Tricia Van Eck gives us details on five Happiness Project contributors whose work you should not miss this November. Check her website, 6018north.org, for more information.
Derek Chan in the Pilsen storefront at 1637 W. 18th St.: Chan, whose work ranges from paintings to installations, is most interested in the role of spirituality in art, and he has assembled “A Way of Life,” an interactive show that offers contemporary interpretations of indigenous symbols.
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Gwyneth Anderson in a Pop-up-Loop Alliance window at 27 W. Randolph St.: Anderson’s video and animation work explores perception and emotion; “Laughing Video” studies the expression—and suppression—of laughter and smiling. Anderson has a somber volunteer sit in front of a lens while others gather behind and attempt to turn the frown upside down. The project emphasizes a communal effort to make others laugh.
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Adelheid Mers in the pop-up Loop storefront at 23 E. Madison St.: A professor at the Art Institute, Mers creates her trademark diagrams and flowcharts of nonconventional subjects in order to visualize creative processes and unstructured conversations. In her latest diagram, Mers dissects how the brain processes aesthetics and happiness.
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Amber Ginsburg and Lia Rousset at 23 E. Madison St.: Originally conceived for the MCA last spring, Ginsburg and Rousset’s performance “Tapping into Happiness,” welcomes you to tap away in/outside this storefront in borrowed shoes. Van Eck says the inclusion of this performance was to modify the disconnection between work and play. “Having fun opens the mind and makes people more receptive to new ideas,” she says, which is the best frame of mind for work.
RELATED: Rogue Curator Tricia Van Eck’s New House Gallery and ‘Happiness Project’
Jennifer Mills at 2579 N. Milwaukee Ave.: In “Dealing With New Demands,” Mills aims to sell affordable art ($5 to $20) by emerging local artists she knows from the School of the Art Institute. Her point? To open up discussions about value and price point. So don’t be shocked to find originals for cheap.
RELATED: Rogue Curator Tricia Van Eck’s New House Gallery and ‘Happiness Project’