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SoNa Chicago is an art gallery in the Wicker Park / Bucktown / West Town area of Chicago. We are located just “South of North Avenue” (SoNa) on Ashland Avenue and east of the iconic intersection of Damen, Milwaukee, and North Avenue.
The gallery features art in a variety of media including paintings, prints, sculpture, photography, collages, ceramics, textiles, and occasional performances of poetry, music, and theater. The artwork carried by SoNa Chicago reflects the creativity and abundant energy of the human spirit, affirming the beauty in the world and the potential for joy and the advancement of humanity as a force for good. Although we will put a spotlight on Chicago artists, we want the dialogue between artists and the community to be global. We view our space as a venue for conversation, community, and a celebration of the arts. SoNa Chicago opened in May 2023. We look forward to collaborating with our neighbors and with artists and galleries across the city.
Image: Jill Fox, graphic designer
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Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12, 5 - 8 pm.
Artist talk: Saturday, September 19, 12:15 -1:30 pm
The event is organized by SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art, located at 1527 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60622.
In her upcoming solo exhibition, Rooted. Uprooted, Iranian-Azerbaijani American artist Laleh Motlagh presents new bodies of work exploring multicultural identity, resilience, and personal geography. Moving between the memories of her hometown of Tabriz, Iran, and her current life in Chicago, Motlagh navigates the complex realities of geopolitical displacement and belonging. Her recent work acts as a profound meditation on the enduring traumas of conflict, specifically reflecting on the devastation of the recent war, while remaining deeply present to her immediate surroundings. The studies of her houseplants that have been a key part of her practice are now interwoven in subtle ways so even as she is thinking about the war in Iran, her work still embodies the beauty and peace of plants and interior places. Motlagh’s work is so relevant to these times and reflects how many of us feel, rooted and uprooted, having to hold many realities at the same time. Expanding upon the themes of transformation and quietude established in her 2024 exhibition, Entanglement, Motlagh introduces new paintings and a series of new monoprints from the collection of her dried plant materials. These tactile works serve as visual archives of preservation, investigating the lingering lifeforces of botany and their capacity to find beauty within interior landscapes. By interweaving domestic peace with distant geopolitical unrest, Rooted. Uprooted. invites viewers to hold multiple and conflicting truths simultaneously, capturing the collective precarity of existence and the enduring pursuit of consolation.
Laleh Motlagh لاله مطلق (b. Tabriz, Iran) is a Chicago-based artist and educator. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions around the world. She has received multiple awards and recognitions. Motlagh received her MFA from the University of Illinois Chicago and teaches at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. Laleh Motlagh was one of NewCity’s Breakout Artists of 2023.
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The gallery is located at 1527 N. Ashland Avenue on the near north side of Chicago.
Gallery Opening Reception & Celebration:
Saturday, May 6, 5:00-8:00 pm
The show will run from April 30 - July 15, 2023
The gallery will be open on Sunday, April 30 from 12-4 pm, Friday, May 5 from 5-8 pm for First Fridays, and Saturday, May 6 from 5-8 pm
Image credit: Images of work by (left to right starting at top left) Monica J. Brown, Paul Somers, Tita Brady, Melissa Finelli, Christy Klug, Tom Robinson, Nicholas Sistler, Kermit Berg, Sharon Bladholm, Loralyn Kumlin, and Jill Kolker.
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Come join us for a glass of wine and check out the beautiful artwork including jewelry by Melissa Finelli @mellefinelli and Christy Klug @christyklug, new work by @jlk555, and unique #handbags by @paulgerardsomers
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Saturday, July 1, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Talk @ 3:00 pm
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art
1527 N. Ashland Avenue
Join us to hear Artist Nicholas Sistler talk about his work. He will share examples of his artwork over the years and discuss his development as an artist and his process for creating.
Refreshments will be served.
Nicholas Sistler’s work has appeared in more than 160 exhibitions, including 31 solo shows. Sistler has received several grants from the Illinois Arts Council, four residencies from the Ragdale Foundation, and an Honorary Fellowship from the Djerassi Foundation. Sistler’s artwork is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Art, Illinois State Museum, Rockford Art Museum, Elmhurst Art Museum, Block Museum at Northwestern University, and others. He received a BFA degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
For information about the event, contact Laura Botwinick at 773.513.4436 • Lkbotwinick@gmail.com
or Nicholas Sistler at 773.772.6726
Image: Union. 2005. 2.25\" x 5.5\" by Nicholas Sistler
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The closing reception will be on Friday evening from 5-8 pm. The last day to view the exhibition will be Saturday, July 15 from 12- 4pm. Refreshments will be served both days.
Gallery Artists:
Kermit Berg
Sharon Bladholm
Tita Brady
Monica J. Brown
Melissa Finelli
Christy Klug
Jill Kolker
Loralyn Kumlin
Tom Robinson
Nicholas Sistler
Paul Somers
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A new exhibition opens at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art featuring Tom Robinson and Loralyn Kumlin, Creative Emergence from the Pandemic: Paintings, Miniatures, Wood Mosaics, and Imagery Boxes.
The opening reception is on Friday, September 8 from 5-8 pm.
The show runs through Oct 14, 2023.
In the early months of isolation during the pandemic, artists Tom Robinson and Loralyn Kumlin began renovating a huge vintage dollhouse that they found discarded in a Chicago alley. They collected and furnished the rooms with miniature furniture and accessories and then made miniature copies of their full-scale artwork to adorn the walls of the dollhouse. Wonderful work emerged from that effort as they moved on to create their own structures, paintings, and miniatures. Their new work and the dollhouse are featured in the exhibition.
These two artists have been colleagues and friends for decades. Tom Robinson is a multi-media artist who uses woods, watercolors, oils, acrylics, and other components to create portraits, oil paintings, sculptures and more. Loralyn Kumlin’s paintings are rich in color, figurative, and expressive. They both make companion pieces in three dimensions that incorporate their paintings in miniature and give further expression to the paintings.
Tom’s work on the dollhouse morphed into a series of miniature galleries that have elaborate construction including spectacular wood flooring and lighting, and which incorporate miniatures of his different series of artwork over the years. Also on view is a piece from his “Twins” series, which are large wood mosaics made from his portraits using the natural color of the wood not stains. Loralyn’s paintings and imagery boxes feature an array of images from fanciful to figurative. The current show features several pieces from her series of colorful portraits of Women Who Have Resisted and a poignant tribute to the four young girls killed in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963.
The work of other SoNa Chicago artists is on view in the Gallery Annex. They include Kermit Berg, Sharon Bladholm, Tita Brady, Monica J. Brown, Jill Kolker, Nicholas Sistler, and Paul Somers.
The gallery will be open Friday, Sept 22 from 5-7 pm and Saturday, Sept 23 from 12-4 pm, and by appointment.
A new exhibition opens at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art featuring Tom Robinson and Loralyn Kumlin, Creative Emergence from the Pandemic: Paintings, Miniatures, Wood Mosaics, and Imagery Boxes.
In the early months of isolation during the pandemic, artists Tom Robinson and Loralyn Kumlin began renovating a huge vintage dollhouse that they found discarded in a Chicago alley. They collected and furnished the rooms with miniature furniture and accessories and then made miniature copies of their full-scale artwork to adorn the walls of the dollhouse. Wonderful work emerged from that effort as they moved on to create their own structures, paintings, and miniatures. Their new work and the dollhouse are featured in the exhibition.
These two artists have been colleagues and friends for decades. Tom Robinson is a multi-media artist who uses woods, watercolors, oils, acrylics, and other components to create portraits, oil paintings, sculptures and more. Loralyn Kumlin’s paintings are rich in color, figurative, and expressive. They both make companion pieces in three dimensions that incorporate their paintings in miniature and give further expression to the paintings.
Tom’s work on the dollhouse morphed into a series of miniature galleries that have elaborate construction including spectacular wood flooring and lighting, and which incorporate miniatures of his different series of artwork over the years. Also on view is a piece from his “Twins” series, which are large wood mosaics made from his portraits using the natural color of the wood not stains. Loralyn’s paintings and imagery boxes feature an array of images from fanciful to figurative. The current show features several pieces from her series of colorful portraits of Women Who Have Resisted and a poignant tribute to the four young girls killed in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963.
The work of other SoNa Chicago artists is on view in the Gallery Annex. They include Kermit Berg, Sharon Bladholm, Tita Brady, Monica J. Brown, Jill Kolker, Nicholas Sistler, and Paul Somers.
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Sharon Bladholm has long explored the interfaces of art, nature, science, and conservation in numerous series of artworks in diverse mediums including glass, bronze, ceramic, and works on paper. She has participated as an artist on scientific expeditions to remote ecosystems of the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon. She finds peace and connection by spending time in the natural environment where she documents known and unknown species and finds inspiration for drawings, paintings, ceramics, and sculpture. When she speaks about her work she will often discuss climate change and the need to protect the environment. The exhibition will also feature several major pieces, her bronze hearts, brains, and lungs. They are shown with seedlings and embedded live flowers and vines to convey that our hearts, minds, and physical being are interdependent and connected to nature.
Monica J. Brown is an interdisciplinary artist who explores the intersections between visual art, sound, movement, poetry, prose and performance. She is interested in how stories of our personal history live in our bodies and also how the stories of our ancestry shape the way in which we view the world and our place within it. Her work is an investigation of genetic memory and generational healing. She explores how the experiences from the past, knowing them, and sharing them can be a means for releasing learned dysfunctional patterns and for embracing inherited strengths and gifts. The portraits of her ancestors are moving and beautiful and we view them as if through keyholes or through veils to glean the wisdom they can convey to us. Brown's illustrations of seeds, sticks, stones, and trees represent her spiritual connection to the earth, the elements of nature, and the wisdom of her ancestors.
