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Georgia O’Keeffe: “My New Yorks” Art Institute of Chicago, June 2–Sept 22, 2024

ANDREW HART BENSON examines O’Keeffe’s “My New Yorks” in the context of her life in New York City and her relationship to Alfred Stieglitz. They note how O’Keeffe’s struggled to achieve a rendering of the urban landscape that was compatible to her love of nature.

“The Ground of things” Ukranian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago July 12–August 30, 2024

ED ROBERSON and MICHEL SÉGARD pair up in reviewing this collaborative show of drawings and poems by Vasyl Savchenko and Aleksander Najda. They examine the interplay between media and the ability to translate thoughts from one to the other.

Everyone Should Be a Stick Figure: An Interview with Jinlu Luo

JOHN THOMURE summarizes his interview with Chicago performance artist Jinlu Luo.

"Brainworms"

CHARLES YOUNG discovers a new(ish) gallery in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood that showed the works of Keith Tilford and Pieter Schoolwerth. Their works make use of AI, digital printing, video, and traditional oils and arylics to question our assumptions about what is a “painting.”

“A Modernist Regime: Cuban Mid-Century Design” “Marc Castillo: The Hands of the Collector” “Cuba Dispersa”

SEAN BIERI visits three exhibitions at the Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, that examine modern art and furniture design in the years after the rise of Fidel Castro. They display the early idealistic efforts and the later disenchantment of Cuban artists during that regime.

“In an effort to be held” at the Shepherd, Detroit, August 3, 2024–October 12, 2024

K.A. LETTS reviews the inaugural exhibition at Detroit’s the Shephard, a new exhibition space by the Library Street Collective. Titled “In an effort to be held” and curated by Allison Glenn, this 26-artist exhibition focuses on the relationship between a physical surface and the body of a person or an artwork.

“Our Delicate Armor” Stasias Gallery, Chicago, August 2–31, 2024.

ANNETTE LEPIQUE responds to the “lyrical looseness” of this exhibition of six artists by examining three works in detail and their relationship to our society’s notion of femininity.

Matt Connors: “Positions” Ortuzar Projects, June 21—August 9, 2024

PAUL MORENO examines the subtle and intriguing compositional processes of Matt Connors’s abstract paintings at Ortuzar Projects.

Jeff Ostergren: “High Society” Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT

D. DOMINICK LOMBARDI analyzes the unconventional work of Jeff Ostergren and its connection to and critique of our everyday drug culture. This artist actually uses dozens of our society’s everyday drug in the creation of his pieces by incorporating them into his pigments.

Bill Viola: A Pioneering Video Artist who Sought Transcendence

JOHN THOMURE summarizes the career and contributions of this extraordinary video artist as he examines Viola’s historically based aesthetic motivations.

Sarah Irvin “Unstable Propositions” Tephra ICA at Signature (Reston, VA) July 19–October 12, 2024

EMELIA LEHMANN responds to Sarah Irvin’s art chronicling her daughter’s maturation and how the role of motherhood changed with time.

“Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women” On view at the Renwick Gallery (Smithsonian American Art Museum) May 31, 2024–January 5, 2025

EMELIA LEHMANN gives a comprehensive review of “Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women” at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This exhibition surveys the extraordinary variety of fiber art from the last half of the 20th century to the early 21st century.

Gerhardt Liebmann at Mitchell Algus Gallery, NY May 11 – July 27, 2024

PAUL MORENO reviews the exhibition of the work of little-known artist Gerhardt Leibmann (1928–1989). Also known for his drawings of baby dolls and commissions he did for the Saudi royal family; this show primarily focuses on paintings that represent the artist’s unique surreal vision of an intersection of architecture and landscape.

Camille Claudel: Transmuting Emotional Connection
in the Female Mind
Art Institute of Chicago, October 7, 2023– February 19, 2024

DIANE THODOS examines the work of Camille Claudel and her work’s relationship to that of Auguste Rodin. She notes how their stylistic contrasts are supported by the research of Louann Brizendine on the differences in the male and female brain.

