Evan Boris, co-founder of Monique Meloche Gallery, directed attention to Shinique Smith whose fabric sculpture, Inflamed by Golden Hues of Love, is a response to the apparel industry – from its Third World production by people laboring for subsistence wages to the waste it generates in First World countries. With evident passion, Boris articulated Smith’s references to consumerism, slavery and feminine deities.
Tacy Wagner of Kavi Gupta gallery pointed excitedly to Armani Howard whose painting Fourth Ascension, has figures floating in blue-green space. Included by the gallery for the first time at Expo Chicago, Howard generated a strong response from booth visitors. “The painting is a real talking piece,” noted Wagner. “People are drawn to it because it brings a lot of different interpretations.”
Lisa Solar of Carrie Secrist Gallery explains the tactic of not posting identification panels in the gallery’s booth. Without details on the artist or date or materials or price instantly available, people first view the piece in its own right and then must ask the gallery staff to learn more. Thus, a conversation begins that might not otherwise occur. Solar focuses on a series of paintings by Dannielle Tegeder and Sharmistha Ray of the feminist collective Hilma’s Ghost which, she explained, launches “a whole new dialogue” and creates visibility for female and queer artists.
