In early 2018, the Spudnik Press Exhibitions Committee received an outstanding number of quality proposals for consideration for our 2018 exhibition schedule. Among the proposals the Exhibitions Committee reviewed, and ultimately selected, were Now More Than Ever, a solo show featuring new work by Emmy Lingscheit, and States of I: A Conversation, highlighting the work of artists Mary Jones and Jolynn Reigeluth.
Both of these proposals present exceptional print-based work that encourages dialogue and reflection within the context of a greater landscape. In Lingscheit’s work we will explore ideas of environmental change and geopolitical upheaval through a series of prints both small and large. Lingscheit writes about her work: “Some of my prints critique entrenched systems and attitudes that contribute to environmental damage, amplifying social and economic inequality in the process. I am particularly interested in the idea and aesthetics of salvaging hope, shelter, and community out of repression, division, and environmental catastrophe.” Meanwhile, in States Of I: A Conversation artists Mary Jones and Jolynn Reigeluth invite us to partake in an intimate exchange that celebrates the absurdity of being human by bringing to light some of our untold internal monologues. For their exhibition, Jones and Reigeluth will contribute two bodies of work that culminate in a conversation with a set of two prints – one from each artist – that correspond in size and title. These autobiographical works draw inspiration from the artists’ shared interest in narrative imagery as well as their love for the graphic legacy and energy coming out of Chicago.
States of I: A Conversation opens on June 15, 2018 and will be on view through August 11, 2018. Now More Than Ever is scheduled to open later this year and will run November 2, 2018 through December 29, 2018. Both exhibitions will take place at The Annex at Spudnik Press, 1821 W. Hubbard Street, Chicago, IL 60622.
About the Artists:
Mary Jones makes maps of the wilderness of personal histories. Images and words are layered out of time and perspective, and where and when are subjective. Space is delineated by the inhabitants, the who in the journeys being told. These personas are a combination of what is seen with what is imagined about encounters with people, places, and things. Details get piled on in the way that life is lived– in steps, notes, beats, breaths, and marks. Whether drawing or working in print media, collage is always an element. Trained as a printmaker, Jones is a scavenger of technologies, old and new.
Emmy Lingscheit’s work critically investigates the ambiguities and exchanges between organisms and non-organisms, and between humans and non-humans. These seemingly rigid categories become increasingly blurry as technological advances take us further into a postnatural domain, and scientific research continues to reveal surprising insights into the world we think we know. Lingscheit’s prints, drawings, and sculptural works explore the myriad ways in which we are enmeshed with the non-human world, from the cellular level to the global economy, and their implications for the ecological and climatic challenges we face.
Jolynn Reigeluth’s work combines an array of printmaking processes with drawing, painting, and collage to create print and mixed media hybrids. The images earnestly and humorously reflect on the emotional and physical aspects of the human condition and its twisted ironies. By working in tension between intuition and structure, she creates imagery that playfully captures the complexity of ubiquitous human experiences and interactions. She has a distinct affinity for the absurd and scatological that manifests in these introspective self-portraits.