Anna Zorina Gallery is pleased to present, Reimagined: The Legacy of the Imagist Movement a group exhibition that celebrates the lasting impact of The Chicago Imagists. The exhibition features artists Soojin Choi, Deborah Druick, Tony Fitzpatrick, Ashkon Haidari, William Schaeuble and Tom Schneider. Together, their works reflect an influence of the Imagist style of the 60’s and 70s, characterized by bold, vivid colors, exaggerated forms, and often surreal or fantastical imagery. The artists on view share an exploration of the human figure, low brow pop culture references combined with highbrow artistic traditions. Their figurative and narrative-driven imagery examine themes of sexuality, identity, power, and vulnerability.
SOOJIN CHOI (b.1991, South Korea) creates clay sculptures that embody the in-between — in-between complex emotions, in-between cultural expectations, and in-between introspective interior and the interactive exterior. Her work depicts the ambiguity essential to human nature. The artist builds flat and spatial surfaces with clay to direct the space surrounding the sculpture, compelling the viewer to interact from different angles and bear witness to the range of gestures. As these expressions move and morph from each new perspective, one becomes closer to each emotion, and gains greater insight into what it means to be human.
DEBORAH DRUICK (b. 1951, Montreal, Canada) The artist’s work addresses issues of gender definition, self-identification and female objectification using stylized figuration and saturated high-key color. She emphasizes and exaggerates stereotypical concepts of precision, perfection and beauty in femininity. The female subjects are both representations of herself as well as anonymous archetypes, eliciting questions about identity, self-awareness and sentiment. Druick explores codes of femininity while also addressing issues of willingness and consent, often inserting her subjects into situations where self-control and self-awareness are requisites. Her work can best be described as belonging to the “New Surrealist Movement,” using a stylization of form, pattern and color.
TONY FITZPATRICK (b. 1958, Chicago, Illinois) is a Chicago-based artist best known for his multimedia collages, printmaking, paintings, and drawings. Fitzpatrick's work are inspired by Chicago street culture, cities he has visited, children's books, tattoo designs, and folk art. Integrating cartoon-like figures and birds with poetic text and vintage ephemera, Fitzpatrick calls attention to objects which are often considered disposable. “These are all kind of blighted objects that most people throw away and I see a certain historical value in them,” the artist’s said. “I see them as part of how I tell a story or tell a history.”
ASHKON HAIDARI (b. 1991, Chicago, Illinois) draws on a deep relationship with ancient history as well as his Persian heritage to tell contemporary stories. In layered spaces that reference centuries of graphic art, he contributes uniquely to the legacy of surrealism. Engaging with a rich knowledge of cultural and art history, his work relates to old masters not only in content but in process. Despite being entirely self-taught; he takes a monastic, academic approach to painting. The arduous work and discipline contrast with a sense of self-exploration, as he often discovers the narrative or inspiration for a given work in it’s finality.
WILLIAM SCHAEUBLE (b. 1999, Iowa) creates paintings that tell stories from his personal life, connecting them to contemporary culture, art history, and the great outdoors. His semi-autobiographical pieces are populated with figures, animals, knick-knacks, lovers, enemies, and locations, all drawn from his own experiences. Through humor and intimate references to his current thoughts, he transforms these memories into playful and surreal documentary paintings.
TOM SCHNEIDER (1963, Evanston, Illinois) fuses elements of mythology, ancient religion, art history and 50s era science fiction to create his wild and playful scenes. The artist often ponders what Hellenistic figures would be doing in Palm Springs today. This vivid world is overlaid with a matrix of eyes and mouths, the technique creates an optical tension that compels the viewer to subconsciously find various faces within the pattern or ignore to enter into the image.