Expo Chicago 2024:
Three Writers, Three Views
Navy Pier, April 24–April 27, 2024

This year, the New Art Examiner sent three writers to Expo Chicago. Our writers’ ages spanned more than 60 years. We wanted to see how that would affect their perception of the fair. Indeed, each had a different vision of what the fair was about, but they also shared a couple of conclusions about the fair’s overall content.

Season of the Witch: Isabella Mellado “Te Diré Quién Eres [I will tell you who you are]" at Povos West Town, April 10–May 25, 2024

ANNETTE LEPIQUE analyzes the meaning in Isabella Mellado’s psychologically surreal paintings at Povos West Town, Chicago.

Elizabeth Youngblood, “Syntax” Penny Stamps Gallery, University of Michigan, June 21-August 3

K.A. LETTS describes Elizabeth Youngblood’s unique position in the African American art scene and how Youngblood has maintained a commitment to abstraction and craft.

Phyllis Bramson + David Leggett “Double, Double Toil and Trouble” Engage Projects, March 22– April 27, 2024

CHARLES YOUNG examines the works and intent of these two well-known Chicago artists within our contemporary context.

Earth Tones: Soumya Netrabile’s “mono no aware” At Andrew Rafacz Gallery

CURTIS ANTHONY BOZIF examines the complex content of Soumya Netrabile’s paintings on show at Andrew Rafacz Gallery (Chicago) on view through May 25.

It Must Be Good

PHILLIP BARCIO ponders on what is good art and what is not and discusses the notion of the democratization of art in contrast to an elitist notion of high art.

“AI and the Creator: Is it Art?”
Hatch Art gallery, Hamtramck, Michigan May 2024

SEAN BIERI examines the present state of artificial intelligence in the production of art and its implications on the concept of original art.

“Equipoise” Carol Pylant at Gallery Victor, March 15–May 4, 2024.

MICHEL SÉGARD explores the underlying psychological and surreal content of this highly accomplished realist painter.

Andy Paczos: EXTRA -- ORDINARY At 1960 N Clybourn Ave, April 13–April 27, 2024

ANDREW ART BENSON admires the en plein air painting tradition that Andy Paczos brings to the Chicago urban scene.

Neighbors in Barcelona Two Barcelona Galleries Marie Zolamian: “Sa Mue,” Bombon Projects and Sampler—Guillermo Pfaff, Galeria Carles Taché

D. DOMINICK LOMBARDI visits two galleries in Barcelona, Spain, and encounters the works of a Lebanese surrealist artist, living in Belgium, and a more contemporary Spanish abstract artist whose work is informed by the graffiti he sees in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona where he lives.

"Night and Day” William Conger at Zolla Lieberman Gallery—March 15–April 20, 2024

REBECCA MEMOLI reviews the new work of this senior member of Chicago’s Allusive Abstraction movement and remarks on his mastery of color.

Andrés Bedoya: "One of My Fingers is a Snake” at SITUATIONS, March 1–April 14, 2024

PAUL MORENO examines Bedoya’s use of the Catholic ex-voto tradition to explore the reverence and sacredness of everyday objects.

Frank Stella: Always a Man of his Time May 12, 1936–May 4, 2024

MICHEL SÉGARD chronicles the 66-year career of Frank Stella, from his leadership in the early minimalist movement in the late 1950s to the creation of sculptures using digital 3D modeling and 3D printing in the 21st century.

The Razors Edge A memorial to Richard Serra: (1938-2024)

NEIL GOODMAN recounts Richard Serra’s fame as one of the leading minimalist sculptors and how he responded to Serra’s work.

Derek Guthrie (1936-2023): A Consideration

JANET KOPLOS gives an unvarnished account of the life of Derek Guthrie, the co-founder along with Jane Addams Allen of the New Art Examiner. She recounts his role in the magazine and how his eccentricities affected the course of the publication.

