Think Pink Radio

* Cock Ring Potlach Copyright 2007, Carrick Bell

Two new exhibitions opened this week at Gallery 2 and project space for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 847 West Jackson, 2nd Floor, the shows both run through February 15th. One “Limbo,” the other simply entitled “Group Exhibition,” explore two things:

1. The many new ways artists are making sculptures

2. “Limbo” as a state of suspension.

Sculpture can be almost anything. Take a look at all the different possibilities for sculpture in the exhibition “Limbo” and you get the sense that sculpture is everywhere and everything. But the most important theme of sculpture is space. For instance, one sculpture is a painted wall, another piece is projected light in room, another is a series of photographs and yet another is a map of mine-field with small live explosives.

Three major elements tie all these sculptures together:

First: building structures. Second: arranging or assembling found objects Third: manipulating and transforming space.

One particularly striking work is self-portrait by queer artist Carrick Bell. Two larger than life videos of the artist in his underwear face off in a hallway. The work is really activated when you walk between the two screens, thereby becoming part of the artwork. Standing between two 9 foot video screens is a thrilling and somewhat uncomfortable experience, especially since the videos show the artist in his underwear looking at you. The artist shown on one screen is throwing eggs while on the other screen he is getting hit with eggs. As a viewer you are caught between them. I couldn’t help but flinching every time an egg is thrown. The egg strikes and breaks open–oozing and dripping against bare skin. A symbolically vivid image of sex, embarrassment and pain.

–Justin Polera