The Maker: William J. O'brien

The Maker: William J. O’Brien - Previews - Art in America

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by Jamilee Polson Lacy

Chicago artist William J. O'Brien is in demand. His first major survey exhibition, "William J. O'Brien," opens this weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago (Jan. 25-May 18). It follows critically acclaimed shows at Chicago's Renaissance Society and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, in Overland Park, Kan., and a 2013 outing at New York's Marianne Boesky Gallery. O'Brien's first European solo exhibition, an installation of Installation view, "William J. O’Brien," ceramics and works on paper, opened at Paris's Almine Rech Gallery Museum of just two weeks ago. Contemporary Art Chicago. Photo:Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago Speaking to A.i.A. last week, the artist, 38, said that with every piece, he seeks to "manifest the physical activity of the body and the studio" in abstract images and structures that at once honor and refute various creative traditions. Though O'Brien is most celebrated for gritty yet whimsical ceramics, this midcareer survey demonstrates the truly broad tenets of his practice. Most notably, the artist's oeuvre emphasizes a keenness for color, pattern and form, an exploration of two- and three-dimensional mediums alike, and an eagerness to bring together diverse art historical narratives.

O'Brien's work over the last 10 years has maintained an affinity with the "maker" trend, in which craft aesthetics, handmade approaches ADVERTISEMENT and the sheer physicality of art-making surpass theoretical and academic frameworks. Indeed, each artwork on display at the MCA (all are untitled) conjures aspects of folk and outsider art. Tumorous vessels formed with hand-manipulated clay are reminiscent of the "face jugs" and "crazy pots" native to the antebellum American

http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-features/previews/the-maker-william-j-obrien-/[1/27/2014 3:43:53 PM] The Maker: William J. O’Brien - Previews - Art in America

South. Complex geometrically abstract patterns distinguish his brightly colored drawings and collages, joining the visual vocabularies of American domestic art with psychedelic design.

O'Brien's output has increasingly meshed such "maker" tendencies with concerns central to much of 20th-century art history. "In theory," he told A.i.A., "I am a longtime admirer of minimalism and the tenets of restraint. Essentially, this is because I am naturally so inclined to being messy and expressive in my work." Accordingly, monochromatic pieces like a roughly hewn and welded steel sculpture from 2012 look like the unruly offspring of David Smith's sculptural primitivism and Anne Truitt's minimalist pillars. And large, fencelike armatures globbed with paint, glitter, string and studio remnants "defy logic and constraint," as the artist put it, in that they cram many art historical narratives into a few maximalist sculptures.

The bodies of work featured throughout the MCA's expansive first floor gallery vary widely in terms of surface and materials. To date O'Brien has utilized drawing and painting resources of all kinds, paper and felt collage, kiln ceramics, various metals, wood, textiles and mixed-medium forays into children's art supplies, found objects and accumulated refuse, all of which feature prominently at the MCA. Yet the artworks maintain a sense of cohesion thanks to the appealing flaws left by the artist and the improvisational nature of his process. "So often today's art world can be a vacuum of competence and perfection," the artist told A.i.A. "I'm interested in the point where ugliness and failure can become attractiveness."

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Q&A Artist William J. O'Brien on His Brilliant, Multifaceted Career By Eric Bryant Jan. 15, 2014

An installation from William O'Brien's 2013 show at Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York.

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The artist William J. O'Brien is, without question, having a moment. His first solo exhibition in France opened last week at Almine Rech Gallery in Paris, featuring a series of ceramics made over the last five years and a new group of works on paper. Then, later this month, his first major museum survey is opening at the MCA Chicago, in the city where he has lived for more than a decade.

While he may be best known for his idiosyncratic and exuberant glazed ceramic vessels and masks, the prolific artist has for just as long been creating brightly colored powder-coated steel sculptures, fabric collages that recall the vibrance of Matisse's late découpage pieces, and all manner of works on paper, from paintings to collage to color pencil drawings.

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We spoke with him about his hometown, his influences, and what it means for an artist to find and express his own identity.

Your career has been rooted in Chicago, where you have been both student and a teacher, and where you have shown widely in galleries and museums. Does the city hold special meaning for you and your career?