Fire and Ice: Remembering Richard Hunt

NEIL GOODMAN chronicles the career of Richard Hunt, and details why he is considered one of Chicago’s and this country’s greatest sculptors.

Pope.L (1955–2023): Innovative Performance Artist and Master of Satirical Absurdity

JOHN THOMURE recounts his working relationship with Pope.L, while detailing what made him such a noteworthy performance artist.

“Ruth Duckworth: Life as a Unity”

MICHEL SÉGARD examines how Duckworth relates to earlier twentieth century abstract sculptors and how she incorporates the “mother earth” world view into her work.

Remedios Varo: a Surreal Room of One’s Own

DIANE THODOS examines the work of Remedios Varo, the Spanish born surrealist artist, and relates how her imagery is influenced by her tempestuous life and how her work ideologically contrasts with present day art.

Art Basel Miami Beach, 2023:
Miami Beach Convention Center, December 8-10

SEAN ROBERTS reviews the Maimi Basal Art Fair and writes about a half dozen pieces that he thought were worthy of attention.

Hygienic Dress League
“Cross Pollination"

K.A. LETTS examines the complex output of multimedia artists Dorota and Steve Coy (aka Hygienic Dress League Corporation). Their exhibition titled “Cross Pollination” at River House Arts in Toledo, Ohio is at sampling of several HDLC’s recent installations.

Brian Buczak
“Man Looks at the World”

PAUL MORENO reviews this first solo exhibition of the works of Brian Buczak since a posthumous show in 1989. (Buczak died from AIDS related complications in 1987.) The exhibition was mounted by Ortuzar Projects and Gordon Robichaux galleries, NYC.

Chloe Siebert: "Psychoangels"

ANDREW HART BENSON studies the possible meanings behind Chloe Siebert’s exhibition “Psychoangels” and is fascinated by the dystopian cat army that populates the show. It is the second time Siebert has had a one person show at Mickey gallery, Chicago.

"Pollards” Natalie Wadlington at Library Street Collective

MARISSA JEZAK examines the work of Natalie Wadlington in her exhibition “Pollards” and how the work “leaves the viewer in an ambient state of contemplation.” At the Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI, January 20, 2024–February 21, 2024

Across Generations: The Art of RISD Graduates

D. DOMINICK LOMBARDI visits two Rhode Island exhibitions: “I Will Not Bend an Inch,” featuring the works of Nancy Elizabeth Prophet (1890–1960), and “Coloured.Aesthetica,” an exhibition of current work by Triton Mobley (b. 1979) at the Chazan Gallery at Wheeler nearby. He notes how the two exhibitions demonstrate how little has changed in the lives of African Americans through the 20th century.

A Thousand Moons: An Interview with Fern Shaffer

CORY POSTIGLIONE interviews Fern Shaffer about two major projects she has realized, one, Nine-Year Ritual of Healing, that was on view at the Barbican Centre in London as part of “Re/Sisters: A Lens on Gender and Ecology,” the other, A 1000 Moons, recently completed by not yet shown in its entirety.

Sanford Biggers: “Back to the Stars”

REBECCA MEMOLI examines the results of Sanford Biggers’s use of antique quilts to create new works and how that helps preserve their history.

“Women on the Verge”
Rhona Hoffman Gallery, October 27–December 15, 2023

ANNETTE LEPIQUE examines the curatorial theses of this large feminist exhibition and how it relates to present-day thinking on the topic.

Past and Present: Looking Out—Looking In Martin Puryear at Storm King Art Center

Sculptor NEIL GOODMAN looks at the recent addition to the Storm King Art Center by Martin Puryear and how it differs from the other outdoor sculptures in the collection.

Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina University of Michigan Museum of Art

K.A. LETTS recounts the history of antebellum pottery making in Old Edgefield, South Carolina. In this exhibition, their work is compared with pieces by contemporary Black potters.

