Fixation

My newlywed friends Lauren and Rory Coyne are in the Fixation exhibit at Zhou B Art Center’s second floor this month. It was a thrill to attend the opening last Friday and see their latest work.

Per Sergio Gomez: “Fixation is an exhibition and a publication of art and poetry focused on the physical/psychological preoccupation or obsession over an object or subject. The exhibition explores the subject of fixation as a continuous and elusive preoccupation of our human experience through written and visual art.”

“The curators invited 24 artists and 17 poets to create works based on their understanding and perception of the theme of fixation. The result is a group exhibition including painting, drawing, photography and poetry. Each work brings light to the artist’s own preoccupations unearthed by his/her personal fixations.”

I had seen Rory’s work in progress over the past few visits, and the resulting #wifelife is stunning.

Lauren scaled up significantly since Wunderkammer and her Heirloom mesmerized me.

We didn’t have much time to chat so I didn’t get their story of how their art relates to Fixation, but I didn’t feel the need to examine motives so much, though I have my theories based on the details in each art work.

I do have a few fixations of my own of course, and was a bit relieved to see none of them represented in the show. On the other hand, it would be interesting to ponder how I might express my fixation in an encaustic collage.

My favorite piece was Jaime Valero’s Water, Light and Movement #5 . It is an oil painting on board, but I had to look closely to believe that because it felt so photographic.

I know nothing about painting techniques so I merely reacted to the imagery, which is ambiguous due to the woman’s expression. So I cannot state why exactly I was so mesmerized, but I definitely couldn’t stop staring.

One artist did ask me to vocalize my interpretation of his work, but I bowed out, not knowing how to express my dichotomous visceral reaction into words.

Sometimes art should just speak on its own without critique or interpretation or research. Ultimately artists strive to connect with an audience, and too much information can create a self-consciousness about the layman’s interpretation of it.

It was lovely to reunite with other friends as we’d all been stuck in hibernation mode for far too long.

There is something about gathering and chatting with kindred spirits among vibrant art that makes the world feel a better and warmer place again.

The exhibit was curated by Sergio Gomez, owner of of 33 Contemporary Gallery, and Poets and Artists Magazine’s editor Dulce Menendez and has print and digital companion pieces in Poets and Artists Magazine.

I highly recommend you see the exhibit in person as the online photos do not convey the scale or the detail of the work. I look forward to reviewing the companion poems this weekend.

Zhou B Art Center is located at 1029 W 35th Street in Chicago, IL. The gallery currently also hosts Zhou Brothers: American Period and Things Forgotten…Remembered by Joe Milosevich.