It is hard for me to adequately express the gratitude and heartfelt connection I have to the art community in Chicago. When I moved here from New York City I was unsure of how contemporary art exists here. I found there's a long history of artists who have spent very meaningful time in Chicago for school and also use the city as a great place to get work done. I greatly value the opportunity to work with my students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Although there aren't as many institutions as in other cities, everyone here has a close connection to the work they do, and having that intimacy is something that I value about living here.

You are known for working in a wide variety of materials—not merely dabbling or sending out to fabricators as some artists do, but really working with the specific media, from clay and glazes to pencil on paper to fabric and steel. What draws you to the different materials?

I look at my art practice as one of experimentation and improvisation. Working in different materials allows for different formal qualities of the work to come about. I am fascinated with using materials in their traditional, historical forms, but also with refuting their logic in experimental forms. Different types of materials have different natural qualities affecting how they can be manipulated. Clay inherently is more playful but also delicate, steel more rigid and unforgiving. Drawing is one of my favorite materials because it has the widest range of expression, and I like the potential for works of art to maintain both static and unfinished states in completion. That tension opens up the dialogue for interpretation for me as the maker, but also for the viewer of the work as well.

In your upcoming MCA exhibition, as in past shows, you will be displaying the products of these varied means of production together. What do you think about when creating these groupings or tableau?

In my early work I primarily did installation so for me the interplay between objects was of critical importance in the work—mostly as a critique of object-making, but also as a way to allow for the spaces in between to be the content of the work. The gallery or museum in and of itself offers a structure and dialogue about how works react to one another in the space. This dialogue is something that I enjoy but also at times become incredible challenged by. I like the idea of art existing in a casual but also serious nature. When things are shown in groupings it breaks up the seriousness and contention of art objects. Art, both in the making and viewing, is a continuum, so the mistakes or imperfections in the work and between the objects are part of the content of the work, as are the contradictions between them.

Some of your work seems to hover at the edge of referencing kitsch, while elsewhere there appears an influence of a kind of highly formal modernism. Do these concepts have special meaning for you?

I think this relates to audience and the history of certain material-based practices. I am influenced by and embrace outsider artists, funk ceramicists, but I am also greatly inspired by minimalism and the tenets of both. This idea of identity in material and process is something I am greatly fascinated by as a means to embrace, contradict, and evaluate the role that certain materials have within different contexts.

On a practical level, how do you go about your work? Do you find yourself in the course of a day

moving from drawing to cutting out felt to building pots?

I work continuously in all materials simultaneously. But lately I have been focusing on series of works at a time to see a particular set of rules or constraints followed through. Experimentation and range is something that has always been an important aspect of my practice. I usually work in ceramics in the morning and do more concise controlled work like drawings later in the day. Ceramics are naturally more experimental, so I enjoy starting my day in ceramics to allow myself to not take myself so seriously. In the end, I think that making art is a push and pull between following your own natural tendencies towards expression but also setting up rules and constraints for yourself to be able to evaluate when things are done.

Does working in one material help you break through a creative block in another?

I think you need to sit with the discomfort of things not working out in the studio for long periods of time to eventually resolve and evaluate in yourself your own set of expectations and rules for the success of the work. Because in the end art is subjective and I find the work I have produced that's a failure in my eyes is usually the most interesting to the viewer. Their interpretations or sets of critical insights are often very different from my own. Oftentimes immediate insights and perspectives in making are hard to see, so in the end I try to just focus on the making of the work and then later be more curious about whether it's successful or not.

Going back to the idea of you being a very hands-on artist, can you talk about the importance of what I think I once saw you refer to as "genuinity" in your work and about the significance of authenticity more broadly in contemporary art?

The best art comes from each person genuinely being themselves, which is why there is the potential for many different ways of existing as an artist. Moreover, this search to be genuine refers to the pressures many artists feel to conform to certain current sets of constraints in their work to feel the work is relevant to what else is being created. In the end there is always a tension between any maker's desire to be genuine and to want their audience to embrace what they do and assign value or success to the work. But I do think the artists I most admire just sincerely kept to their own sense of themselves in the work despite periods of the contemporary canon embracing it or not. It is interesting to consider how long a work sits in time—to consider both its immediate gratifications, but also the value or lasting content in the work. Many times the work that lasts the longest relates to this issue of being yourself in the work.

Were you specifically drawn to some of your materials, particularly ceramics and fabric, because of their association with craft in art history?