SoNa Chicago is proud to feature the work of these two wonderful artists.
The work of other SoNa Chicago artists is also currently on view in the Gallery Annex. They include Kermit Berg, Tita Brady, Jill Kolker, Loralyn Kumlin, Tom Robinson, Nicholas Sistler, and Paul Somers. Beautiful jewelry by artists Melle Finelli and Christy Klug are also featured at the gallery.
The exhibition \"Of Earth and Spirit\" runs from October 27, 2023 – January 13, 2024. The opening reception is on Friday, October 27 from 6-9 pm.
Images:
Upper left: Sharon Bladholm, Brain Seedling, cast bronze and glass, 8\" x 9\" x 9\"
Lower right: Sharon Bladholm, Seeds, ceramic, size varies, approx. 5\" x 3.5” x 2\"
Upper right: Monica J. Brown, Layers of Perception, oil pastel on paper, 9\" x 12\"
Lower left: Monica J. Brown, Aura Ray (Beyond the Veil), acrylic and collage on wood, 8\" x 8\"
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Image: Coasters by Jill Kolker
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Image: Making Space, 191 pages, 9.5\" x 13\", released August 2023
Doors open at 5 pm, Poetry Reading from 6 – 6:30 pm, Reception to Follow
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Monica is an interdisciplinary artist who combines art, theater, dance, poetry and other modes of artistic expression. She will present an excerpt from one of her plays that accentuates and brings out the meaning behind her artwork. A reception will follow.
Closing Weekend Events:
Of Earth and Spirit Poetry Reading & Closing Reception
Wine & Refreshments!
Doors open at 5pm
• Poetry Reading: Saturday, Jan. 13, 6-6:30 p.m.
• Closing Reception to follow
Image: Aura Ray (Beyond the Veil), Acrylic and collage on wood by Monica J. Brown
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The next exhibition at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is called Landscapes / Cityscapes. It features Filipina American artist, Tita Brady-Recometa who resides in Joliet, Illinois and Chicagoan, Jill Kolker. The exhibition runs from Friday, Feb 2 through Saturday, March 16, 2024.
Tita Recometa-Brady’s academic training in fine arts includes a bachelor’s degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines and a master of fine arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her signature style is paintings on round canvases to reflect in part that we are all bound together in what she calls a Circle of Existence. She is fascinated to work in this form as she subdivides a circle with a chord, then starts freely on an arc on the circumference, and uses radius to balance the elements of the design. Recometa-Brady’s paintings in the current exhibition feature several works from her Sun, Land, City series. They are images of the Sun as the silent witness to the takeover of Lands, and their eventual transformation into Cities. The paintings examine the promise of “progress” and its effects on the natural environment. We also feature paintings from her Word series. They contain beautiful designs that bring out the meaning of a word. The complete set of paintings are reprinted with inspirational quotes in her Art-Word book, \"IF NOT NOW, WHEN?” which will also be at the gallery for viewing and purchase.
Jill Kolker has been creating mixed media paintings and collages out of her home and studio on the north side of Chicago for many years. She believes that art is a powerful conduit for sharing our thoughts and ideas. Her multimedia artworks feature texture, color and collage. She works with acrylic paint, molding paste, and imagery on wood panels. Jill briefly studied graphic design at Drake University. She then took art classes in the community for 10 years to enhance her technique and find her personal style. After that she began working at the Highland Park Art Center where she deepened her knowledge of texture and the many other techniques she uses in her current work. Kolker’s artworks, with their grid designs and scenes of people of all walks of life, evoke cityscapes that show in contrast to the lush landscapes of Tita Recometa-Brady’s paintings. Both artists’ work contain geometric details and color that bring them together in a visual display that enables the viewer to reflect on how rural and urban environments are complementary and part of an interdependent world.
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Images of cities encroaching on the landscape in our current exhibition beg discussion of how best to design buildings in our modern world. Francisco González-Pulido is a Chicago-based Mexican architect who designs projects that are intentional in the way they interact with the environment. After a long time working with Helmut Jahn, he became the firm's first partner in 2009 and then president in 2012. In 2017, González-Pulido left JAHN to establish his own international architectural practice, FGP Atelier.
SoNa Chicago website/Exhibitions
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Landscapes / Cityscapes closes Saturday, March 16 with a Reception from 2-4 p.m. Sparkling wine and sweets will be served!
The gallery will be open that Saturday from 12-4 p.m.
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Paul notes, “My work is based on a personal investigation of societal institutions, rituals and the exploration of their influence on our culture. I am interested in examining automatic and collective beliefs and how they impact and shape individual behaviors. My work evokes memories and feelings of childhood. I question the boundaries of masculinity within contemporary society and if and when the toys must be put away.”
Paul Gerard Somers is an interdisciplinary artist working in fiber, sculpture, painting, drawing, and performance. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and lived in several states before settling in Chicago. He received a B.A. from Ball State University, and an MFA from The University of Chicago in 2013.
The exhibit will feature sculptures, drawings, prints and fiber art.
The Opening Reception is Wednesday, April 10 from 6-10 pm during EXPO ART WEEK. The exhibition runs through May 11, 2024.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Avenue in the Wicker Park Bucktown neighborhood on Chicago’s north side.
Artist Talk: Saturday, May 4, 1-2 pm
The gallery is open on Saturday from 12 - 4 pm.
The current exhibit, Muscle Memory, features work by Paul Gerard Somers, and is on view through May 11, 2024. Paul will be giving an artist talk on Saturday, May 4 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm. He uses sports paraphernalia and images from popular media to reflect on cultural norms and values. From his personal experience growing up in a small Midwestern town he reflects on the pressures, joys, and concerns that we all face no matter what our gender identity or age.
Paul notes, “My work is based on a personal investigation of societal institutions, rituals and the exploration of their influence on our culture. I am interested in examining automatic and collective beliefs and how they impact and shape individual behaviors. My work evokes memories and feelings of childhood. I question the boundaries of masculinity within contemporary society and if and when the toys must be put away.”
Paul Gerard Somers is an interdisciplinary artist working in fiber, sculpture, painting, drawing, and performance. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and lived in several states before settling in Chicago. He received a B.A. from Ball State University, and an MFA from The University of Chicago in 2013.
In addition to the Artist Talk, the remaining special events in conjunction with this exhibition are a performance including Paul and three other artists on Friday, May 10 from 7:00 - 7:30 pm, and a closing reception on Saturday, May 11 from 12:00 - 4:00 pm. The Performance is of an excerpt of a play directed by dado and script by playwright, Katherine Swan, that was performed at Facility Theater in Chicago last year.
The exhibit’s final day is Saturday, May 11. It features sculptures, drawings, prints and fiber art. SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Avenue.
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Performance: Friday, May 10, 7:00 - 7:45 pm (during gallery hours of 5-8 pm that evening)
The current exhibition, Muscle Memory, features work by Paul Gerard Somers. Paul uses sports paraphernalia and images from popular media to reflect on cultural norms and values. From his personal experience growing up in a small Midwestern town he reflects on the pressures, joys, and concerns that we all face no matter what our gender identity or age.
Paul notes, “My work is based on a personal investigation of societal institutions, rituals and the exploration of their influence on our culture. I am interested in examining automatic and collective beliefs and how they impact and shape individual behaviors. My work evokes memories and feelings of childhood. I question the boundaries of masculinity within contemporary society and if and when the toys must be put away.”
Paul Gerard Somers is an interdisciplinary artist. He was in a play last year called “Act Five” at Facility Theater in Chicago. The play was directed by dado, with script by playwright, Katherine Swan. The performance on Friday night at SoNa Chicago is a workshopped excerpt and it will be embedded amongst the artwork of Muscle Memory. Act Five is an exploration of an imagined continuation, or fifth act, of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. What if the orchard was not destroyed, and we return a year later to find our musicians still playing out there? In this iteration, we find them amongst the works of Paul Gerard Somers.
The production will feature Elliot Bibat, Shawna Franks, Sam Hurwitz, Paul Somers, and Santiago Quintana. Join us! Refreshments will be served.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Avenue.
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The current exhibit, Muscle Memory, features work by Paul Gerard Somers, and is on view through May 11, 2024. Paul will be giving an artist talk on Saturday, May 4 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm. He uses sports paraphernalia and images from popular media to reflect on cultural norms and values. From his personal experience growing up in a small Midwestern town he reflects on the pressures, joys, and concerns that we all face no matter what our gender identity or age.
Paul notes, “My work is based on a personal investigation of societal institutions, rituals and the exploration of their influence on our culture. I am interested in examining automatic and collective beliefs and how they impact and shape individual behaviors. My work evokes memories and feelings of childhood. I question the boundaries of masculinity within contemporary society and if and when the toys must be put away.
Paul Gerard Somers is an interdisciplinary artist working in fiber, sculpture, painting, drawing, and performance. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and lived in several states before settling in Chicago. He received a B.A. from Ball State University, and an MFA from The University of Chicago in 2013.
In addition to the Artist Talk, the remaining special events in conjunction with this exhibition are a performance including Paul and three other artists on Friday, May 10 from 7:00 - 7:30 pm, and a closing reception on Saturday, May 11 from 12:00 - 4:00 pm. The Performance is of an excerpt of a play directed by dado and script by playwright, Katherine Swan, that was performed at Facility Theater in Chicago last year.
