Salvador Dali once said, "I seated ugliness on my knee, and almost immediately grew tired of it." While one can never be sure what Dali meant literally, we can all agree with the sentiment. With flowers blooming, the lake sparkling blue and the smile of summer on the city's face, it would be a challenge to find ugliness at all in Chicago this week. Indulge in these opportunities to expose yourself to even more beauty.
Zygman Voss Gallery
"I Am Surrealism"
Opening reception June 24; 5-8 p.m.
through August 27
Did we conveniently mention Dali already? Keep your eyes wide open while doing some midsummer night's dreaming at Zygman Voss Gallery. In addition to oil paintings, Dali worked with watercolors, woodcuts, tapestries, drawings, watercolors and etchings. While you've undoubtedly seen his melting clocks and soldiers morphing into skeletons, you most likely have not seen this softer and more intimate side of Dali's oeuvre. This body of work, from the collection of the late Pierre Argillet, Dali's most prolific publisher, will be on view throughout the summer. But Friday night's reception is your only chance to check out the work with a glass of wine in hand. Be sure to R.S.V.P. though, as there is limited space at the opening.
The Art Institute of Chicago
"Spirit into Matter: The Photographs of Edmund Teske"
through July 31
Though Edmund Teske was born in Chicago, Los Angeles has managed to claim him, since it was within the Hollywood scene that he found commercial success. "Spirit into Matter," which first exhibited at L.A.'s Getty Museum last fall, provides us with the rare opportunity to see a comprehensive exhibit of this pioneer photographer's work. Born here in 1911, by the 1930s Teske was developing as a photographer (pardon the pun). He completed a compelling photographic study of passengers riding Chicago's nascent CTA; he befriended Frank Lloyd Wright as well, helping to document some of his architectural feats. When Teske moved to L.A. in 1943, he explored the art photography techniques that make him famous today, particularly that of "duotone solarization," a darkroom process that exposes photographs to quick blasts of light during developing. Teske also combined negatives, creating complex compositions that read as beautiful paintings. The exhibit features rich examples from each stage of Teske's career.
HotHouse
"Abel Sanchez"
through July 12
As a contemporary extension of the surrealistic aesthetic that Dali pioneered and the spirit of photographic experimentalism that Edmund Teske explored, Abel Sanchez fits nicely into this column. Sanchez manipulates negatives, whether by overlapping several onto one print, scratching their surfaces to change textures, or by adding and exposing found objects onto the surface of the photo paper. His experimental prints are aesthetically interesting and evoke highly personal stories, as his own portrait graces many of the prints. All the fun is in trying to navigate the stories within these photographic puzzles. In an age of digital manipulation, the intimacy inherent in the manual manipulation of photography becomes more apparent and full of meaning.
Chicago Cultural Center
"The Road to Reno: Photographs by Inge Morath"
through June 26
Summer wouldn't be complete without a road trip. And this is one hot, sexy road trip to be seen. "On The Road to Reno" documents Inge Morath's 18-day road trip from Manhattan to Reno to get to the set of "The Misfits." Included are not only Morath's outsider impressions, as an Austrian seeing America for the first time in the year 1960, but a series of photographs documenting the making of the film which marked the final silver screen appearance for both of its stars: Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe.
The Museum of Contemporary Art
"2005 Birdhouse Auction and Cocktail Party"
tickets: Chicagohouse.org; $50 in advance; $60 at the door
Speaking of Chicago Pride, this Sunday marks the 36th Annual Pride Parade up Halsted Street. The parade, full of intricately decorated floats, will be one of the most impressive public art displays within the city this weekend. Another event of note, associated with the Pride Festival, is tonight's Birdhouse Auction and Cocktail Party. This is the first year that the benefit will take place at the MCA. All proceeds will benefit the Chicago House, a refuge and healing center for homeless people living with AIDS, located in Lincoln Park. The event may sell out, so be sure to call ahead for tickets.
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