RISK considers the interdependent role of empathy and risk in socially engaged art as practiced by Chicago contemporary artists. The exhibition features artists who work in a public arena to foster connections between individuals and to activate communities. Their work invites the outside in, blurs the lines of public/private, reveals our mutual dependencies and effects social change. The "success" or "failure" of these relationship-driven projects, however, can never be guaranteed, as this porous, process-based art form exists in unpredictable, shifting environments.
The works in RISK are divergent in medium, content and scope, but all share an interest in initiating and negotiating relationships through personal interaction. Projects range from a community Shack built in the gallery to the staging of an actual Wedding Party to herbal remedy offerings from an Anxiety Garden and vintage Tintype Portrait sessions. Working with cultural partners and sites across the city, RISK highlights some of the most exciting practice emerging in this field and explores artists' motivations and viewers' expectations for socially engaged art.
Curated by Amy M. Mooney and Neysa Page-Lieberman. With Assistant Curator Marcela Andrade, MA in Visual Arts Management, '14.
Satellite partners and venues include the Risk Performance Fest at 6018North, Samantha Hill at the Hyde Park Art Center, Museum of Contemporary Art, and Rebuild Foundation at Dorchester Project,
Generously supported by a grant from The Joyce Foundation.
Participating Artists:
Alberto Aguilar
Jim Duignan
Industry of the Ordinary
Samantha Hill
Kirsten Leenaars
Faheem Majeed
Cecil McDonald, Jr.
Jennifer Mills
Cheryl Pope
Museum of Contemporary Phenomenon
Potluck: Chicago
Fereshteh Toosi