The exhibit’s final day is Saturday, May 11. It features sculptures, drawings, prints and fiber art. SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Avenue.
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SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art Gallery features new works by Laleh Motlagh
SoNa Chicago is proud to feature new work by artist Laleh Motlagh in a solo exhibition from May 31 - July 20, 2024.
As an Iranian Azerbaijanis-American woman, Laleh Motlagh delves into profound explorations of love, intimacy, spirituality, trust, and resilience while remaining present to her own localities. Based in Chicago, Motlagh challenges socio-cultural alienation and navigates the complexities of multicultural identity. Often collaborative with other-than-human, she employs drawing, painting, sculpture, performance, video, and installation to question the boundaries between human and natural life, the admissible and the taboo, as well as the geopolitical overtones found so prevalently in the discourse of border zones and notions of belonging.
Her new exhibition, Entanglement, explores issues related to transformation of personal memories, contemplation on entanglement, love, care and intimacy, containment & consolation, and seeing the unseen. The exhibit includes drawings, paintings, video, and mixed media sculptures. The work is a continuation of her study of the remains of her houseplants and of those in the garden outside. In an interview with writer Mána Taylor in NewCity Art, Motlagh says “They are still changing.” The dried remains are featured in this exhibition at SoNa Chicago, including a series called “Cycles and Voids,” where different hues of dried material are shown in their varied and subtle shades. Laleh Motlagh was one of NewCity’s Breakout Artists of 2023.
The new works in Entanglement extend on the themes of Contemplation, which was at the Chicago Artist Coalition last year. Laleh Motlagh’s work has a simple elegance and quietness. It conveys the transitory nature of life and its beauty in all its phases. We try to hold it, but it has transformed into something else that is also deeply meaningful.
Laleh Motlagh is a Chicago-based artist and educator. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions around the world. She has received multiple awards and recognitions. Motlagh received her MFA from the University of Illinois Chicago and teaches at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.
The Opening Reception for the show Entanglement is Friday, May 31 from 6-9 pm.
An artist talk is scheduled for Saturday, June 22 from 1-2 pm. The exhibition runs through July 20, 2024.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Avenue in the Wicker Park Bucktown neighborhood.
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The Opening Reception for the show Entanglement is Friday, May 31 from 6–9 pm.
An artist talk is scheduled for Saturday, June 22 from 1–2 pm. The exhibition runs through July 20, 2024.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art Gallery features new works by Laleh Motlagh
SoNa Chicago is proud to feature new work by artist Laleh Motlagh in a solo exhibition from May 31 - July 20, 2024.
As an Iranian Azerbaijanis-American woman, Laleh Motlagh delves into profound explorations of love, intimacy, spirituality, trust, and resilience while remaining present to her own localities. Based in Chicago, Motlagh challenges socio-cultural alienation and navigates the complexities of multicultural identity. Often collaborative with other-than-human, she employs drawing, painting, sculpture, performance, video, and installation to question the boundaries between human and natural life, the admissible and the taboo, as well as the geopolitical overtones found so prevalently in the discourse of border zones and notions of belonging.
Her new exhibition, Entanglement, explores issues related to transformation of personal memories, contemplation on entanglement, love, care and intimacy, containment & consolation, and seeing the unseen. The exhibit includes drawings, paintings, video, and mixed media sculptures. The work is a continuation of her study of the remains of her houseplants and of those in the garden outside. In an interview with writer Mána Taylor in NewCity Art, Motlagh says “They are still changing.” The dried remains are featured in this exhibition at SoNa Chicago, including a series called “Cycles and Voids,” where different hues of dried material are shown in their varied and subtle shades. Laleh Motlagh was one of NewCity’s Breakout Artists of 2023.
The new works in Entanglement extend on the themes of Contemplation, which was at the Chicago Artist Coalition last year. Laleh Motlagh’s work has a simple elegance and quietness. It conveys the transitory nature of life and its beauty in all its phases. We try to hold it, but it has transformed into something else that is also deeply meaningful.
Laleh Motlagh is a Chicago-based artist and educator. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions around the world. She has received multiple awards and recognitions. Motlagh received her MFA from the University of Illinois Chicago and teaches at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Avenue in the Wicker Park Bucktown neighborhood.
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SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art features new works by Nicholas Sistler
TORQUE: Twisting, Turning, Spinning in Plane Space
Chicago artist Nicholas Sistler offers new twists on everyday space.
The exhibition opens Friday, September 6, 2024, 6 - 9 pm, at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art, 1527 N. Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL and continues through October 26, 2024.
Artist Nicholas Sistler views the world differently than most, twisting the timeless and pondering the moments of stillness we pass through each day. Entering his world, we are delightfully prompted to consider our own. This painting exhibition showcases a fresh approach to Sistler’s representational work after a decade’s focus on abstraction. These newest pieces in his signature style demonstrate masterfully minute manipulations of stippled gouache, a modern updating of classic pointillism made famous by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac.
Sistler’s work is reminiscent of the surrealists who intuited society’s collective unconscious, allowing us to consider fantastic ways of seeing the often overlooked and unseen. The art in this exhibit invites viewers to explore not just the work’s physical space, but the viewer’s own psychological response to it.
Sister says his current work brings a spotlight on the everyday, turning it from the tediously mundane to the mindfully magnificent. TORQUE builds on this with an overlay of new spatial dimensions that challenge preconceived notions based on each viewer’s life experiences.
Inspired by Cezanne, Sistler describes a 3D world on a 2D surface, presenting traditional spaces in non-traditional ways. Some works, sparsely populated by objects, focus on what’s not there, the voids, rather than the worldly elements of a more standard still life. Each work joyfully creates a spatial game that engages the senses and compels the imagination. As with all of Sistler’s daringly diminutive works, their physical size surprisingly belies a world of objects and emotions that rewards careful viewers with unexpected revelations.
Nicholas Sistler is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has a background in painting and performance art. His works have appeared in more than 100 exhibitions including 24 solo shows and are part of the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art, the Illinois State Museum, the Rockford Art Museum, Block Museum at Northwestern University, DePaul University Art Museum, Otterbein University, Benedictine University and numerous private collections coast to coast.
Join us for the Opening Reception on Friday, September 6 from 6-9 p.m. and attend Sistler’s Artist Talk on Saturday, October 5 at 2 p.m.
Image: Candle Holder, Gouache on paper, 4” x 4”
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Join us for an artist talk by Nicholas Sistler where he will discuss his work and his solo show, TORQUE. Saturday, Oct. 5 from 2-3 pm at the gallery. Refreshments will be served! This event is part of CXW 2024.
Read the wonderful review of the show by Frank Geiser online and in the Oct print edition of Newcity Art. The show was also featured in the Chicago Gallery News Fall 2024 print edition in the In the Galleriessection on pg 24.
Image: Candle Holder by Nicholas Sistler, 2023
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Closing Reception for TORQUE: Twisting, Turning, Spinning in Plane Space
Chicago artist Nicholas Sistler offers new twists on everyday space.
The exhibition opened on September 6 at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art, 1527 N. Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL and continues through October 26, 2024. Join us for the Closing Reception and a short Artist Talk on Sat. Oct 26. Reception from 2 - 4 pm. Artist talk from 2:30 - 3:00 pm. Refreshments will be served.
Artist Nicholas Sistler views the world differently than most, twisting the timeless and pondering the moments of stillness we pass through each day. Entering his world, we are delightfully prompted to consider our own. This painting exhibition showcases a fresh approach to Sistler’s representational work after a decade’s focus on abstraction. These newest pieces in his signature style demonstrate masterfully minute manipulations of stippled gouache, a modern updating of classic pointillism made famous by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac.
Sistler’s work is reminiscent of the surrealists who intuited society’s collective unconscious, allowing us to consider fantastic ways of seeing the often overlooked and unseen. The art in this exhibit invites viewers to explore not just the work’s physical space, but the viewer’s own psychological response to it.
Sister says his current work brings a spotlight on the everyday, turning it from the tediously mundane to the mindfully magnificent. TORQUE builds on this with an overlay of new spatial dimensions that challenge preconceived notions based on each viewer’s life experiences.
Inspired by Cezanne, Sistler describes a 3D world on a 2D surface, presenting traditional spaces in non-traditional ways. Some works, sparsely populated by objects, focus on what’s not there, the voids, rather than the worldly elements of a more standard still life. Each work joyfully creates a spatial game that engages the senses and compels the imagination. As with all of Sistler’s daringly diminutive works, their physical size surprisingly belies a world of objects and emotions that rewards careful viewers with unexpected revelations.
Nicholas Sistler is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has a background in painting and performance art. His works have appeared in more than 100 exhibitions including 24 solo shows and are part of the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art, the Illinois State Museum, the Rockford Art Museum, Block Museum at Northwestern University, DePaul University Art Museum, Otterbein University, Benedictine University and numerous private collections coast to coast.
