New Gamelan, Becoming the Path Itself, 2007

Opening Reception: Friday, October 19, 6-9:00 PM

On View: October 19-November 17, 2007

Three-Walls Gallery is pleased to present Making Peace, an eight-person exhibition organized by the Grace Chicago Curatorial Project. Grounded in the theme of forgiveness, the works included address issues of peace in a variety of ways—socially, spiritually, formally, politically and environmentally. The exhibition is inspired by a quote by Miroslav Volf: “To triumph fully, evil needs two victories, not one. The first victory happens when an evil deed is perpetrated; the second victory did not infuse it with new life.” –The End of Memory, Remembering Rightly in a Violent World.

Mel Davis (Berkley, CA), inspired by intrinsic human experiences, seeks a quiet and peaceful place in her reductionist color-field paintings. Translated from German, Bejahung means ‘to say yes’ and accept all things that are good. Davis aims to accept life and focus on ways to imitate a deeper consideration for place, emotion and occurrence. Mel Davis' Website

Juan Garcia (Grand Rapids, MI) uses meditative allegories in his wabi-sabi installation, New Gamelan, Becoming the Path Itself, by identifying the significance of a prayer rug, the meditative act of taking off one’s shoes, and burying bells in the sand to be rung by rainwater (represented by cymbals). Garcia seeks to interrupt the concept of peace, prayer, and meditation by using crude technology; and asks the viewer to participate by switching out the mixed audio tape recordings of hand-made sounds and looped drums.

Diana Guerrero-Maciá (Chicago, IL) shares three collage works commenting on both disparity and hope. A three-page fold out from a New York Times Magazine shows a man basking in sun-drenched water, a starving Somolian child crawling through dust, and a white cross—developed when four images of women covered in gold jewels were removed. She points out her disbelief that one printer press produced three disturbingly juxtaposed images, and questions how these images affect the viewer. By the end of her series, two deer unite and reconcile, bringing hope to our afflicted existence. Guerrero-Macia Represented by Bodybuilder & Sportsman Gallery

Emily Jacir (Ramallah, Palestine and New York, NY) addresses Palestinian exiles in her series,Where We Come From, and asks them, “If I could do anything for you, anywhere in Palestine, what would it be?” With the advantage of an American passport, the artist traveled to Palestine, what would it be?” With the advantage of an American passport, the artist traveled to Palestine to fulfill their wishes. Her work documents those fulfillments as well as state the fate/status of those who expressed them. Jacir Represented by Alexander and Bonin

Jesikah Ruehle (Chicago, IL) investigates in her work, Beyond a Crooked Sky, how memory navigates the spaces we’ve occupied and how communities might address places, objects, and peoples that have been abandoned, displaced, and/pr forgotten. Jesikah Ruehle's Website

Mika Rottenberg (New York, NY) investigates in her video, Julie, records an acrobat walking on her hands backwards through a snowy landscape. The tension that exits from watching a woman hang from the “sky,” comments interestingly on our delicate balance with each other and the earth and how we feel like we’re “carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders.” Rottenberg represented by Nicole Klagsbrun

Christine Tarkowski (Chicago, IL) includes a wood veneer panel listing a number of extinct species. A cynical, yet realistic theme, Extinction is a dark reminder of our common insensitivities and destruction to the world around us. Tarkowski at Priska C. Juschka Fine Art

James Westwater (Beacon, NY) in his Fear of Art series, quite literally comments on how art can be used as a metaphor for war, and how each nation addresses public and foreign diplomacy differently. James Westwater's Website

The Grace Chicago Curatorial Project is made up of artists and arts administrators from Grace Chicago Church. It was formed in 2006 with the desire to engage in the life of the city, support the arts, and understand the artistic and cultural expressions for their significance to the individual and for their reflection of the reality of our collective condition. It does not intend to indoctrinate the arts community, but simply to be a part of the open-minded global aesthetic.

 Links:

Making Peace on Flavorpill

 Grace Chicago's Website

  James Westwater, Fear of Art (detail); 2007

Jesikah Ruehle, Against a Crooked Sky, 2007