Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (Group Visit)

UIMA

23^rd of November, Saturday, we gathered at the school at 11:30 and went to the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA). Lingo, Hasti and me(Bishal) reached there around 12:15 and started our tour inside the gallery hall. There are two big exhibition space and in the middle little office of UIMA. One of the gallery spaces is showing their permanent collection of Chicago artists with the title Made in Chicago and Chicago’s Bauhaus Legacy, and another space showcasing special exhibition titled Artists Respond to Genocide. Even though gallery space is not that big, they put all the artwork together very thoughtfully and systematically. Therefore visitors can observe individual art piece freely. 

Holodomor Memorial Monument's design
by Larysa Kurylas

The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) is located on 2320 W. Chicago Ave. Chicago, IL. 60622, and which is also known as Ukrainian village. This institute was founded in 1971 to help contemporary arts and artists from Ukraine and around the world.  UIMA is a not-profit organization and they always happy to accept any kind of support. For instance, anyone can offer financial support as a donor and help as a volunteer. This institute doesn’t have any gift shop, food facilities, and library, but they do have one corner of their exhibition catalogs which is in sale. Visitor can look at the catalogs if they don’t want to buy the one. The institute is free for public other than suggested donation and they open from 12pm – 4 pm every Wednesday to Sunday. 

First, we went to their permanent collection of art exhibition with paintings, sculptor, and other constructive art pieces. They also have up on show about the history of the institute. These works are created here in Chicago by different artists from various places. They display more than 25 paintings with oil, acrylic, and mixed media. Furthermore, they put more than 10 sculptors on display from their collection of diverse artists.  Normally, they put the artworks from their permanent collection up in the gallery for four months.

Afterward, we went to special exhibition called “Respond to Genocide”, which is dedicated to 80^th anniversary of the Holodomor – Famine – Genocide of 1932/33 in Ukraine. The artificial famine was created by Stalin and his government in that times Soviet Ukraine and killed more than 7 million people. In this huge number of people that was killed were children and young group.

Lydia Bodnar-Balahutrak, 2008/9

N.N. (Ningun Nombre), 2011.
by Mandy Cano Villalobos

N.N. (Ningun Nombre / No Name), 2011.

 Lingo with the installation art piece, 2013

Luckily we were encountered with one of the participating artist in this special exhibition and we asked her many related questions and little bit more about her own definition of Modern and Contemporary art. Erica Uzmann, the artist who created the piece called Terezin Reliquary, made out of copper, spray paint and stone.  Her work was reflection of one small boy’s feeling on such a horrific incident.

Terezin Reliquary, 2011

Artist Erica Uzmann with Bishal, Hasti, and Lingo at UIMA

Erica Uzmann, with her work

         In her own word, she told us that contemporary art falls under modern art and the entire living artist who works currently is called contemporary artist. She wants to open an umbrella of modern art and contemporary art is one of the arts that shares a shade from that umbrella.

We also asked one of her friend about her thought about art and we heard that she doesn't like contemporary art, but renaissance art of 14^th or 15^th century. This is so fascinating because she is there just because of her artist friend. 

Later on, we also interviewed one employee who was there at the time and worked there as a volunteer and help the institute by looking through the submission or proposal letter of differ artists, who wants to put their art work, around the country. She is very nice and welcoming person. We asked the definition of modern art and she said that term is wrong for present art context. Modern art means really old or outdated in today’s world. It’s called contemporary art and artist and that’s the only write word to define these art works. The answer of the specific question about contemporary art is that all the living artist in work, which shows their experience in one’s life and their communal life. The art that shows present context and makes sense in today’s world. 

Thank you............

............................................................for reading.

Our presentation slides
Please click this link
http://prezi.com/usgzyzaxco9h/ukrainian-institute-of-modern-art-uima/
and enjoy.
Cheers !

MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) - 2013 Fall

Close up

"The Character and Shape of Illuminated Things"
by Amanda Ross-Ho
behind me (Bishal)

MCA

Very first encountered with the public art piece is in front of MCA, which is a big head and a hues in its base, which invite viewers to interact with the piece and take a picture as much as you want and share under ILLUMINATED THINGS in any social medias. Artist Amanda Ross-Ho believes that social media keep art alive.

Staircase view from top

Staircase view form bottom

MCA building was designed by German architect Josef Paul Kleihues, who spent his one year in E'cole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts - The National School of Fine Art, Paris, France. MCA is the largest institution for contemporary art in the world.

