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 »

The Pilsen neighborhood sometimes seems like a divine gift to Chicago: full of galleries and a constant supply of fresh, new art. Perhaps this is the artistic “Eden” that the newest exhibit at Logsdon 1909, “South of Eden,” refers to. I’m a little early for my scheduled viewing, so I peer through the glass front of the gallery in the heart of Pilsen’s artiest area. Diane Kahlo, whose work is currently on display at the space, is surprised to see me, and quickly ushers me into the staircase in order to avoid any more surprises: the gallery doubles as a home for the artists, and we wanted to avoid any inadvertent “performance” art. Read the rest of this entry »

You haven’t felt the meaning of stimulus overload until you’ve felt it in the hands of artist Noelle Mason. Immediately upon walking into the one-room antena gallery, a barrage of slaps, gasps, and giggles welcomes the newcomer. You progress through the physically interactive show, weaving across cables, tiptoeing over broken bits of a chandelier that lies crashed in the center of the gallery’s floor, and bending over to view certain pieces properly. While standing near the two walls where about half the pieces are located, you can’t even step backwards without bumping into “Li’l Sparky”—an electric chair. Read the rest of this entry »