Ilana Harris-Babou: “Needy Machines” CANDICE MADEY, New York, November 3–December 16, 2023

PAUL MORENO visits this exhibition that presents video and sculptural works exploring emotional and psychological effects of marketing in today’s culture.

Louis Fratino: “In bed and abroad” at Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
Roberto Gil de Montes: “Reverence in Blue” at kurimanzutto, New York.

PAUL MORENO recounts how he perceived these two shows after seeing a Pina Bausch version of the ballet Rite of Spring and how this experience challenged his perception of the brown queer body.

A Vessel and a Shore: Vera Klement, 1929-2023

Upon her passing at age 93 on October 20, 2023, BUZZ SPECTOR, a long-time colleague, chronicles Vera Klement’s life and career.

Joel Carreiro: A Tour of Possible Worlds

DOMINICK LOMBARDI reviews Joel Carreiro’s collaged transformation of Renaissance and 20th century art into works that resemble crazy quilts, but redefine the way we look at historical masters.

Athi-Patra Ruga…looking for The One

ANDREW HART BENSON examines the cultural and social truths depicted in the paintings of South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga.

"Crosscurrents” and “Signs All Kinds”

REBECCA MEMOLI compares the abstract painting of Scott Wolniak with the text installation of Carris Adams and discusses what they have in common.

Handstitched Worlds: The Cartography of Quilts

EMELIA LEHMAN discusses the historical and art historical significance of these works of art along with the evolution of the medium.

Dan Ramirez: Vertical Thoughts

MICHEL SÉGARD reviews works by Dan Ramirez whose abstract works explore the poetic depths of the human mind and spirit.

“Free Your Mind: Art and Incarceration in Michigan”

MARISSA JEZAK examines the art made by individuals currently or previously incarcerated in Michigan prisons.

Mickey Gallery: Five Years of Experimentation

MICHEL SÉGARD reviews this gallery's summer show that featured works exhibited in the past five years.

“Hide and Seek” New Work by Jeanne Bieri at Detroit Contemporary

K.A. LETTS on Jeanne Bieri and how the work recalls and pays homage to past armed conflicts.

“Dear Louise: A Tribute to Louise Fishman”

PAUL MORENO reviews this posthumous exhibition of the late Louise Fishman's work and its ties to Abstract Expressionism.

No Words Spoken: The Ordinary in the Works of Kyungwoo Chun

LEANDRÉ S’SOUZA chronicles the recent work of Kyungwoo Chun in Goa and Mumbai and how he enroils communities into participation in his projects.

Worth a Thousand Words — Graphic Biographies of Artists’ Lives

SEAN BIERI give us a overview of biographies of well known artists done in the form of graphic novels.

Richard Haines: Paradise Lost

PAUL MORENOexamines the work of this artist's images of men in various life activities—a flâneur’s observations.

“There Are Many Ways to Hold Water Without Being Called a Vase”

MICHEL SÉGARD ponders the work of Antonius-Tín Bui, Chinese paper cutting pieces of exceptional technical skill and deep social content.

"Then Is Now: Contemporary Black Art in America"

D. DOMINICK LOMBARDI reviews the Bruce Museum's exhibition of significant Black art from the mid 20th century to the present.

"Gordon Parks, The Early Years: 1942 - 1963"

TOM MULLANEY analyzes this famous photographer's early works of street photography with an emphasis on children.

"Degenerate! Hitler's War on Modern Art"

DIANE THODOS account of Hitler’s DEGENERATE! art exhibition on the lives of early 20th century European artists.

Creative Emergence From the Pandemic

ANNETTE LEPQUE reviews this dual exhibition at SoNa Gallery of works created during and after the pandemic lockdown.

Wiley, Kitsch, and Politics

MICHEL SEGARD rebuts criticism that Kehinde Wiley is hocking kitsch.

Alieś Puškin 1965 - 2023

K. A. LETTS pays tribute to the life and memory of this Belarusian artist, activist, and political prisoner who died while incarcerated.

SPRING 2023

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