It’s hard to understand contemporary art unless one goes little deep inside the subject matter or meanings of doing what contemporary artist does or did. It’s hard to get a reason of doing this kind of art, but once one get the idea that makes million times better than other visual art works. These arts makes one to feel the situation that artist is feeling or telling about something. Contemporary artists want viewers to think beyond the surface of thinking and invite them to make connection with different ideas and experience they have about things or life. 

Miller & Shellabarger during performance
at
Gallery (MCA)

Second thing I noticed was the 10^th anniversary of public performance by Miller and Shellabarger’s ongoing project Pink Tube (2003 – present) is about knitting. Even though this is a crafty project, they want to bring into contemporary art scenes. Specially, for this piece they always perform together and they are together for ten years in their married life. My individual response about this art is how they look at the life through this performance art piece. In time, it grew longer and longer each day with the effort of these two artist, and that indicate their life. It also shows very strongly that there is a undoubted connection. They are together for ten years and it’s still in progress to make some kind of physical form out of this art work and still going on and will keep going on until their life moves ahead together. Therefore I think it’s representation on their togetherness in life.

Missing artist, 2013.

Derek Brunen, Plot, 2007 is a video installation of digging his own space in cemetery plot, which is most memorable and disturbing artwork I noticed in our student group visit at MCA. I talked with some of my friends about this artwork and try to find out the reason behind this act. What he want us to think of? Why he is digging his own grave? We found his thought about this work on the level of his work where it says,"Brunen engages with big Philosophical questions about life, death, fate, and infinity."

Derek Brunen, Plot 2007. (Video Installation)

Some Other works that I like

Looking at the light

Jose Lerma's Light

My classmates understanding art with out teacher

Some more fun with light and color

Thank You

Artists Toolkit

This is really fun and creative play kit that anyone can create anything just by clicking some shapes and colors. Create any form with the help of same shape with different sizes and colors gives amazing feeling and the illusion. 

I create four images with the help of different color, shape, and line.

Imitation, 2013

Even though I didn't draw anything special, it shows or give an feelings of something that existed in this world. Basically, I just pick same shape and repeated again and again with various sizes and named it "Imitation" because all five subjects are in same combination with in this composition. I used all the geometric shape like,  Circle, Triangle, Square, Oval, and Rectangle.

Looking at the Mirror, 2013

Here, I used all geometric forms or shapes to create this beautiful lady's portrait and her reflection on the mirror. I used same color or volume to give feeling of reflection, so we can compare with each and every parts of her portrait. 

Staircase, 2013

I like to create illusion so viewers can stop for a second to figure it out that what is going on in this picture. The composition is very odd, but whatever create a prospective in this piece is very fascinating. In this whole frame of art, we can ask many question to ourselves. I had create this just with lines.

Target, 2013

Jasper Johns, the American artist, who produce mostly professional and  abstract paintings in his career. He did many simple painting that we can see or deal with in our daily life. For instance, number paintings, letter paintings, gray series of wall, target, flags... I took his target as an inspiration to create this work with organic and geometric shapes. He is one of my favorite artist.

Public Art around Chicago Loop

Agora, Magdalena Abakanowicz. 2006
Iron Cast

Sunday, 10-27-2013, it was a sunny but chili day outside. I started my day from Agora at Grant Park. Agora was installed by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. She cast 106 iron human figure without arms and head and send it to Chicago as a gift. These sculptors were casted in between 2003 to 2006 and also installed in 2006. Even though these figures are not in a motion, I felt like they are walking and passing through each other and me, when I walked in between them. It is a symbolizing urban population in Chicago city. 

Big Step, 2011

In frond of Agora, 2011

Crowed Part of Agora.

Agora with me, 2013

       

Me standing with Agora Man
2013

Gen. Logan's statue

After that I went to see Logan Memorial Statue, which is known as a Decoration Day when Major Logan established this statue in May 30, 1868. Decoration Day was used to celebrate for the lost life in the war by decorating there graveyard. The interesting thing about this statue is, we can find two death body of Gen. Logan and his wife under this stature.

Logan Memorial Statue. 1868

The Spirit of Music and Me

Few block walking toward the north, I had an encounter with the Bronze statue of “The spirit of Music” created by artist Albin Polasek and this was dedicated to Theodore Thomas, the first person to get Chicago symphony orchestra. 

The Spirit of Music

The Spearman, 1929.

