1/7: WILD THINGS, I THINK I LOVE YOU // new works by CHIARA NO
WILD THINGS, I THINK I LOVE YOU
new works by CHIARA NO
JANUARY 7-13th 2012
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 7, 7-10pm
Open Hours: By Appointment Only
Johalla Projects
1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 110, Chicago 60622
Excerpt from Wild Things , Embroidery thread on paper, 2011
WILD THINGS, I THINK I LOVE YOU
Chiara No’s practice is to redefine and re-construct materials by stripping them of their original purpose and cultural significance, therefor reducing them to objects qua objects. Through the recalibration of these objects, she intends to illicit pure aesthetic seduction. The objects avoid didacticism and social critique; not out of anti-intellectualism, but rather out of an indifference towards intellect. By presenting streamers and embroideries without origin, context, or function, the work’s intent is to highlight their inherent beauty. They are feral forms, practical items which have escaped their domestic sphere. Wholly superficial and unconcerned with wit or place, they lean toward an existential happiness, an emotional zone where the pieces’ essential nothingness is in fact its content. And, grouped together, the pieces play against each other, exhibiting an even stronger, more congenial emptiness that defies both original and new milieu; they emphasize that an accumulation of everything is still nothing.
CHIARA NO(b.1981) is a Baltimore artist now living in Chicago, Illinois. Through installations, handmade books and objects, Chiara constructs an environment that is subtlety experiential and feral. She received her degree in Art History from Towson University in Towson, Maryland, studied environmental art at the Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, Scotland and has recently graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a Post- Baccalaureate in Painting and Drawing.
More information about Chiara No can be found at www.chiaraforsale.com
Johalla Projects was established in the fall of 2009 by Anna Cerniglia as a venue for emerging and mid-career artists. Prior to the founding of Johalla Projects, Cerniglia ran South Union Arts for several years; after its closing, she felt a need to establish a home base for her curatorial work. Located in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, Johalla Projects exhibits art of all mediums that excels beyond conventional expectations. As a collaborative project space, we are a haven for artists, curators, and patrons who desire to expand their aesthetic horizons. Every exhibition undergoes a thoughtful selection process, assuring that each show presented at Johalla Projects is comprised of the finest contemporary work.
More information about Johalla Projects can be found at www.johallaprojects.com