Image: Candle Holder, gouache on paperboard, 4” x 4”
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Opening Reception: Friday, November 8, from 6-9 pm
How do we maintain serenity and peace within when forces outside of us are ambiguous and even tumultuous? How do we feel joy, share love, work, and create in times of uncertainty? What does it mean to “be” when we may feel apprehension about the future. This group show, SoNa Chicago’s first open call for artists, explores how artists interpret and express the idea of lightness and being. The artists selected for the show reflect on time, memories, and what lies ahead. They convey their wonderment at life, nature, spirituality, and our connections to each other. Light streams through the sky, through glass, or from an object. Lightness is interpreted through form, color, and texture. Silence, stillness, and meditation on spaces is conveyed in some of the artwork. Other artists reflect on hardship and how to move through it. The artists make statements with their work that are profoundly positive, and generative. They connect to nature, humanity, and creativity as forces that fill us and can impact society. Questions of what it means to be and how lightness can imbue our consciousness and senses are explored through various media.
Exhibiting Artists:
Pinar Aral, Sharon Bladholm, Monica J. Brown, reisling dong, Alan Emerson Hicks, Robert Fields, Mirentxu Ganzarain, Glen Gauthier, Markus Giolas, Fletcher Hayes, Anne Hughes, Ethan Hutchinson, Natalie Jackson, Damien James, Kathleen King, Pauline Kochanski, Loralyn Kumlin, Kim Laurel, Beatriz Ledesma, Antwane Lee, Michael Miller, Rosalina Perez, Corinne Peterson, Diane Ponder, Renee Robbins, Tom Robinson, Julian Sarria, Nicholas Sistler, Paul Gerard Somers, Eve Sopala, Gerardo Villarreal, Kathy Weaver, Glenn Wexler
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SoNa Chicago is hosting an Artist Talk with two of the artists in the Lightness and Being group show. Refreshments will be served.
In the Call for the group show we asked artists to submit work related to the theme of Lightness and Being and to submit statements about how their work relates to that theme. We received wonderful submissions and commentary. The artists reflected on time, memories, and what lies ahead. The work in the show conveys wonderment at life, nature, spirituality, and our connections to each other. Some of the artists reflected on hardship and how to move through it. The work in the show is profoundly positive and generative. The exhibition is on view through Jan 11, 2025.
Natalie Jackson is a Portrait and Fine Arts photographer. She has lived in Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Charlotte. She has a photography studio called Nat Jack Studios, which is based in Joliet, IL. She has won multiple awards and recognitions and her work has been shown in galleries and exhibitions across the U.S. She serves on the Board of Directors at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, an active community arts center just south of Chicago in Illinois. She is also the photographer for and on the Board of Directors for Central Illinois Jazz Society. Her work amplifies the beauty and pride in the lives of Black Americans. She wrote for her group show entry, \"As a Black photographer, I focus my prime lens on the often-overlooked beauty and dignity of my subjects…. My photography seeks to place us front and center, bathed in the glowing light that has been denied us for too long….”
Glen Gauthier is a mixed media collage artist who recently moved to Chicago from Dallas where he had a studio and also worked as a Creative Director. His artworks are montages of precise clippings from his collection of old books, brochures, images, and documents incorporated on canvas with acrylic paint. He has exhibited in cities across the United States. For the artist statement about his work in the show he wrote, “My medium is collage, utilizing printed ephemera to serve as a kind of time machine…. These materials with a history have fascinated me since childhood. I’m the youngest of five siblings who grew up in a home with overwhelmed parents in south Louisiana….Through this work, I’m having a conversation with myself through time as a boy, a man, and the future version of myself. It doesn’t all make perfect sense yet, but clarity is slowly setting in.”
Glen Gauthier, Test for Echo, collage and cyanotype on cereal box, 2022
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Here is the schedule for the speed talks:
2:00 - 2:20 Social time
2:20 - 2:30 Anne Hughes
2:30 - 2:40 Sharon Bladholm
2:40 - 2:50 Kathy Weaver
2:50 - 3:00 Mirentxu Ganzarain
3pm - 3:10 BREAK
3:10 - 3:20 Glen Gauthier
3:20 - 3:30 Tom Robinson
3:30 - 3:40 Loralyn Kumlin
3:40 - 3:50 Antwane Lee
3:50 - 4:00 Kathleen King
Kathleen King and Kathy Weaver sent short written statements. All the other artists will be in the gallery. Come join us!
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Saturday, January 11, 2025, 2–4:00 pm
In the Call for the group show we asked artists to submit work related to the theme of Lightness and Being and to submit statements about how their work relates to that theme. We received wonderful submissions and commentary. The submissions are displayed in a notebook at the gallery along with the artwork. The artists reflected on time, memories, and what lies ahead. The work in the show conveys wonderment at life, nature, spirituality, and our connections to each other. Some of the artists reflected on hardship and how to move through it. The work in the show is profoundly positive and generative. The exhibition is on view only through Saturday, Jan 11. See it on Friday, Jan 10 from 5-7 pm, Saturday, Jan 11 from 12-4 pm, with the Closing Reception from 2-4 pm. Refreshments will be served.
Image: Gallery View, Lightness and Being Group Show
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Pinar Aral and Mirentxu Ganzarain
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art
1527 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
February 1 – March 22, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 1 from 5-8 pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, March 8 from 2-3 pm.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is proud to feature Pinar Aral and Mirentxu Ganzarain, two extraordinary Chicago-based sculptors currently working in clay. The exhibition is called Unearthing in part because both women view their ceramics practice as a process of unearthing feelings, meaning, and how the clay itself will transform in their hands. Aral describes working with the clay as a process of grounding; it is like a meditation for her. Ganzarain feels the same about the work. She adds, “As you are working with the clay, as you are connecting with the material, it is speaking back to you.”
Aral's new work in the exhibition features pieces with the beautiful markings achieved through the ancient method of pit firing. She also is showing a few pieces from her signature Mobius Strip series, and numerous small white porcelain objects reminiscent of forms in nature. Ganzarain is showcasing a diverse collection of work including terracotta sculptures inspired by germination and sprouting seeds, porcelain objects with faux fur and feathers, large mixed-media drawings, and small works on paper.
While both Aral and Ganzarain have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives, they appreciate their hybrid identities. Aral is Turkish-American and Ganzarain is Chilean-American and of Spanish descent. The artists have a global view, and it surfaces in their work. Despite never having met before the planning of this exhibit, there was an instant connection between them as they learned about each other’s paths to where they are as artists today. An easy conversation can be seen between their works.
The elegance of their work gives this show a serene atmosphere where one wants to take time to relax and contemplate the form and finish of each piece. Both artists have a strong theme in their artwork related to women’s strength and intention. Ganzarain’s drawings are often of women. She explains, “I have been taken aback by the representation of women in religious art. They appear so often to be empty shells. In my work, I re-draw them to be women who are present.\" Aral also has depicted women in her work. She made the head of Medusa out of clay and tells the story of how Medusa was raped by Poseidon, but not believed. Said Aral, “Like the #MeToo movement of today, this was one of the issues I was trying to unearth and talk about.”
Ganzarain earned her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Aral’s degree is from the Institute of Industrial Design in Florence, Italy.
Join us for the opening reception Saturday, February 1, 2025 from 5–8 PM.
An artist talk is scheduled for Saturday, March 8, from 2-3 pm.
Unearthing runs February 1 – March 22, 2025 at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art, 1527 N. Ashland Ave. Chicago.
Contact Laura Botwinick at (773) 513-4436 or lkbotwinick@gmail.com for more information.
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SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is proud to feature Pinar Aral and Mirentxu Ganzarain, two extraordinary Chicago-based sculptors currently working in clay. Aral's new work in the exhibition features pieces with the beautiful markings achieved through the ancient method of pit firing. She also is showing a few pieces from her signature Mobius Strip series, and numerous small white porcelain objects reminiscent of forms in nature. Ganzarain is showcasing a diverse collection of work including terracotta sculptures inspired by germination and sprouting seeds, porcelain objects with faux fur and feathers, large mixed-media drawings, and small works on paper.
While both Aral and Ganzarain have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives, they appreciate their hybrid identities. Aral is Turkish-American and Ganzarain is Chilean-American and of Spanish descent. The artists have a global view, and it surfaces in their work. Despite never having met before the planning of this exhibit, there was an instant connection between them as they learned about each other’s paths to where they are as artists today.
The elegance of their work gives this show a serene atmosphere where one wants to take time to relax and contemplate the form and finish of each piece.
Ganzarain earned her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Aral’s degree is from the Institute of Industrial Design in Florence, Italy.
Contact Laura Botwinick at (773) 513-4436 or lkbotwinick@gmail.com for more information.
Two Opening Receptions
Fri., April 11, 5-8 pm
Wed., April 23, 6-10 pm
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is proud to present the exhibition, Article 1: Human Dignity Shall Be Inviolable, featuring the artwork of Kermit Berg. The exhibit highlights both the beauty and the vulnerability of democracy.
In 2015, the American artist Kermit Berg was invited by the German government to photograph the buildings of the German Parliament in Berlin, known as the Bundestag. The building design includes architectural elements that highlight attributes of democracy such as transparency in government and governance by the people. Berg's photographs of the building capture these elements in his signature style.
The exhibition was to be shown in the newly constructed Library of Parliament building in Germany. The exhibition never happened due to lengthy construction delays, although the work was acquired by the Collection of the Federal Republic of Germany. Several years later, his body of work was slated for a show at the German Embassy in Moscow. However, criticism by the Russian government derailed these plans. An alternative location outside of Moscow was ultimately abandoned when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Today, democracy is palpably under threat around the world. For Berg, this means introspection, revisiting, and literally ripping up some of his earlier works. The result is his photographic series: “Torn” where he destroys and reassembles his prints with their fragments to represent the fragile nature of democracy.
