Upcoming exhibitions at Western Exhibitions, Chicago

WESTERN EXHIBITION PROUDLY PRESENTS:
September 11 - October 10, 2009

In Gallery 1

Paul Nudd: Vomitromiton

In Gallery 2

Dan Attoe


Opening Reception: Friday, September 11, 5 to 8pm

Gallery Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 6pm

PAUL NUDD Gallery Talk: Thursday, September 24 at 6pm

http://westernexhibitions.com/current/nudd_attoe_09/index.html


Western Exhibitions will open two new shows on Friday, September 11 with a public reception from 5 to 8pm. In Gallery 1, PAUL NUDD will show new paintings, drawing and collages. In Gallery 2, DAN ATTOE will present one new painting and several of his "daily drawings". Please also join us on Thursday, September 24 for a gallery talk with Paul Nudd at 6pm.


In Gallery 1
Paul Nudd

Paul Nudd will pack the gallery with new paintings and drawings inspired by and depicting what the artist calls the "peri-anal universe". Although his muse is an abject one; the works can't help but reveal a strange and elegant beauty. The works' coloristic and formal contrasts, as described below, are manifestations of Nudd's primary interest: the decaying natural world as seen against the artificiality of the made world.

The paintings on canvas refer to microscopic lifeforms, often looking like exceptionally well-designed bacterial samples squashed between two glass slides. Nudd refers to the works' primary compositional elements as "blobs" - oval shapes, painted or collaged onto the raw canvas, that are replicated in varying sizes and colors (usually earth tones, but also shocking pinks and reds) across the canvas. Occasionally, the artist's blobs are punctuated with low-relief "nuclei" crafted from nuggets of modeling clay in high-keyed colors. Nudd's color flips back and forth between differing approaches to the visceral; pop-candy colors vibrate against the dingy fake vomit tones; unbleached titanium clashes with fleshy hues.

At a glance, the paintings seem busy, out of control - randomly mixed colors and shapes. But dedicated viewing reveals the paintings to be carefully composed portraits of filth and decay: gooey puddles, fussy swaths of sludge, scumbles of strange substances, delicate stains, wisps of string, hair, felt and fake vomit settle on the plain of the blank canvas like scabs on smooth skin.

Despite the artist's self-proclaimed efforts to make "gross-out" art, Nudd's paintings are perversely attractive, disgustingly hilarious and infinitely engaging. As Anthony Elms notes in a recent essay on Nudd's work, "See, it is possible to giggle, panic, and squirm at the same time, and that is what Paul's artwork consistently aims to induce." Nudd maps a world - or as he says, a fishtank - of bacterial delights. As he states in a recent interview with Evan Lennox (available at the gallery), "I don't aim to offend anyone; on the contrary, I want people to engage with my work for as long as possible. I just think there is an entire abyss of color combinations, forms, textures, and approaches to making things that people need to see. Crust, slop, and meditations on fake vomit and its uses are all interesting points of departure."

This is Paul Nudd's second solo show at Western Exhibitions. Recent solo and two-person shows include Jack the Pelican Presents in Brooklyn, telephonebooth in Kansas City and the Hyde Park Art Center, Bodybuilder & Sportsmen, and Dogmatic, all in Chicago, and group shows at Andreas Bruning Gallery in Dusseldorf, the Evanston Art Center, the Soap Factory in Minneapolis, and Mixture Contemporary in Houston. He recently completed a collaborative printmaking residency with Onsmith at the Spudnik Press in Chicago and his zines and artist books are in several institutional artist book collections across the country. He is a recent recipient of an Illinois Art Council grant. Paul Nudd received his MFA from the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2001 and he lives and works in Berwyn, Illinois.


In Gallery 2
Dan Attoe

The shock rocker (and now horror film director) Rob Zombie's floating head looms over 6 pairs of kayakers on a melancholy seascape in Dan Attoe's new oil painting, "Sea Kayakers (You Are Not Special)". The Zombie apparition, a recurring prophet in Attoe's work, spouts a cryptic aphorism, in text delicately rendered by the artist. Is this phrase directed to us, the viewers, or to the kayakers, or both?

"Sea Kayakers (You Are Not Special)" anchors Dan Attoe's solo show in Western Exhibitions Gallery 2. He will also present several "daily drawings", an extension of a past project of making a small painting every day over a couple of years. In these drawings, Attoe illustrates whatever is holding his interest at the moment, be it a Far Side cartoon, rock and rollers, whatever happened in the local bar last night, a scene from one of the Pacific Northwest's legendary strip clubs, or a depiction of the Pacific Northwest's legendary topography. He uses these drawings as foundations for paintings and neon sculptures and makes them in a stream of consciousness manner, letting the images, text and ideas that pop into his head make their way onto the paper. Attoe states in a recent interview, available at the gallery, that "there is no overarching theme to my work, there are things that pop up frequently because of where I live, or because of things I was interested in as a kid, etc. I like to leave the subject matter open to interpretation."

This is Dan Attoe's second solo show with Western Exhibitions. We also hosted his collaborative installation troupe Paintallica for a wild show in 2006. Attoe will be having a concurrent show at Peres Projects in Los Angeles, with whom he has had 5 prior solo shows. Other solo shows include MUSAC in Leon, Spain, Vilma Gold in London and 404 Arte Contemporanea in Naples. Group shows include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Bordeaux, France, AMP in Athens, Galleria Maria de Cardenas in Milan, the Saatchi Gallery in London and the Portland Art Museum in Oregon. His work has been discussed in Artforum, Artforum.com, Contemporary, Paper, Los Angeles Times, Art Review and LA Weekly. Paintallica recently completed an installation at the Country Club gallery in Los Angeles. Dan Attoe received his MFA from the University of Iowa in 2004 and he lives and works just outside of Portland, Oregon.