My earliest art experiences were through ceramics. I never enjoyed art classes—I can recall crying in grade school for not being able to use the scissors correctly and for my pumpkin cut out assignment to never achieve the same quality as the example. When I left high school to be home schooled I had to take an art class for credit and ended up taking a pottery class at the community art center. My art teacher was a gregarious alcoholic who, despite maybe not teaching me anything about ceramics, allowed me a certain freedom and space to explore which I think I associate more with craft-based materials.

Because it may be a more bastardized material historically, I think it allows me to refute and be subversive compared to when I work with materials that are more expensive. So the craft-based influences in my work originally were really extensions out of practical economical constraints. Fabric from the thrift store was cheaper than canvas at the art supply store, et cetera. In the end, I like how loaded craft history is with its material usage. I find the art world likes my ceramics when they are not well crafted, but ceramicists like my work when they are better crafted. I like the idea of being misunderstood or playing around with the roles of what the maker should

look like or appear.

These same materials have since the '70s been taken up by some artists because of their connection to traditional "women's work." As a gay man, do you feel some connection or corollary to this feminist stance?

I would say that there is a certain history associated with certain types of material choices within the art historical canon as it relates to identity. I still am fascinated by the idea of what queer minimalism, or identity-based minimalism could look like. Currently I think many artists are playing around with this idea of material and identity. I do not think of myself as doing women's work. Maybe I just pretend that I work as a baker.

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William J. O'Brien Untitled, 2013

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William J. O’Brien

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MCA DNA: Alexander Calder

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1 1 0 WILLIAM J. O’BRIEN // MCA CHICAGO by Shreya Sethi Like Tweet

William J. O’Brien’s first survey exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago displays an evolved style of intuitive art making, while maintaining a deliberate attitude of effortlessness. From crude pencil drawings, to tediously appliqued fiber creations and overworked mixed media sculptures – utilizing an exceptional variety of medium and style – his work conveys a chaotic yet playful landscape of raw expression. Often associated with the anti-digital trend in contemporary art emphasizing the materiality of handmade objects, O’Brien’s appeal compares to the “rough art” of outsider aesthetics.

Installation view, William J. O’Brien, MCA Chicago. January 25 – May 18, 2014. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

Best known for his crude ceramic busts and sculptures that are reminiscent of tribal art, many of which are present in the show, O’Brien is interested in the logic of the unrefined. Placed linearly across long shelves, some of the ceramics appear to have protrusions on their lustrously glazed bodies, while others are marked up with tedious indentations. They make strong references to the body as both a disfiguration, as well as an object that carries the impressions of the body, the hands that mauled them into being. The sculptures appear undone rather than created, as the process through which they were made is featured prominently in their form.

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This is true for much of O’Brien’s work, especially his multimedia pieces, which exist as layer after layer of material. The pieces are mostly left untitled, as if language were not suitable for such references to a precognitive process. Collaged works are haphazardly wrapped in large amounts of string or glitter with found objects thrust within them, such as shoes or clothing. Large canvases hang on the walls covered in enamel, fabric, cardboard, and plaster – violently slathered in black paint, shining with a vile gloss. No two works in the exhibition are alike; the struggle and movement in each piece is clearly visible, emanating an unmistakable corporeal energy.

Installation view, William J. O’Brien, MCA Chicago. January 25 – May 18, 2014. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

The final room of the exhibition is a dimly lit space that contains O’Brien’s most recent work, an installation made specifically for this show. Ceramic sculptures are pilled on top of one another, resembling totem poles, and placed on low-lying wooden platforms. Connected at the bottom, the whole piece seems to have a religious or ceremonial air about it. In the center of the formation acting as a kind of title for the work, the following words are stated: moon love heart sand sorrow truth death, an explicit call to a return to the elements.

Installation view, William J. O’Brien, MCA Chicago. January 25 – May 18, 2014. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.

A wall label in the space states that O’Brien contends with minimalism in this work (and much of the rest of the art) with the opposing strategy of “Maximalist Aesthetics.” The work acts as a monument to the psychological and affective aspects of art that the term maximalist aesthetics emphasizes. It is through this exhibition that one is able to witness the strength of O’Brien’s belief in this procedure and aesthetic, as well as the breadth of his practice.

–– William J O’Brien at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago runs through May 18, 2014.