Berg's “Bundestag” portfolio is not the first time he has examined democracy and political systems through his own very subtle lens. His 2013 series “Nuclear Family’’ documents the post-World War II relationship between a West Berlin family and an American family in rural Indiana. “Nuclear Family” led to a solo museum exhibition at Maerkisches Museum in Berlin, and has since been shown as part of the Kermit Berg retrospective at the Christel De Hahn Fine Arts Center in Indianapolis. Several of his works from the Nuclear Family portfolio are also in the exhibition at SoNa Chicago. As with “Article 1” his keen eye explores and reveals the heart of the theme, in this case, the nascent democracy in West Germany.
Article 1 is the first of nineteen proclamations of basic human rights comprising the beginning of the newly developed constitution of the Federal Republic of West Germany. It was ratified in 1949 and later adopted upon the reunification of Germany in 1990. This conscious intention to spell out basic rights at the very beginning of Germany’s new constitution paved the binding path forward for the emerging democracy. The framers of the basic rights document went on to say that to respect and protect human dignity is so important that it shall be the duty of all government authority to protect it, and that Article I cannot be changed or removed.
Yet this fundamental right is under strain in Germany, the U.S., and around the world.
Kermit Berg has developed a refined language in photography. His attention to detail is exquisite, visually sharing powerful observations and messages on a broader scale. The exhibition at SoNa Chicago features never before shown selections from the Bundestag and Torn portfolios, as well as selections from Nuclear Family, and other works from his 25 years as a practicing artist. Berg creates photography-based archival prints where he lives and works in Palm Springs, California, after living in Chicago, Berlin, New York, San Francisco, and Shanghai. He is grateful to his longtime representative in Germany, Nicole von Vietinghof, for arranging the project with the German government at the Bundestag.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. The gallery is open Fridays from 5–7 pm, Saturdays from 12-4 pm, and by appointment.
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Visit the exhibition, Article 1: Human Dignity Shall Be Inviolable, featuring the artwork of Kermit Berg. The exhibit highlights both the beauty and the vulnerability of democracy.
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Better World takes its title from a 1970s commercial produced by the Plastics Council of America that promised a brighter future through plastic. His work responds to this false optimism, reflecting on the environmental and cultural consequences of single-use plastic production in contemporary American society.
The artist’s practice spans sculpture, wearable art, and dimensional assemblage. The sculptures are constructed from repurposed plastics over steel armatures and are designed to resemble human figures—commenting on both form and the act of building form through assemblage. These figures suggest presence, identity, and humanity within a material culture of disposability.
Hicks’s two-dimensional works explore mass production and transformation through the use of dollar store items and goods sourced online, particularly from Chinese suppliers—materials now affected by recent U.S. tariffs. These pieces often incorporate butterflies and natural imagery as metaphors for change, fragility, and the uneasy relationship between nature and synthetic consumer goods. The work is in constant flux, evoking a sense of transformation and suspended development. These pieces fall into two distinct styles: one, a dimensional couture approach using stickers and objects layered onto boards; the other, shallowly layered compositions sealed in Envirotex resin, creating a dense, atmospheric quality.
Hicks also creates wearable dresses from plastic waste and consumer packaging, many of which have been featured in sustainable fashion shows like Trashion Revolution. These works blur the boundaries between sculpture, performance, and activism.
Through assemblage, Hicks builds form while commenting on form—referencing nature, transformation, and African American historical figures. His work is in constant evolution, much like the materials and systems it critiques. Better World is both an ironic echo of the past and a call to imagine alternative futures shaped by care, reuse, and reimagining.
Hicks has exhibited nationally and internationally, including a recent solo show at the Center on Halsted in Chicago. He works out of his studio in Bronzeville on the South Side of Chicago.
Image: Natural Selection, Alan Emerson Hicks, Found object, stickers and paint on board, 13.5\"×13.5\"
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The gallery is open Fridays from 5-7 pm, Saturdays 12-4 pm, and by appointment by calling 773.513.4436. The exhibition runs through July 12.
Full exhibition description here: https://sonachicagoart.com/news-events
The gallery is located at 1527 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is proud to host the culminating exhibition of the Industry of the Ordinary (IOTO) Summer Residency 2025, opening Saturday, September 6th, and running through September 27th, 2025. Now in its eighth year, IOTO's enduring and ever-evolving program continues to offer a platform for critical experimentation and bold expression by emerging artists.
The 2025 residency expands its reach with a three-week public exhibition, offering viewers an extended opportunity to engage with the fresh, challenging, and diverse perspectives produced over the course of this unique summer program. For the first time, the show will take place at SoNa Chicago, creating a new context for these artists to consider the economic and spatial realities of exhibiting work professionally — including the opportunity to offer work for sale.
At the opening on Saturday, September 6th from 5–8pm, all 15 residents will activate the full site of the exhibition address - moving beyond the traditional white cube to engage both interior and exterior spaces. Visitors can expect a mix of time-based, performative, and spatial interventions alongside two- and three-dimensional works, continuing the Residency’s longstanding commitment to diverse and experimental practices.
An additional artist walkthrough will take place on Saturday, September 13th from 5–7pm, offering deeper insight into the artists’ processes and the evolution of the work.
At its core, the IOTO Summer Residency is rooted in the belief that art has the unique power to bring diverse voices together, revealing new dimensions of what it means to be human. The program is structured around intensive studio development, open discussion, and critical inquiry — with weekly meetings and mentorship from Industry of the Ordinary, whose own practice challenges the boundaries between the personal and the public, the ordinary and the extraordinary.
Housed primarily at IOTO’s studio at Mana Contemporary in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, the residency invites participants to develop new work across a variety of media while engaging in deep conversations around process, form, value, and impact. This year's cohort reflects the spirit of the program: intellectually curious, materially adventurous, and socially aware. Their work, shaped through both individual exploration and group dialogue, invites us to consider not only artistic outcomes but also the systems of meaning and connection through which those outcomes arise.
Since its founding in 2015, the IOTO Summer Residency has cultivated a space for radical questioning and creative rigor. This year’s exhibition continues that tradition, inviting visitors to witness the unfolding of new artistic voices engaged in both personal narrative and public discourse — and to be part of a conversation that extends well beyond the gallery walls.
Contact: Laura Botwinick, Phone: (773) 513-4436, Email: lkbotwinick@gmail.com Gallery website: https://sonachicagoart.com/ Facebook & Instagram: @sonachicagoart
Industry of the Ordinary (Adam Brooks, 773-301-7162, adambrooks9@gmail.com; Mathew Wilson, 312-927-8855, mathewcwilson98@yahoo.com)
Image: Akemi Nomo, LifeTime ( 人间，人間 )
Photo credit: Industry of the Ordinary
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SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is proud to host the culminating exhibition of the Industry of the Ordinary (IOTO) Summer Residency 2025, opening Saturday, September 6th, and running through September 27th, 2025. Now in its eighth year, IOTO's enduring and ever-evolving program continues to offer a platform for critical experimentation and bold expression by emerging artists.
The 2025 residency expands its reach with a three-week public exhibition, offering viewers an extended opportunity to engage with the fresh, challenging, and diverse perspectives produced over the course of this unique summer program. For the first time, the show will take place at SoNa Chicago, creating a new context for these artists to consider the economic and spatial realities of exhibiting work professionally — including the opportunity to offer work for sale.
At the opening on Saturday, September 6th from 5–8pm, all 15 residents will activate the full site of the exhibition address - moving beyond the traditional white cube to engage both interior and exterior spaces. Visitors can expect a mix of time-based, performative, and spatial interventions alongside two- and three-dimensional works, continuing the Residency’s longstanding commitment to diverse and experimental practices.
At its core, the IOTO Summer Residency is rooted in the belief that art has the unique power to bring diverse voices together, revealing new dimensions of what it means to be human. The program is structured around intensive studio development, open discussion, and critical inquiry — with weekly meetings and mentorship from Industry of the Ordinary, whose own practice challenges the boundaries between the personal and the public, the ordinary and the extraordinary.
Housed primarily at IOTO’s studio at Mana Contemporary in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, the residency invites participants to develop new work across a variety of media while engaging in deep conversations around process, form, value, and impact. This year's cohort reflects the spirit of the program: intellectually curious, materially adventurous, and socially aware. Their work, shaped through both individual exploration and group dialogue, invites us to consider not only artistic outcomes but also the systems of meaning and connection through which those outcomes arise.
Since its founding in 2015, the IOTO Summer Residency has cultivated a space for radical questioning and creative rigor. This year’s exhibition continues that tradition, inviting visitors to witness the unfolding of new artistic voices engaged in both personal narrative and public discourse — and to be part of a conversation that extends well beyond the gallery walls.
Contact: Laura Botwinick, Phone: (773) 513-4436, Email: lkbotwinick@gmail.com Gallery website: https://sonachicagoart.com/ Facebook & Instagram: @sonachicagoart
Industry of the Ordinary (Adam Brooks, 773-301-7162, adambrooks9@gmail.com; Mathew Wilson, 312-927-8855, mathewcwilson98@yahoo.com)
Image: Akemi Nomo, LifeTime ( 人间，人間 )
Photo credit: Industry of the Ordinary
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The discussion will be moderated by Molly K. O’Donnell, co-curator at SoNa Chicago. This will be a discussion of the IOTO Summer Residency in the larger context of Industry of the Ordinary’s broader work.
This event is being held in conjunction with Chicago Exhibition Weekend.
