No one is a stranger to daydreams of turning back the clock. Thoughts of time travel act as a fantastical conduit for our feelings of regret, perceptions of chances bygone and speculations on the consequences of our actions. Theories of time-space continuum manipulation abound in the world of physics. Notable literary figures have successfully deployed time travel as a thematic device to secure it a prominent place in the minds of imaginative readers. But, though the act of time travel itself does not suffer from thinkers’ neglect, no veritable time traveler has yet to make himself known to the world. Read the rest of this entry »

After dusk, the vast industrial district of Chicago’s West Side falls into an uncanny silence. Cut off from Michigan Avenue and residential neighborhoods, certain stretches of city would be devoid of life were it not for the numerous lofts and artist co-ops in the area. At an intersection like Fulton and Damen, the location of abandoned warehouse turned arts space/music venue the AV-Aerie, dilapidated buildings, empty streets, and piles of urban jetsam provide a bizarre juxtaposition to the distant Sears Tower. This forgotten corner of Chicagoland is the ideal place for the city’s disenchanted underground to tuck itself away—and make a lot of noise. Read the rest of this entry »

So, another review glowing polysyllabically over some obscure gallery opening in Pilsen probably won’t turn too many heads. I don’t care; the Chicago Art Department’s new show, “Night of the Living Artist,” deserves every bit of overarticulated praise coming its way. Read the rest of this entry »

Four decades ago, the Podmajersky family’s eponymous real estate company founded the Chicago Arts District in East Pilsen. Centered on the strip of Halsted between 18th Street and Cermak Road, the Chicago Arts District has experienced tremendous success and routinely draws large, lively crowds for its Second Friday gallery crawls. Last weekend’s 38th Annual Pilsen East Artists Open House was essentially a larger version of these gallery crawls, with the addition of a curated show arranged by Podmajersky. These cheek-to-cheek galleries, together with institutions like EP Theater and Kristoffer’s Café, have cemented East Pilsen’s reputation as an artist’s haven.

Later this month, on October 18-19, there will be another gallery tour in Pilsen: Pilsen Open Studios. But this one will not be Podmajersky-supported. This art walk roughly spans an area known as West Pilsen, running from May Street to Western Avenue, from 16th Street to 24th Street. Read the rest of this entry »

1968, cited by Newsweek as “the Year That Changed Everything” and reconstructed as the beginning of a renewed, global political awakening, featured landmark protests in Paris, Prague and the United States, which are often referenced and eulogized. However, renewed interest in the legacy of 1968, often focused on events in America and Europe, tends to leave out another significant historical event: the Tlatelolco Massacre in Mexico City. The theme of the National Mexican Museum of Art’s annual Día de los Muertos exhibition commemorates and assesses this “year that changed everything,” particularly in light of the Tlatelolco Massacre. “La Vida Sin Fin” is dedicated to the victims whose lives were claimed when on October 2, 1968, ten days prior to the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, an estimated crowd of 5000 peaceful demonstrators were fired upon indiscriminately by President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz’s soldiers. Read the rest of this entry »

In the late 1800s, a restaurant opened up in this formerly German and Irish neighborhood called “At the City of Plzen,” in honor of the second largest city in West Bohemia (the modern-day Czech Republic). But with World War I came vast labor shortages, which attracted a variety of immigrant groups, most notably the Mexican population that so dominates and defines the neighborhood today. But while it may be known primarily as Chicago’s Mexican neighborhood, Pilsen has also recently built up a reputation as a veritable hotspot of up-and-coming artists who have only added to the area’s prosperity and points of interest. The second Friday of each month (appropriately titled Second Fridays) boasts new offerings from many of the galleries that dot Halsted around 18th Street, which are worth checking out for much more than just the free wine. Add in exciting contemporary artwork and cheap, authentic Mexican eats, and you’ll understand why Pilsen is perennially pegged as “up and coming.” Read the rest of this entry »

“Your house is a minefield… just like your car, just like the orchard, just like the backyard.” This disturbing message of Martin Crimp’s production, “Advice to Iraqi Women,” is clear through the satirical juxtaposition of motherhood in two very separate worlds. The Rooms Gallery in Pilsen will be hosting this unique interactive performance installation on April 25th and 26th from 7-10pm in conjunction with Artropolis, the annual constellation of art expositions and fairs held at the Merchandise Mart this weekend. The performance is free, but suggested donations go to the American Friends Service Committee to benefit Iraqi refugees. Read the rest of this entry »

It seems that the Iraq War is all too easily contained within the glaring screens and inked pages of news media today. It has become easy to observe as an audience member, to appreciate from a distance, and to argue about over coffee. We can stick a yellow ribbon magnet to the SUV and leave the war to tomorrow’s newspaper. Of course, many don’t share this perspective, but it is prevalent enough that, thus far, few efforts to humanize the war through art successfully engage a wide audience. EP Theater’s production of “By Obit,” however, largely surmounts this obstacle with a surprisingly fresh and dirty take on a media-saturated topic. Director Michael Pieper writes, “War has been part of this world since the beginning of time.” Well, the time is ripe for a show that enraptures an audience alienated by an age of apathy in a nation divided along red and blue lines; “By Obit” invites us into the barracks and lives of ‘our troops.’ Read the rest of this entry »