MartinJon

Coming to Carlos & Dominguez Fine Arts in west Pilsen is a group show entitled "19th State of Mind". The title of this show refers to the 19th state to enter the union, Indiana, and the state of mind of the people that have grown up in this industrial, and depressed area. A large portion of this show features the artists from CISA (Crazy Indiana Style Artists). I got to sit down and talk to Ish, a long time member of CISA, he spoke about the idea that Hammond, although not a 'Big City' like Chicago, has an innercity quality and, for some, long term effects that are directly related to the waning industry that the area was built on. This show, consisting of lots of graffiti based imagery, talks directly about the struggle of being second best and maybe overlooked. Imagery in this show seems to relate to the desire and drive of the artists to attain successes and more attention from the larger arts world. It must be said that the trip from Hammond to Chicago is considerably shorter that the reverse trip, of course I am not talking about miles, but mindset. This show reveals frailties in the otherwise tough exteriors of these artists, Larger than life portraits made entirely with aerosol paints of people wearing respirators, abstract collages referencing pop culture almost 30 years old now, and all of this must have been made with a keen mind on the passing of time, and all that comes with that. Artists exhibiting:

• Harry Detry
• Sura Dupart
• Traz Juarez
• Felix "Flex" Maldonado
• Hector "Rooster" Marin
• Omar "OMS" Marin
• "Ish" Muhammad
• Luis "Eighter" Sandoval
• Roman Villareal

As a Hull City AFC supporter I have to say a few things about the sacking of Nick Barmby. First of all their explanation of "comments made by Nick unjustifiably cast public doubt on the honesty and integrity of he Board and its members" is no reason to sack a manager, disciplinary actions could of been taken along with a public statement to settle this easily enough without going as far as sacking the man. I do not support this decision and have to just turn my back both publicly and financially on the club until it is proven to me that whoever is to come in, and the moves the Allam's have for Hull, are in the best interest of the club and the community. Promotion will not prove to me this is the right decision, anyone can get a more experienced Manager than Barmby, he only has 6 months for christ's sake, but they are going to be hard pressed to find a more dedicated manager than Barmby. If the Allam's have found a Manager more dedicated to the club, and the city, I will admit, I am wrong in NOT supporting this diction. Until then don't talk to me about this club.

Hell, at the Intuit, is a bright collection of work that takes a hard look at the evils of life. The artists that are in this show obviously deal, or dealt with, these ideas regularly in their daily lives rather than, like most of us, deep inside ourselves. Being so familiar with the material that are able to conjure up imagery that most artists would feel might be too overt, and for them it very well may be. Without a formal arts education to decipher for them a random group of rules, they are free to examine art however they feel. One of the paintings by Howard Finster says right on the painting “You may see this painting again in hell”, when I read that I thought ‘that is very possible.’ As an artist myself, I often find that the hard part of my job is to make something that is imbued with a spirit at all, much less one that I dictate. Each one of these pieces has a spirit reaching out trying to save me from the evils that are all around me. These works were made, I think, to protect me, there very well may be a few that do not do this, but as a whole I found myself surrounded by art that was made with so much love for me, the viewer, that I was overwhelmed. Each piece stands as a testament to what you can do if you follow your path and embrace what you love. I have always been an admirer of ‘outsider’ art, and lets face it, most of that tends to be at least a little religious, this is a must see show. After a brisk walk down Chicago Avenue I arrived at LUMA to see the other half of this exhibit, Heaven. All at once I was in a completely different environment, more pristine and reverent with two guards and the soft museum hum that comes from the ventilation system, or the lights. This half of this show lacks the punch that is so prominent in the Hell half. This is not to say that Heaven has little to offer, in fact it may have more, although softer. I have to start by saying the quantity of work in Heaven far exceeds that of Hell. Story telling is prominent in Heaven, as much as the hell show talks to you as a sinner from the perspective of objects that call to you to change your ways, Heaven tells stories and illustrates why it is a good idea to stay on the right track. Angles and Jesus keeping a lid on the demons, glitter, rays of light, symmetrical design and of course smiles all work together and help the artists attempt to depict what is waiting for them. With messages written in these works like “Don’t make Atom bombs” and “It don’t have to be that way” the Heaven show has to cover a lot of ground to show you that God is there looking down on us from above, always above. Heaven + Hell is a huge collaborative success, and will be on exhibit until June 30th at both Intuit and LUMA.

Glenn Wexler is an artist of light, shadow and graphics. Having always been an admirer of the work he does I thought I would post a few pictures from his recent show at the Elmhurst Art Museum


As you can see, Glenn is interested in what is between the lines, squeezed in the cracks and crevases of our subconcience. He exposes the light from within, and with a solid understanding and an intimate relationship with asian cultures Glenn is able to allow his works to be, without burdening them with overindulgent explanations.