Shreya Sethi is a Chicago-based artist and writer currently contributing to THE SEEN and Newcity Magazine.

February 4, 2014 | Filed under Art Seen: Chicago and tagged with MCA, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Shreya Sethi, William J. O'Brien.

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Time Out says Like Tweet 0 0 Don't think of the sections of O'Brien's first major survey exhibition as 0 DiSotto Enoteca sections, but as stanzas, with each one showcasing some aspect of the artist's process-his "language" of creation. Curated by Naomi Beckwith,

the exhibition itself is organized like a poem, reflecting O'Brien's interest in C-View words and poetry. On view is a wide variety of media in which the Chicago-based artist works, including ceramics, sculpture, painting,

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drawing and textiles. Drumbar

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Name: Museum of Contemporary Art Also on at Museum of Contemporary Art Address: 220 E Chicago Ave Chicago Chicago "MCA DNA: Warhol and Marisol"

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Price: $12 suggested admission, seniors and students $7, kids under 12 free. Tuesdays free for Illinois residents "CITY SELF"

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Arts & Culture

Chicago’s 23 Best Museum Exhibits Everything to see now (and a few coming soon), with Christopher Wool at the AIC and a stop at Loyola for some Gorey.

BY JASON FOUMBERG AND TOMI OBARO

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Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey is at the Loyola University Museum of Art through mid-

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June. PHOTO: COURTESY OF LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF ART

Art & Design Related Content Art Institute of Chicago The 25 Best Things to Do in March Through 4/20 Amar Kanwar, from New Delhi, shows Other Events his 2007 film The Lightning Testimonies, which gives Art Galleries personal accounts of rape in India. Dance CRITIC’S PICK Through 5/11 Christopher Wool. The Chicago painter—whose stencil paintings of slogans like Music: Classical, New Music, Opera “Sell the House Sell the Car Sell the Kids” made him Music: Folk, Country, famous in the ’80s NYC art scene—gets an overdue World, Jazz career retrospective. Music: Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop Through 5/18 Christopher Williams: The Production Theatre: Comedies Line of Happiness. Revitalizing the tradition of pop art, Williams parodies consumer culture by photographing Theatre: Dramas realistic fakes of advertising, fashion, and Theatre: Musicals photojournalistic imagery. 111 S Michigan. artic.edu How we pick the events: These listings are not advertisements. They are Arts Club of Chicago a selective guide to arts Through 5/17 Émilie Charmy. Who was Charmy? She events recommended by Chicago’s culture critics. had a successful art career during her lifetime but never became a household name in the United States. This Know before you go: retrospective brings to light the modern artist who Details of listings can change at the last minute. painted portraits, nudes, and still lifes in Paris Please call ahead to alongside some of her generation’s best, including confirm. Matisse. 201 E Ontario. artsclubchicago.org

Chicago Cultural Center Through 4/27 Jan Tichy: Aroundcenter. Tech artist Tichy distributes nine multimedia artworks, including videos and projections, throughout the landmark architecture of the Cultural Center as a way to comment on its history and current uses. Through 5/4 Thirty-Five Years of Public Art. This display celebrates the gains of the Percent-for-Art Ordinance, which funds new public art for every new public building. Through 5/11 Mecca Flat Blues. A microcosm of Chicago’s class struggles, the storied preservation battle around a massive apartment building (called Mecca Apartments) gets an exhibition. 78 E Washington. cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca.html

http://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/February-2014/What-to-Do-in-Chicago-in-March-Museums/[3/5/2014 2:18:18 PM] Chicago’s 23 Best Museum Exhibits | Chicago magazine | February 2014 DePaul Art Museum Through 3/23 The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus. New photos and films document the traumatic memories of Soviet communism and genocide—very different from the Russian beach town’s holiday veneer. 935 W Fullerton. museums.depaul.edu

Loyola University Museum of Art Through 6/15 Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey. A nationally touring exhibition of artwork by everyone’s favorite gothic grandpa makes a stop in Chicago (where he was born and raised). Artifacts from Gorey’s notoriously hermitic life are included alongside drawings and printed ephemera from his long career illustrating children’s books. 820 N Michigan. luc.edu/luma