For more information and images, please contact the gallery:
Western Exhibitions
(312) 480-8390
scott@westernexhibitions.com

119 N Peoria St, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60607 USA

PAUL BEEL - BARGAIN BASEMENT SALE - TODAY

Paul Beel received his BFA and MFA from the School of Art at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. He did Post-Baccalaureate work at Studio Art Centers International, Florence, Italy, where he later taught painting and drawing. He has had solo shows in Venice, Milan, Florence, Mantova, as well as in the US, and group shows in Spain, Germany, San Marino, Switzerland and throughout Italy. Paul Beel is represented by is Bonelli Arte Contemporanea in Mantova. He lives and works in Florence.

I represented Paul, with Gallery 0022, in the mid 1990's
Paul is in Cleveland THIS WEEKEND...

Bargain Basement Sale
(clearing out parents basement)
This Sat. 9am-Noon
Older student and early works...
Works from $10 on up from high school, BFA and MFA periods.
Coffee and cookies for early birds!!!
24329 Westwood Road,
Westlake, Ohio 44145


Paul Beel Reception
Garden Viewing
This Sat. 1-4pm in Westlake, OH
(Click Image for more Paul)
e-mail me for more details and rsvp

Hope to see you Saturday!!!
Dan Morgan
646-621-6434

“No Pinheads Allowed” new works by KRK Ryden

Asterisk Gallery Proudly Presents:

“No Pinheads Allowed”
new works by KRK Ryden

opening reception on Friday Aug 28
6 – 11pm
in the lower gallery
2393 Professor Ave
330-304-8528
www.asteriskgallery.com

KRK Ryden's art is a record of mongrel pop culture. His aesthetic is informed by comic books, punk rock, and cartoons, while his world view is strictly DEVO. KRK's work embraces everyday absurdity and a cartoony view of reality. His paintings are colorful and visually appealing reflections on discarded icons, and his graphics are well-realized snapshots of cartoon life. For over thirty years KRK has been creating illustrations and paintings for underground bands, publishers, and institutions.

Year of the Ox shirts by Depew - Pickering

The shirts are designed by Cleveland artists Dana Depew, Scott Pickering & Alane Sandoval.
All tshirts are printed locally on sweatshop-free American Apparel brand shirts.
order at - http://www.stclairsuperior.org/yearoftheOX_shirts.html

WANTED - REFRIDGERATOR DOORS FOR ART EXHIBIT IN NOV

Wanted - any old and/or used refridgerator doors for an upcoming art exhibition in Nov - any condition - if you have an old refridgerator that you are going to get rid of, I could use the door for the exhibit. Email at contact@asteriskgallery.com or 330-304-8528

Chris will be interviewed by Dee Perry on Around Noon on Monday, August 24

Hello all,

Chris will be interviewed by Dee Perry on Around Noon on Monday, August 24. He will be discussing the upcoming season, including this fall's exhibitions: The Plum Academy, SPACElab artist Elaine Hullihen's a float a flicker, SPACELab artist Mark Moskovitz's Repair Shop, and SWAP artist Jiří Surůvka's (Czech Republic) yet-to-be-titled project. Friendly reminder: The opening reception for the fall exhibitions is September 11, 6 - 9 p.m. and there are many exciting events that are happening through the run of the show (October 23, 2009). We will keep you posted.

There is much for Chris to discuss and you won't want to miss it!

In the meantime, I hope all is well and you have big plans for the weekend!

Best,

Nicole Edwards

SPACES

Communications Manager

www.SPACESgallery.org

Follow us at:

http://twitter.com/spacesgallery

SPACES is located at 2220 Superior Viaduct, Cleveland, OH 44113. Visit www.SPACESgallery.org for more information.

Speakeasy Now Open just below the Bier Markt...

DJ Go performing this Saturday to kickoff the cocktails!

Speakeasy is open every Friday and Saturday night 8pm-2am.
(Thursday Live Music Nights coming this Fall)

Check out the culinary cocktail list inspired by Cleveland's long history of bootlegging and raved about in the New York Times...

Speakeasy Cocktails

*The Rosemary*
rosemary gin, dry vermouth

*Bee’s Knees*
honeycomb gin, cane syrup, fresh lemon

*O’ Sweet Brandy*
brandy infused with toasted honey walnuts

*Manhattan Pig*
caramelized bacon bourbon, sweet vermouth, bitters

*Pepperoncini Martini*
pepperoncini vodka, fresh lime, seltzer

*Rome with a View*
campari, dry vermouth, fresh lime, cane syrup, seltzer

*Pimm’s Zingiber*
pimms No.1, fresh lemon, cane syrup, fresh ginger root, seltzer

*Spanish Lover*
cachasa, fresh lime, fresh ginger, cane syrup, seltzer

Speakeasy Punches (serves 4)

*Claret Jug*
red wine, fresh lemon, luxardo, cane syrup, seltzer

*Rum Runner*
coconut rum, brandy, cranberry, fresh orange, pineapple


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