Industry of the Ordinary is a two-person conceptual art collaborative, made up of Chicago- based artists and educators Adam Brooks and Mathew Wilson. Their work is often performative or sculptural, incorporating audience participation and interaction with the artists. For over 20 years, they have used performance, installation, objects, and interventions to explore and celebrate “ordinariness” and to challenge and elevate the everyday experience into an endeavor worthy of study and veneration.
Since its founding in 2015, the IOTO Summer Residency has cultivated a space for radical questioning and creative rigor. This year’s exhibition at SoNa Chicago continues that tradition, inviting visitors to witness the unfolding of new artistic voices engaged in both personal narrative and public discourse — and to be part of a conversation that extends well beyond the gallery walls.
Come to SoNa Chicago on September 19th to view the exhibition and participate in the conversation with the IOTO founders.
www.industryoftheordinary.com
Image: Akemi Nomo, LifeTime ( 人间，人間 )
Photo credit: Industry of the Ordinary
Opening Reception: Fri., Oct. 17, 5-8 pm
Michael Miller is a multi-talented artist whose artwork includes painting, drawing, woodwork, and music. He began his career studying cabinetmaking at the Milwaukee Trade and Technical High School. From there Michael went on to study fine art at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee receiving both his BFA and MA in Painting and Drawing. After receiving his master’s degree in 1991 Michael taught art at both the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Michael’s artwork often merges his background in cabinetmaking with his practice of painting and drawing.
Michael has exhibited with Gallery A (Chicago), Tory Folliard Gallery (Milwaukee), Gallery Pink (Oak Park), as well as other galleries, art spaces, and universities. In recent years he has been invited to exhibit his work in group shows at Hairpin Arts Center, ARC, Oak Park Arts League, and SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art.
Michael worked as lead carpenter and exhibit installer at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership and eventually became Operations Manager and Facility Manager there, a position he held until 2016. He currently is a freelance exhibit designer, builder, and installer and he continues his own art practice in his home studio in Oak Park, IL. Michael has vast knowledge of a variety of materials, at times grinding his own pastels to achieve the color palette he wants. He also regularly uses found objects and reused materials, both as an act of conservation and for the aesthetic.
Michael’s focus is often on supporting other artists, using his skills in art construction and installation to help them realize their own vision. He wrote, “I have been very fortunate that much of my working life has been spent creatively in the service of, and alongside many other amazing and talented individuals. As a woodworker and furniture builder, an art instructor, or as an exhibition designer/builder, creating and installing exhibitions for museums and galleries, I have had the opportunity to share ideas, problem solve countless issues, and explore a multitude of materials, all while expanding personal horizons of art making.”
SoNa Chicago is proud to share Michael’s recent work in a solo show. The show includes recent works that reflect themes he has explored over his years as an artist such as the preciousness of the environment, valuing community, and working together to achieve positive change. His work in A Measure of Time features landscapes, wood sculptures, an interactive puzzle installation, banners, and other works.
Michael is a self-taught musician; he builds acoustic resonator guitars using found objects and recycled materials. Several of his guitars are featured in the exhibition.
Image: Landscape 7, oil, ink, pencil, and shellac, on book board, 20.5\"h x 26”w, 2024
Artist Talk with Michael J. Miller at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art
Saturday, Nov 15, from 2:00 - 3:30 pm
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art, 1527 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60622
Join us for a lively discussion with artist Michael J. Miller, moderated by SoNa Chicago co-curator Molly O'Donnell. Come hear about Michael's artistic process, his career, and his music. View his wonderful solo show, \"A Measure of Time,\" which includes paintings, banners, wood sculpture, furniture, and handmade resonator guitars. Also view the SoNa Gallery Annex for \"Selected Large Works by SoNa Gallery Artists\" featuring Sharon Bladholm, Monica J. Brown, Mirentxu Ganzarain, Laleh Motlagh, and Jack Poker.
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There is a concept in the field of astronomy called the Goldilocks zone, which is the exact distance from the sun where human life is possible. The artists are interested in the Goldilocks Moment as functional folklore and how the concept gets adopted by economists, scientists, and culture makers to describe a kind of moment, the right moment to leave, the moment to stay, the moment of creation, the moment of equilibrium, the “just right” state of being.
The artists are a collective of mostly University of Chicago graduates who have collaborated for many years. They have presented their work in unique spaces including the loading dock of a contemporary art museum and a friend’s garage as a drive-through exhibit during covid. Working together for them is an endeavor of joy that represents a Goldilocks Moment.
Each of the artists bring these larger questions into a personal realm that they explore through a variety of media. The artists use photos, film, sculptures, painting and performance to wrestle with ideas such as cultural change, how images can illuminate qualities of common experiences, and one’s comfort and identity in society. They realize that even the practice of creating can bring Goldilocks Moments. As one of the artists put it, In the field, my Goldilocks Moment is when I am so much in the moment of making an image, that I can forget having made it or ever having been there.
The artists in this exhibition are Anthony Adcock, dado, Marco G. Ferrari, Hannah Givler, Maymay Jumsai, Stacee Kalmanovsky, Paul G. Somers, and Jay Wolke.
The Goldilocks Moment opens at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art on Friday, January 9 from 5-8 p.m.
The Reception for the show will be on Friday, January 16 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
There will be an Artist Talk on Saturday, January 31 from 2-3:30 pm, where a panel of several of the artists will be interviewed by Molly O’Donnell.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Ave. Regular hours are Fridays 5-7 p.m., Saturdays from 12-4 p.m., and by appointment by calling Laura Botwinick at 773.513.4436 or emailing Lkbotwinick@gmail.com.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1767477365/an9e5r9ij21nda7qlafi.jpg\")
Goldilocks Moment is a playful yet contemplative exhibition that explores themes in the popular childhood fairy tale such as those moments when things are \"just right.\" How do we find that moment? How do we keep it? What do we do when we lose it? The story changes when the Bears come home and disruption occurs. But who is the intruder in this story?
There is a concept in the field of astronomy called the Goldilocks zone, which is the exact distance from the sun where human life is possible. The artists are interested in the Goldilocks Moment as functional folklore and how the concept gets adopted by economists, scientists, and culture makers to describe a kind of moment, the right moment to leave, the moment to stay, the moment of creation, the moment of equilibrium, the “just right” state of being.
The artists are a collective of mostly University of Chicago graduates who have collaborated for many years. They have presented their work in unique spaces including the loading dock of a contemporary art museum and a friend’s garage as a drive-through exhibit during covid. Working together for them is an endeavor of joy that represents a Goldilocks Moment.
Each of the artists bring these larger questions into a personal realm that they explore through a variety of media. The artists use photos, film, sculptures, painting and performance to wrestle with ideas such as cultural change, how images can illuminate qualities of common experiences, and one’s comfort and identity in society. They realize that even the practice of creating can bring Goldilocks Moments. As one of the artists put it, In the field, my Goldilocks Moment is when I am so much in the moment of making an image, that I can forget having made it or ever having been there.
The artists in this exhibition are Anthony Adcock, dado, Marco G. Ferrari, Hannah Givler, Maymay Jumsai, Stacee Kalmanovsky, Paul G. Somers, and Jay Wolke.
The Goldilocks Moment opens at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art on Friday, January 9 from 5-8 p.m.
The Reception for the show will be on Friday, January 16 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
There will be an Artist Talk on Saturday, January 31 from 2-3:30 pm, where a panel of several of the artists will be interviewed by Molly O’Donnell.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Ave. Regular hours are Fridays 5-7 p.m., Saturdays from 12-4 p.m., and by appointment by calling Laura Botwinick at 773.513.4436 or emailing Lkbotwinick@gmail.com.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1767477345/st4epkhmcjxc7abuzmx6.jpg\")
Goldilocks Moment is a playful yet contemplative exhibition that explores themes in the popular childhood fairy tale such as those moments when things are \"just right.\" How do we find that moment? How do we keep it? What do we do when we lose it? The story changes when the Bears come home and disruption occurs. But who is the intruder in this story?
There is a concept in the field of astronomy called the Goldilocks zone, which is the exact distance from the sun where human life is possible. The artists are interested in the Goldilocks Moment as functional folklore and how the concept gets adopted by economists, scientists, and culture makers to describe a kind of moment, the right moment to leave, the moment to stay, the moment of creation, the moment of equilibrium, the “just right” state of being.
The artists are a collective of mostly University of Chicago graduates who have collaborated for many years. They have presented their work in unique spaces including the loading dock of a contemporary art museum and a friend’s garage as a drive-through exhibit during covid. Working together for them is an endeavor of joy that represents a Goldilocks Moment.
Each of the artists bring these larger questions into a personal realm that they explore through a variety of media. The artists use photos, film, sculptures, painting and performance to wrestle with ideas such as cultural change, how images can illuminate qualities of common experiences, and one’s comfort and identity in society. They realize that even the practice of creating can bring Goldilocks Moments. As one of the artists put it, In the field, my Goldilocks Moment is when I am so much in the moment of making an image, that I can forget having made it or ever having been there.
The artists in this exhibition are Anthony Adcock, dado, Marco G. Ferrari, Hannah Givler, Maymay Jumsai, Stacee Kalmanovsky, Paul G. Somers, and Jay Wolke.
The Goldilocks Moment opens at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art on Friday, January 9 from 5-8 p.m.
The Reception for the show will be on Friday, January 16 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
There will be an Artist Talk on Saturday, January 31 from 2-3:30 pm, where a panel of several of the artists will be interviewed by Molly O’Donnell.