Museum of Contemporary Art Through 3/9 The Way of the Shovel: Art as Archaeology. This exhibition looks at art through an anthropological lens, with politically provocative work influenced by the 20th-century artist Robert Smithson. Through 5/18 William J. O’Brien. Organized like a poem, the multimedia artist’s first survey exhibition demonstrates his prodigious output in both drawing and ceramics. Open Tue 10–8, Wed–Sun 10–5. Free (kids under 13) to $12; free Tue for Ill residents. 220 E Chicago. mcachicago.org

Museum of Contemporary Photography FREE! Through 4/6 Archive State. Six artists display their collections of images, each with an unusual or thoughtful theme, such as Arab video selfies, the East German secret service, and American soldiers in Iraq. 600 S Michigan. mocp.org

Renaissance Society 3/9–4/13 Teen Paranormal Romance. This new group exhibit depicts teen culture in the contemporary world, emoting through devices, bending gender and race, and having fun while being progressive intellectuals. A lost generation this is not. 5811 S Ellis. renaissancesociety.org

Smart Museum of Art 3/25–6/15 Imaging/Imagining: The Body as Art. Can a medical doctor dissect a nude portrait? This exhibition, organized by three doctors at the University of Chicago, proposes that art can be diagnostically revealing. 5550 S Greenwood. smartmuseum.uchicago.edu

History & Culture

http://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/February-2014/What-to-Do-in-Chicago-in-March-Museums/[3/5/2014 2:18:18 PM] Chicago’s 23 Best Museum Exhibits | Chicago magazine | February 2014

Chicago History Museum Through 3/2 Siam: The Queen and the White City. Photographs, costumes, and other artifacts from the Siamese queen Savang Vadanafor’s collection. Through 5/11 Ebony Fashion Fair. Dazzling designer garments from the archives of the famed traveling fashion show on custom-made mannequins. Mon–Sat 9:30–4:30, Sun 12–5. $12–$14. 1601 N Clark. chicagohs.org

DuSable Museum of African American History Through 3/30 The Endangered Species: A Visual Response to the Vanishing Black Man. Artist Raub Welch examines the iconography around the African American male. Through 4/6 Beyond the Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges. This exhibit explores the surprising relationship between two oft- marginalized groups. Tue–Sat 10–5, Sun 12–5. Free–$10. 740 E 56th Pl. dusablemuseum.org

CHILD FRIENDLY Field Museum Through 9/7 Opening the Vaults: Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair. The museum reveals rare artifacts from the famous fair. Through 9/30 Before the Dinosaurs: Tracking the Reptiles of Pangaea. Learn how to read fossils for clues about the animals that roamed the earth long before humans came along. Through 1/4/15 The Machine Inside: Biomechanics. Get the inside scoop on the bodily functions of both humans and animals at this kid-friendly exhibit. Open daily 9–5. General admission free (kids 3–11) to $20; all-access passes $21– $30. 1400 S Lake Shore. fieldmuseum.org

Science, Nature, Kids

CHILD FRIENDLY Adler Planetarium Through 4/1 Cosmic Wonder. The latest show in the spacious Grainger Sky Theater lets visitors gawk at jaw-dropping shots of the Crab Nebula and Orion. Mon–Fri 9:30– 4, Sat–Sun 9:30–4:30. General admission $8–$12. Packages $18–$28. 1300 S Lake Shore. adlerplanetarium.org

CHILD FRIENDLY Museum of Science and Industry Through 5/4 Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives. Look through more than 300 drawings, scripts, and costumes from the icon’s films. Timed-entry tickets required,

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Wall Street International Magazine - William J. O'Brien [Arts, United States]

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AGENDA - United States, Arts William J. O'Brien 25 January 2013 – 18 May 2014 at Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

William J. O'Brien, Detail of Untitled, 2007. Collection of Dana Hirt. © William J. O'Brien. Photo: Tom Van Eynde, courtesy of the artist; Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago; Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York. WSIntl. REPORT The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago presents Chicago-based multimedia artist William J. O’Brien’s first major survey exhibition. Best known for his work in ceramics, O’Brien’s exhibition features FASHION his prolific output in a range of media including sculpture, drawing, assemblage, and painting. Cultural ANDROGYNY IN THE FASHION sources, such as art history, ethnography, spirituality, pop, and poetics, strongly inform his work and his WORLD ever-expanding scope of influence. William J. O’Brien includes more than 130 objects demonstrating Links and influences ...read more the artist’s prolific output in various media that offers a visual profusion of color, pattern, and exuberant excess. This exhibition is organized by Naomi Beckwith, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at MCA Chicago, and is on view January 25 - May 18, 2014.

