Dirt appears on the edges of the floor and in the plastic clear cases hanging above them in a gallery setting.]
Dirt can be seeng lining the walls on the floor and also in the clear cases above them. There is stark lighting of the walls in this gallery setting.
Installation View from Recent Art From Chicago, Artists Space, March 8, 1986 - April 5, 1986. [Dirt can be seeng lining the walls on the floor and also in the clear cases above them. There is stark lighting of the walls in this gallery setting.]
Legs and feet appear from a small wooden dwelling with a black background.
Don Baum. Au Train Lake House, 1982. [Legs and feet appear from a small wooden dwelling with a black background.]
A nude figure with a darkened face appears moving an art and directing their gaze towards the viewer.
Wesley Kimler. Untitled (blindfolded), 1984. [A nude figure with a darkened face appears moving an art and directing their gaze towards the viewer.]

Recent Art from Chicago Checklist

Recent Art from Chicago Exhibition Card, Front

Recent Art from Chicago Exhibition Catalog

Recent Art from Chicago Press Release

Artists Space activities are made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; the New York State Council on the Arts, the Institute for Museum Services, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Art Matters Inc., the Jerome Foundation, Leonhardt Foundation, Betty Parsons Foundation, Samuel Rubin Foundation, and The Wallace Funds; the American Express Company, AT&T Communications, Citibank, Consolidated Edison, EXXON, R.H. Macy Company, Mobil Foundation, Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, Paine Webber, and Philip Morris, as well as numerous friends.

    Cutouts seen placed in front of drawing on wall. Paintings and sculptures can be seen in the area around it in a gallery setting.
    Installation View from Recent Art From Chicago, Artists Space, March 8, 1986 - April 5, 1986. [Cutouts seen placed in front of drawing on wall. Paintings and sculptures can be seen in the area around it in a gallery setting.]