FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SHINIQUE SMITH: OPEN STRINGS
March 9 – April 7, 2007
Opening reception for the artist: Friday, March 9, 2007

Skestos Gabriele Gallery is pleased to present a selection of new works by Brooklyn-based artist, Shinique Smith. This will be her first solo exhibition in Chicago.

Smith’s work begins with the collection and accumulation of discarded objects, spiritual philosophies, and words. Interested in the cosmic meeting the common, Smith creates vibrant two and three-dimensional compositions using salvaged materials and calligraphic strokes, redolent of graffiti and abstract expressionism. The poetic flux of marks creates visual mantras – that are at once loose and wild but prove to be harmonious and meditative in their finality. Smith is constantly balancing impulse with refrain, finding accord in the multitude of found objects and recycled words.

Many of the works are partly autobiographical, made up of personal items from past and present. Generations reveal themselves through the use of her grandmother’s old sheets and pillowcases, while her own recent pajama shirt was appropriated for Breakfast Face.

For Smith, binding and assembling is a ritualistic process that unifies displaced parts. She is interested in the cross-section of materials with spirit, culture, and identity, and in the traverse between painting and sculpture.

Shinique Smith was born and raised in Baltimore and received her MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her work has been exhibited throughout the world, including exhibitions at PS1/MOMA, New York, the Studio Museum of Harlem, the Scuola dell’Arte dei Tiraoro e Battioro in Venice, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the 9th Istanbul Biennial, and the Ludwig Museum for Contemporary Art in Budapest.

SUNTEK CHUNG

Skestos Gabriele Gallery is also pleased to present the work of Richmond, Virginia-based artist, SunTek Chung. Building meticulous stage sets in his studio Chung creates fictitious scenarios where he casts himself in the role of protagonist. Every detail is fabricated “in the real” though it may look digitally enhanced. The work modernizes the grandeur of art historical painting as well as tells mythical folk tales that are undeniably witty.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday 11:00 – 6:00 pm, Saturday, 12:00 – 5:00 pm.
Please contact the gallery for more information at 312.243.1112 or info@skestosgabriele.com.