June
10 to July 15, 2006
Eric Lebofsky
Josh Mannis
William J. O'Brien
Gallery Hours:
Wednesday thru Saturday:12 to 6pm
Images:
Press release below
Chicago artists Eric Lebofsky,
Josh Mannis and William J. O'Brien met during graduate studies at
the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and first exhibited their
shared themes of outmoded mysticism, twisted psychology and obscure
narratives together in a wildly popular three person show at the now-defunct
1/Quarterly Space in 2004. Join us at Western Exhibitions on June
10th when they reunite to debut three large-scale black-and-white
prints as well a new individual works. In addition to his signature
colored-pencil drawings, Eric Lebofsky will unveil new paintings on
panels, Josh Mannis blesses us with two new freak-out videos and color
digital collage, and William J. O'Brien, fresh from a solo show at
Miami's Locust Projects, exhibits sculpture and drawings.
Eric Lebofsky
Eric Lebofsky's funny, often
disturbing drawings and new paintings on panel illustrate systems of
classification, cosmologies, psychologies, obscure literature, and a
gentle brand of nihilism. These vibrant images, often portraits in profile,
are concerned with past, present, and imagined histories. Collectively,
the references implied, and the riffs generated, point toward darker
uncertainties that are leavened by large doses of twisted, wry humor.
Eric Lebofsky has recently had solos
shows at Miller Block Gallery in Boston and Sears Peyton Gallery in
New York City and has been included in shows at Gavin Brown's Enterprise,
Deitch Projects and Adam Baumgold Gallery, all in New York, and in
Chicago at Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1/Quarterly and the Betty Rymer Gallery.
His solo show at Western Exhibitions last summer was reviewed in Art
Papers and his artist book from that show "Things to do in Ice
Age" was recently acquired by the artist book collection at Chicago's
Museum of Contemporary Art.
Josh Mannis
Josh Mannis' videos and photo collages are performance arenas for
interior moments of epic scale and a behavioral psychology bounded
by misinformed appropriations of high modernist aesthetics, and by
a homegrown mash-up of leftist mysticism.
Mannis just had a solo show at Small
A Projects in Portland, OR and was recently included in a three-person
show at Chicago's Bucketrider, and in group shows at El Particular
in Mexico City, New Chinatown Barbershop in Los Angeles, the Bemis
Art Center in Omaha, NE, 40000 in Chicago and at the Mattress Factory
in Pittsburgh.
William J. O'Brien
William J. O'Brien appropriates design
elements and illustration conventions (he left a career in advertising
and graphic design to make "fine art") in a myriad of approaches,
from drawing to video to sculpture to fiber art to installation, to
nurture ideas, both personal and universal, about sexuality, media,
identity and other information streams that course through his art
and life.
O'Brien has had solo shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago,
and Locust Projects and Ingalls and Associates, both in Miami. His
work has been shown at Nina Menocal Projects in Mexico City, Glasgow
School of Art in Glasgow, Scotland, Gallery 400 in Chicago, IL and
Margaret Thatcher Projects, Artist Space, Participant, Inc., all in
New York, NY.