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is located at 1527 N. Ashland Ave. Regular hours are Fridays 5-7 p.m., Saturdays from 12-4 p.m., and by appointment by calling Laura Botwinick at 773.513.4436 or emailing Lkbotwinick@gmail.com.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1767477319/hpghdooyyxg16gldj91i.jpg\")
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art presents “Beneath an Economy of Sky” featuring the artwork of Jack Poker, a Chicago-based artist who blends painting and collage to make unique and moving works. The exhibition opens Friday, February 20, 2026, at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art, 1527 N. Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL and continues through March 21, 2026. There will be an Opening Reception on Friday, February 20 from 6-9 pm and an artist talk on Sunday, March 1 from 2:00 - 3:30 pm.
Jack Poker is a Chicago-based artist whose work examines memory and how it is tied to the history of a place. His current body of work explores the economic and environmental impacts on communities of removals of buildings and transformations of spaces. Jack’s paintings, collages, and sculptures depict what happens to abandoned or demolished buildings, city blocks, suburban neighborhoods, and commercial sites as urban and rural landscapes change with economic development or neglect.
This exhibition also includes several pieces from his Majorette series, which playfully invite the viewer to question the cultural meaning and metaphorical role of these figures in contemporary society. In both the Removal and Majorette series, Jack's paintings depict how histories, without context, are fragmented and distorted until the artist reconstructs them and the viewer gives them meaning.
“Jack came to my attention when we were planning a group show with Tony Fitzpatrick in the months before Tony passed“ said Laura Botwinick, SoNa Chicago gallery owner and director. “Tony encouraged me to look at Jack’s work and when I visited his studio, I immediately offered him a solo show.”
Tony said of Jack, “For my money he is the most underrated and little-known artist in Chicago. For all of the attention being paid to collage as well as combinations of painting and drawing and collage, Jack has flown under the radar, bringing his own sensibility to ideas of landscape, map-making, place, and poetry… He is only like himself.”
Before moving to Chicago in 1995, New Mexican-born Jack Poker spent his youth in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. He studied history and anthropology at the University of Missouri-Columbia before moving to Seattle, Washington, where he divided his time between work and art. He lived in Alaska briefly, where he worked on a fishing boat in the Bering Sea.
He participated in group shows in and around Chicago until 2004 but continued to paint and sculpt full-time, selling his work to private collectors. In 2011, he was forced to take a hiatus from painting after his studio, along with his belongings, were destroyed in a flood.
This is Jack Poker’s first solo show in Chicago. The opening reception is on Friday, February 20 from 6-9 p.m. An artist talk is scheduled for Sunday, March 1, from 2 – 3:30 p.m. For more information about the upcoming exhibition, contact Laura Botwinick at 773.513.4436 or by email at Lkbotwinick@gmail.com. Go to www.sonachicagoart.com for additional details.
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Moderated by Molly O'Donnell
Image: \"Market Forces\" by Jack Poker, Mixed media on canvas: acrylic, textbook paper, vinyl numbers, and paper roll caps, 2025, 36” x 36”
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Material Witness is a dialogue in print and poetry featuring the work of Boston-based artist, Nancy Marks. The event explores parallels between 1940’s Nazi-occupied Europe and the actions of ICE and Customs and Border Control in our communities today. Nancy is a mixed-media artist with extensive background in painting, printmaking and papermaking. She combines her background in public health with her art practice to lead community-based conversations about complex social issues. This current exhibition centers on work born from her experience as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. She delves into her mother’s harrowing girlhood in Nazi-occupied France and the legacy of intergenerational trauma that remains. The exhibition also confronts the chilling parallels between her mother’s ordeal in the 1940s and the realities faced by immigrants in the U.S. today.
The issues explored in Material Witness amplify themes in Jack Poker’s exhibition, Beneath an Economy of Sky, currently on view in the gallery. Both shows contemplate the impact of being forced to leave precious livelihoods behind; in Jack’s show, when homes, communities, values, and culture are abandoned, and in Nancy’s, as immigrants and others are taken by ICE from their homes, cars, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Quotes from her mother’s memoir are displayed with 25 of Nancy’s beautiful and haunting drawings, along with quotes from immigrants who today are experiencing the fear of capture and imprisonment. The exhibition is a search for clarity, an artistic response to the imperative to recognize our shared humanity and, in understanding, to choose the next right path.
From 2:00 – 2:30 pm, guests will have time to view Nancy’s drawings and poetry. Then at 2:30 pm, the presentation and discussion will begin. Refreshments will be served.
Image credit: Boy Hiding under Couch, Drypoint, 6” x 8” by Nancy Marks.
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We will also have a reception on Wed., April 8 from 6-9 pm to celebrate the opening of the show.
There will be a short program at the Saturday reception at 7:30 pm to honor Tony. Family members will be present, and his adult children Max and Gaby will read from Tony's poetry.
Tony Fitzpatrick was the beloved, brash, and bold artist, actor, and poet who died too soon at the age of 66 on October 11, 2025. He was a prolific collage artist and printmaker who loved the city of Chicago as well as birds, dogs, and regular folks. For years he has supported other artists and lifted them up. Before he died, we were working with him on this very special collage show. Tony selected most of the artists in this show because he said, “they are among the best.” This exhibit includes works by Lisa Barcy, Lou Beach, Monica J. Brown, Andrea Burgay, Tony Fitzpatrick, Glen Gauthier, Paul Loughney, Jack Poker, Nellie Seigel, and Paloma Trecka. Along with Tony’s work, there are several pieces in the show that were made in tribute to Tony. Many of the artists worked with or were mentored by him. The work in this exhibition showcases the myriad styles and subjects of contemporary collage revealing the dynamism of this art form. This exhibition explores personal memories, social commentary, and a diversity of materials. SoNa Chicago is proud to be a part of extending Tony’s legacy by showcasing contemporary collage artists and honoring him through this exhibition.
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We will also have a reception on April 8 from 6-9pm.
Tony Fitzpatrick was the beloved, brash, and bold artist, actor, and poet who died too soon at the age of 66 on October 11, 2025. He was a prolific collage artist and printmaker who loved the city of Chicago as well as birds, dogs, and regular folks. For years he has supported other artists and lifted them up.
Before he died, we were working with him on this very special collage show. Tony selected most of the artists in this show because he said, “they are among the best.”
This exhibit includes works by Lisa Barcy, Lou Beach, Monica J. Brown, Andrea Burgay, Tony Fitzpatrick, Glen Gauthier, Paul Loughney, Jack Poker, Nellie Seigel, and Paloma Trecka.
Along with Tony’s work, there are several pieces in the show that were made in tribute to Tony. Many of the artists worked with or were mentored by him. The work in this exhibition showcases the myriad styles and subjects of contemporary collage revealing the dynamism of this art form. This exhibition explores personal memories, social commentary, and a diversity of materials.
SoNa Chicago is proud to be a part of extending Tony’s legacy by showcasing contemporary collage artists and honoring him through this exhibition.
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This is an exhibition we were planning with Tony Fitzpatrick when he passed away this past October. He selected many of the artists in the show and approved the rest of them, and his work is also in the show. The artists turned the exhibition into a tribute to Tony, and there are several pieces in the show made in honor of him.
Lou Beach's collage, \"Mourning Kite (for Tony)\" is on view, and is the feature image for the exhibition.
The artists participating in this talk are Lou Beach, Andrea Burgay, and Paul Loughney. The event will be moderated by Molly O'Donnell, co-curator at SoNa Chicago. The event will be held via Zoom, as the artists are from New York (Andrea and Paul) and California (Lou). Chicago guests are welcome to join us in the gallery in person if they wish, or may connect via Zoom.
This is the third of three artist panels we have held in conjunction with this show. The three artists are well-known in the world of collage.
Lou Beach - Lou lives in Los Angeles, CA. He began a career as a successful illustrator, making cover art for record albums and working on assignments from major magazines. By the mid 1990s he returned to more analog work, and he is now recognized as a major figure in the world of collage. He is represented in Los Angeles by Craig Krull Gallery and is the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Grant. Two of his collages are in the permanent collection of the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago – gifted it to the museum by his good friend Tony Fitzpatrick.
Andrea Burgay - Andrea is a visual artist, publisher, and curator based in Brooklyn, NY. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at Unimedia Modern Contemporary Art in Genoa, Italy; Galerie Zurcher in Paris, France; Retroavangarda Gallery in Warsaw, Poland; and other international galleries and several in the U.S. She is the recipient of awards and residencies and is the founder and director of Cut Me Up Magazine, an ongoing collaborative publishing project.
Paul Loughney - Paul has participated in solo and group shows nationally and internationally including at Lesley Heller Gallery, New York, NY; Vorderzimmer, Brooklyn, NY; Peter Freeman, Inc, New York, NY; and elsewhere. His work can be found in the permanent collection of Nobel Collection in Zurich; Purdue University, Indiana; Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Museum, Rutgers University, NJ; New York Public Library; and the Brodsky Center at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
The Zoom link to connect on Sat., May 9 at 12 pm CT is https://tinyurl.com/tpsb2696
The link also may be found on the home page of SoNa Chicago's website, sonachicagoart.com
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Participating artists include Nick Albertson, bARBER, Matthew Girson, Noel Mercado, and Margaret Welsh. Throughout the exhibition, ENGAGE Projects and SoNa Chicago will host a series of public programs, including artist conversations, panel discussions, and special events designed to further expand dialogue around artistic practice and studio culture. Participating artists will also be invited to take part in week-long Instagram takeovers on the ENGAGE Projects account, offering additional opportunities to share process, inspiration, and perspectives from the studio.
