ACTIVATE Chicago Loop Alliance/Johalla Projects

Thanks to everyone who came out Thursday May 1st for this event. I was honored to be curating alongside Johalla Projects Anna Cerniglia and am really proud of what the artists contributed to the one night alley installation. The Loop Alliance is planning more of these events over the summer and Johalla as well has plans for more public installations/events slated for this summer. Here is my piece from the show.

I recently found a scrapbook from the 1920's in an attic at an estate sale titled "Pictures of Germany" by Gilbert Johnson. It was mostly empty pages but when coupled with the set of The Illustrated Columbia Encyclopedia from 1969 that I'd also just saved from a future as landfill, it got me thinking about the myriad ways in which time is recorded, compressed, repeated and the relationships we have with that cycling of histories. I started working on a series of visual non linear timelines as a way to explore the very active ways in which we rely on history and an assumed collective understanding of the unstoppable momentum that time has on our existence while simultaneously addressing the power that one has to manipulate and distort something seemingly impossible to penetrate.

Lately...

From the Black Lodge at Sideshow Gallery, Chicago 10/23

So psyched to be a part of this one, so many great artists/designers! Your invited to join us for a unique shopping experience with From The Black Lodge, a traveling pop up shop touring the country from Philly bringing some of the finest small batch artists and designers who mostly sell on the internet. Some of the brands include: Ovate, Bloodmilk, Adelina Mictlan, Guts Glam Glory, Moon Blood Jewels, Death Traitors, Poison Apple Print Shop and many more. Chicago's very own Medusa Make-up will be selling their new lipstick line and other goods too. Heather Gabel, Casey O. and Damarak The Destroyer will adorn the walls with some killer art and Slow and Low Whiskey will get you in the shopping spirit. Sideshow Gallery is at 2219 N Western Ave in Chicago, we'll be there from 7-10 pm. I'll be showing a handful of new collages and some new prints(one is pictured below), and a new t shirt.

Disappear Here

Johalla Projects Presents Disappear Here: New Work by Heather Gabel & Matt Skiba Disappear Here: New Work by Heather Gabel & Matt Skiba October 4 – October 25, 2013 Opening Reception: Friday, October 4th from 7-10pm Johalla Projects is pleased to announce Disappear Here, an exhibition of new work from artist Heather Gabel, in collaboration with longtime friend and Alkaline Trio front man Matt Skiba. The exhibition will feature mixed media collage and painting, as well as a short film produced and directed by Gabel and scored by Skiba. The pair’s work, like their friendship, is divinely cohesive and seemingly created in tandem when, in actuality, the two live thousands of miles apart. Skiba’s contribution to the works on paper is reactionary to the mystical pretense of Gabel’s illusory imagery, while his accompaniment to the film is inspired solely by his internal deconstruction of a single photographic environment that transcends both space and time. In this sense, the resulting works are reflective and serene. Disappear Here endeavors to exile the viewer to a meditative place of solitude that hangs heavy with a duality that is at once alienating and self-affirming. The pieces represent the genesis, completion, and infinite nature of a past, a present, and a future in full command of the power to continually re-manifest itself. The result is deliberate, impenetrable – a fortress of the self, strengthened by the alchemies of birth and death. The exhibition will also feature limited edition prints and apparel available for purchase. A supplementary event – our next iteration of POCKET CHANGE: A PUBLIC ARTS FUNDRAISING SERIES – will be held at at THE EMPTY BOTTLE on Saturday, October 5th.

Fountain Art Fair in Chicago!

At Mana Contemporary 2233 S Throop September 20-22nd I'll be at booth #7 with Johalla Projects. Come say hi and see some art. These are some new prints I'll have available with some original collages as well.

Solo show in Austin, June 29th.

Austin! See you soon at Common House.

CTA installation project opening February 16th!

I am over the moon excited for this project! I'm headed back to Chicago for this opening on February 16th from 7-10 pm at the gorgeous Rational Park gallery at 2557 W North Ave. Come see my five newest works created specifically for the CTA and Damen Blue Line stop, in conjunction with Johalla Projects. These compositions echo the beauty and mystery of the past, while the collage component creates an almost dark or bewitching element. These sacred circles draw heavily upon ancient energies to form a sacred space, providing a meditative form of magical protection, rich with spiritual significance. The reception will feature prints and t-shirts of the original works being exhibited, as well as the original pieces that will be installed at the Blue Line stop available for sale.