Cheap

CHEAP, curated by Lauren Ross and Elizabeth Ferguson Madden

In a time when many artists are utilizing cutting edge digital technologies with high production values, Cheap takes a look at a selection of those who embrace the use of found objects, accessible materials, and low overhead costs. Although they work with an economy of resources, these artists are exploring such topics as consumerism and commodity culture with a shared sense of humor and cleverness. Cheap brings together emerging artists who are based in New York City and Chicago. After its presentation at White Columns, the exhibition will be presented at Gallery 312 in Chicago in May of 2003. This second venue will coincide with the publication of a “cheap” themed issue of the Chicago-based magazine 10 x 10, featuring a piece by the curators of this exhibition.

Amanda Browder (Chicago) uses everyday found materials such as fake fur and AstroTurf to make stuffed sculptural abstractions that are influenced by comics such as Donald Duck, Zap, and The Freak Brothers. Eric Brown (NYC) uses minimal gestures to give his cardboard pieces form reminiscent of architectural structures and modern sculpture. Lisa Caccioppoli (Chicago) arranges painted Styrofoam cubes to investigate sensory experience and order using a self-defined visual vocabulary. Matthew Callinan (NYC) creates sculpture out of such materials as plastic soda bottles, PVC pipe and garbage cans. Jane Creech (NYC) presents a 12 ft long “painting” composed of thousands of red staples on foam core. The variation in color of the industrially produced and colored staples creates the effects of a painter’s brushstrokes on canvas. Kevin Dee (Chicago) constructs storage and travel bags that are perfectly camouflaged with trash for use by transient people. The bags are designed so that they can be stashed in alleyways or near trashcans without the threat of theft. Elizabeth Duffy (NYC) folds and bends paper materials such as paint chips and gum wrappers around a wire mesh frame to create colorful sculptural works that bring to mind traditional weaving, as well as children’s arts and crafts projects. Diana Guerrero-Macia (Chicago) builds collages from found vintage album covers, tape, acrylic paint, and paper, manipulating text and imagery to create wall pieces that reflect her views on western culture. Rebekah Levine’s (Chicago) paper maché and plastic Gin Fountain is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the ostensible attainment of spiritual balance through objects such as desktop waterfalls, as well as the artist’s own consumption of alcohol in pursuit of peace of mind. Thad Simerly (NYC) assembles ordinary materials such as party favors and toys into complex installations based on complex narratives, such as epic battles between rival tribes. Thom van der Doef (Chicago) presents a video that follows a paper cup as it blows through the streets of Chicago. Scott Wolniak (Chicago) sculpts a fake camcorder from a coconut, rope, and paper, comically negating the idea of function while poking fun at tourist culture. Also presented is Weed, a realistic reproduction of a common weed, made entirely from garbage the artist collected from Wolniak’s front yard.

About the curators: Elizabeth Ferguson Madden is an artist and curator based in Oak Park, IL. She holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a MFA from the University of Illinois at Champagn-Urbana. Lauren Ross is the Director/Chief Curator of White Columns.

This exhibition is sponsored by Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg.

It runs concurrently with White Room exhibitions by Cynthia Rettig and Kevin Cooley.

Opening Reception: Friday December 6, 7 – 9 p.m.
Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 12 – 6 p.m.

For more information, please contact the gallery.