About ENGAGE Projects: In pursuit of the continued study of the arts and support of community-led progress, ENGAGE Projects’ vision is centered around engagement with artists, communities, and patrons. See more about ENGAGE Projects here
About SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art: SoNa Chicago highlights primarily contemporary artists from Chicago. Although we will put a spotlight on Chicago artists, we want the dialogue between artists in the gallery to be global. We view our space as a venue for conversation, community, and a celebration of the arts. View more about SoNa Chicago here
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The exhibition runs through August 1. At the heart of \"Studio Sessions\" is conversation.
Join participating artists for a panel moderated by Jennifer Armetta of ENGAGE Projects on Friday, July 24 from 5-7 pm.
The panel will explore the ideas, processes, and questions that shape the work of the artists. Stay afterward to continue the dialogue with the artists during an informal reception in the gallery.
5:00–5:30 p.m. Cocktails
5:30–6:30 p.m. Artist Panel Discussion
6:30–7:00 p.m. Stay to mingle with the artists, continue the conversation, and explore the exhibition.
In addition to the panel on July 24, we are offering Artist Hours with three of the artists participating in the exhibition. These informal gatherings offer a chance to spend time with some of Chicago's most engaging contemporary voices, exploring the ideas, materials, and evolving practices behind the work in an intimate gallery setting.
Saturday, July 18 | 12–4 p.m. Artist Hours with bARBER
Saturday, July 25 | 12–4 p.m. Artist Hours with Margaret Welsh & Noel Mercado
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The theme of the exhibition \"World Without Promises\" asks, in a world where promises dissolve into systems and abstractions, what forms of connection might emerge when we trade guarantees for the fragile act of being present together.
Industry of the Ordinary (IOTO) is a two-person conceptual art collaborative, made up of Chicago-based artists and educators Adam Brooks and Mathew Wilson. Now in its ninth year, their summer residency program offers emerging artists a platform for critical experimentation and bold expression. The program provides artists working in performance, installation and other non-traditional mediums extensive opportunities to develop their practice through in-progress presentations, peer-led critiques, visiting artist workshops, and a formal group exhibition. Wilson is leading this summer’s residency program.
The artists participating in the residency this summer are all current or former students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). At the opening on Sat., Aug. 22 at SoNa Chicago, all 16 residents will activate the full site of the exhibition address - moving beyond the main gallery walls to engage both the building in the rear and exterior spaces. Visitors will see a mix of time-based, performative, and spatial interventions alongside two- and three-dimensional works, continuing the Residency’s longstanding commitment to diverse and experimental practices.
The participating artists this year are Pruthvish Dangat, Helen Harrison, Abby Haskins, Zeynep Karahasan, Koki Kin, Harry Yechan Lee, Anya Lomachenko, Akemi Nomo, Autumn Pease, de Pan, Olivia Sharkey, Elyxir Van Kampen, Koichi Raphael Hiraishi, David Li, Nia Diaz-Perez, and Chris Mah Stoneham-Browa.
For more information, contact: Laura Botwinick, Phone: 773-513-4436, Email: Lkbotwinick@gmail.com
Facebook & Instagram: @sonachicagoart
Industry of the Ordinary: Mathew Wilson, 312-927-8855, mathewcwilson98@yahoo.com
Instagram: @industryoftheordinary
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On Thursday, Aug 27, a special performance by The Feast Theatre Collective called “7 Parties” will take place among the artwork.
The theme of the exhibition World Without Promises asks: In a world where promises dissolve into systems and abstractions, what forms of connection might emerge when we trade guarantees for the fragile act of being present together.
Industry of the Ordinary (IOTO) is a two-person conceptual art collaborative, made up of Chicago-based artists and educators Adam Brooks and Mathew Wilson. Their ever-evolving summer residency program, now in its ninth year, continues to offer a platform for critical experimentation and bold expression by emerging artists. Wilson is leading this summer’s residency program. The program provides artists working in performance, installation and other non-traditional mediums extensive opportunities to develop their practice through in-progress presentations, peer-led critiques, visiting artist workshops, and a formal group exhibition.
The artists participating in the residency program this summer are all current or former students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). At the opening on Sat., Aug. 22 at SoNa Chicago, all of the residents will activate the full site of the exhibition address - moving beyond the main gallery walls to engage both the building in the rear and exterior spaces. Visitors will see a mix of time-based, performative, and spatial interventions alongside two- and three-dimensional works, continuing the Residency’s longstanding commitment to diverse and experimental practices.
The participating artists this year are Pruthvish Dangat, Helen Harrison, Abby Haskins, Zeynep Karahasan, Koki Kin, Harry Yechan Lee, Anya Lomachenko, Akemi Nomo, Autumn Pease, de Pan, Olivia Sharkey, Elyxir Van Kampen, Koichi Raphael Hiraishi, David Li, Nia Diaz-Perez, and Chris Mah Stoneham-Browa.
Since its founding in 2015, the IOTO Summer Residency has cultivated a space for radical questioning and creative rigor. This year’s exhibition continues that tradition, inviting visitors to witness the unfolding of new artistic voices engaged in both personal narrative and public discourse — and to be part of a conversation that extends well beyond the gallery walls.
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Industry of the Ordinary, summer residency exhibition, emerging artists from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and The Feast Theatre Collective
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is proud to host World Without Promises, the culminating exhibition of the Industry of the Ordinary (IOTO) 2026 Summer Residency. The one-day full activation of the exhibition with 16 artists will be on Sat., Aug. 22, 2026 from 5-8 pm at the gallery, which is located at 1527 N. Ashland Ave. The non-performative elements of the exhibition will be on view at the gallery through Sat., August 29. An Artist Walkthrough will take place on Sat., Aug. 29 from 5-7 pm where the artists will discuss their work and offer deeper insights into their processes and the evolution of their practice.
On Thursday, Aug 27, a special performance by The Feast Theatre Collective called “7 Parties” will take place among the artwork.
The theme of the exhibition World Without Promises asks: In a world where promises dissolve into systems and abstractions, what forms of connection might emerge when we trade guarantees for the fragile act of being present together.
Industry of the Ordinary (IOTO) is a two-person conceptual art collaborative, made up of Chicago-based artists and educators Adam Brooks and Mathew Wilson. Their ever-evolving summer residency program, now in its ninth year, continues to offer a platform for critical experimentation and bold expression by emerging artists. Wilson is leading this summer’s residency program. The program provides artists working in performance, installation and other non-traditional mediums extensive opportunities to develop their practice through in-progress presentations, peer-led critiques, visiting artist workshops, and a formal group exhibition.
The artists participating in the residency program this summer are all current or former students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). At the opening on Sat., Aug. 22 at SoNa Chicago, all of the residents will activate the full site of the exhibition address - moving beyond the main gallery walls to engage both the building in the rear and exterior spaces. Visitors will see a mix of time-based, performative, and spatial interventions alongside two- and three-dimensional works, continuing the Residency’s longstanding commitment to diverse and experimental practices.
The participating artists this year are Pruthvish Dangat, Helen Harrison, Abby Haskins, Zeynep Karahasan, Koki Kin, Harry Yechan Lee, Anya Lomachenko, Akemi Nomo, Autumn Pease, de Pan, Olivia Sharkey, Elyxir Van Kampen, Koichi Raphael Hiraishi, David Li, Nia Diaz-Perez, and Chris Mah Stoneham-Browa.
Since its founding in 2015, the IOTO Summer Residency has cultivated a space for radical questioning and creative rigor. This year’s exhibition continues that tradition, inviting visitors to witness the unfolding of new artistic voices engaged in both personal narrative and public discourse — and to be part of a conversation that extends well beyond the gallery walls.
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Exhibition details here
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Artist talk: Saturday, September 19, 12:15 -1:30 pm
The event is organized by SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art, located at 1527 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60622.
In Rooted. Uprooted, Iranian-Azerbaijani American artist Laleh Motlagh presents new bodies of work exploring multicultural identity, resilience, and personal geography. Moving between the memories of her hometown of Tabriz, Iran, and her current life in Chicago, Motlagh navigates the complex realities of geopolitical displacement and belonging. Her recent work acts as a profound meditation on the enduring traumas of conflict, specifically reflecting on the devastation of the recent war, while remaining deeply present to her immediate surroundings. The studies of her houseplants that have been a key part of her practice are now interwoven in subtle ways so even as she is thinking about the war in Iran, her work still embodies the beauty and peace of plants and interior places. Motlagh’s work is so relevant to these times and reflects how many of us feel, rooted and uprooted, having to hold many realities at the same time. Expanding upon the themes of transformation and quietude established in her 2024 exhibition, Entanglement, Motlagh introduces new paintings and a series of new monoprints from the collection of her dried plant materials. These tactile works serve as visual archives of preservation, investigating the lingering lifeforces of botany and their capacity to find beauty within interior landscapes. By interweaving domestic peace with distant geopolitical unrest, Rooted. Uprooted. invites viewers to hold multiple and conflicting truths simultaneously, capturing the collective precarity of existence and the enduring pursuit of consolation.
Laleh Motlagh لاله مطلق (b. Tabriz, Iran) is a Chicago-based artist and educator. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions around the world. She has received multiple awards and recognitions. Motlagh received her MFA from the University of Illinois Chicago and teaches at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. Laleh Motlagh was one of NewCity’s Breakout Artists of 2023.
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