The Bowman and The Spearman was located in Congress Plaza Garden and sculpted by Ivan Mastrovich. It was installed there in 1929 as a respect to Chicago’s first Native Americans. Sculptor Ivan Mastrovich didn’t put any weapon in their hand, even though there physical appearance or gesture showed them using them. Artist left this things for our imagination and I think that makes it stronger piece.

The Bowman behind me,2013

Art Institute of Chicago, 1893

Art Institute of Chicago's Public Garden

I bounced whole Art Institute Garden and a Millennium Park area, because I visited there habitually. Therefore I skipped the tour of The Art Institute Public Garden, Crown Fountain, Cloud Gate, BP Bridge, Jay Pritzker Pavillion and The Peristyle. These places are definitely amazing places to be and to explore.

Cloud Gate (Bean)

Middle part of the Cloud Gate

The Art Institute of Chicago was originally built in 1893 World’s Fair and later transform into the Art Museum, which was built by Tim Samuelson. It was also a remarkable because of two giant lions in front of the museum, and the garden is an impression of heaven.

Crown Fountain was amazingly wonderful in the summer time with its playfulness. This fountain was designed by Jamey Concha with 22,000 glass breaks with lead screen on them. There are 1000 faces of Chicago residence shows each day. The concept behind these fountains with human picture is showing an importance of water in human body.

Crown Fountains

Artist Anish Kapoor is England based Indian artist and was able to put his work Cloud Gate at Millennium Park. It is also famously known for Bean, which was made out of 168 stainless steel plates. He used 110 tons of steel in this sculpture.

 Next to the Bean,

there are Jay Pritzker Pavillion,

huge concert place with 4000 sittings facility and big open ground behind and a BP Bridge, 925 feet long sound barrier stainless steel with snaky design.

Both of them

were

designed

by

Frank Jerry.

Jay Pritzker Pavillion with my friend, 2011
and
BP Bridge on right hand side

The Peristyle is a Greek inspired column or post made out of Indiana Lime stone and French lime stone respectively upper and lower part.

        Next, I went to The Vietnam Memorial designed by Gary Taylor, who is a Vietnam Veteran, in 2005. There is a fountain wall with the sign of Republic of Vietnam Service and in front of that the entire name curved in black marble of the Veteran who was killed in Vietnam War. They are from Chicago land. This design reminds me the memorial that designed by Maya Lin with running water to give the feeling of purity.

Chicago's Picasso in 2010

Picasso and me,2013

          Besides that, I went to Monument with the Standing Beast, Picasso’s Chicago, Miro’s Chicago. All of these pieces were installed around same decade. Picasso was installed in 1967 and a generous gift from Picasso, Miro was installed in 1968 and Standing Beast was in 1969. People hear the rumor of Picasso’s sculptor is portrait of his girlfriend or his dog. John Miro’s piece, which is also known as The Sun, Moon, and Star, is standing just opposite to Picasso. On the other hand, Monument with the Standing Beast, made by John Du Buffet, is very different experience with public art at the time and many people even said, “What is going wrong with arts these days?” 

Chicago's Miro or The Sun, Moon and Star

Chicago's Miro

My Shadow in Miro's Sun, 2013

In front of
Monument of the Standing Beast

Monument with the Standing Beast

         I went to another place of public art, which was installed in 1974 with really big and nice staircase and resting place. It’s called “Four Seasons” by Marc Chagall. He portrait Chicagoans life style in whole year and he named that piece four season.

Me with Chagall's Four Season

Four Season by Marc Chagall

Detail of Four Season

         The last thing I visited that day was Flamingo by Alexander Calder, which was standing 53 feet tall from the ground level. It’s bright red and made of caste iron. I am there around evening time when the light is on and It looks so beautiful at night when there are no natural light. Flamingo stands alone with bright red body surrounded by tall buildings and invite people to come and play with it.

Close up of Flamingo by Alexander Calder

Loop Art

Two days later I went to see Loop Tattoo and which was very hard to find because of new house that was building next to it. You can see it across the street and very few people notice easily. It was created by Johanna Poethig. It is 135 X 45 feet, with the 270 piece of 5 X 5 feet printed panel on the right side of the house (63 East Lake Street),and installed in 2006. 

We Will (Flame), Installed in 2005

"We Will", last public art I visited this time was built by Richard Hunt, Chicago artist. It's a sculptor made out of stainless steel and according to the artist it represent hopes and dream of the city. He is an African American artist.