O’Brien’s highly physical practice, while not categorized by any one artistic style or medium, is POLITICS characterized by a kinetic use of the body and materials. His fast line drawings, whether black and white or strikingly colorful, textured, and geometric, mimic the spontaneous drawings of the Surrealists ABSTRACTION AND THE or psychedelia. These energetic, vibrant shapes are the formal and conceptual starting point for all of ECONOMY his work, also appearing in his assemblages and textiles. Is a global catastrophe becoming? ...read more O’Brien also creates sculptural metal works made of welded die-cut shapes and ceramics that connect to a range of cultural references. His ceramics, which are formed and glazed with vivid, bold colors, look like ethnographic objects of the ancient past and “face-jugs” reminiscent of those of the Antebellum American South. O’Brien’s paintings are accumulations of pigment, fabric, string, and other materials, MUSIC and with these materials, the pieces can look like they are drooping off of the wall. Beckwith’s curatorial LIVING WITH "GRACE AND vision is to show shared traits that emerge across O’Brien’s work, and the range of objects he creates.

http://www.wsimagazine.com/uk/diaries/agenda/arts/william-j-o-brien_20131125112206.html[11/25/2013 9:48:18 AM] Wall Street International Magazine - William J. O'Brien [Arts, United States]

MERCY" The organization of the exhibition is influenced by O’Brien’s interest in language and poetry. Like a Jonathan Butler, Rendezvous in Tokyo poem, the exhibition is divided into sections, or stanzas, with each section featuring works in several ...read more media. This arrangement underscores the connections between objects, and with poetics as an organizational method, the exhibition explores O’Brien’s abstract artworks differently than the ways in which they have been exhibited previously. Beckwith highlights O’Brien’s process rather than focusing TRAVEL entirely on his technique. SOME VILLAS HAVE IT, SOME O’Brien earned an MFA in fiber and material studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in OTHER DON'T... 2005, the same year he presented his first solo exhibition as part of the UBS 12 x 12 series at the When restructuring, do not decorate! MCA. O’Brien has exhibited internationally, and has a show in Paris at the Almine Rech Gallery running ...read more concurrently with his presentation at the MCA. Recent solo exhibitions also include Wet 'N Wild, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY (2013); Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas (2012); Works on Paper, SHAHEEN Modern and Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio (2011); and the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, Chicago (2011). POLITICS ICELAND, THE LAND OF Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago GLACIERS 220 E Chicago Ave Chicago (IL) 60611 United States Journey into Fragility: Ninth Step. Tel. +1 (312) 2802660 ...read more [email protected] www.mcachicago.org

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Related images

1. William J. O'Brien, Windsor, 2012. Courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York. © William J. O'Brien. Photo: Jason Wyche. 2. William J. O'Brien, Untitled, 2008. Collection of Larry and Marilyn Fields. © William J. O'Brien. Photo: Tom Van Eynde, courtesy of the artist; Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago; Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York. 3. William J. O'Brien, Untitled, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York. © William J. O'Brien. Photo: Jason Wyche. 4. William J. O'Brien, Untitled, 2011. Collection of Howard and Donna Stone. Image courtesy of the artist; Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago; Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York. 5. William J. O'Brien, Untitled, 2010. Collection of Paul and Linda Gotskind. © William J. O'Brien. Image courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York. 6. William J. O'Brien, Blueberry Head, 2010, Courtesy the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York. © William J. O'Brien. WSIntl. Last entries Published: Monday, 25 November 2013

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http://www.wsimagazine.com/uk/diaries/agenda/arts/william-j-o-brien_20131125112206.html[11/25/2013 9:48:18 AM] Wall Street International Magazine - William J. O'Brien [Arts, United States]

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WILLIAM J. O'BRIEN

THE LOVERS January 9 - February 15, 2014 / Paris Opening Thursday, January 9th, 2014 5:30 - 8:30 pm

Almine Rech Gallery is pleased to announce ‘The Lovers’, the first solo exhibition by William J. O’Brien in France. Prior to a major survey exhibition of the young American artist at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, this exhibition brings together a series of ceramic sculptures made between 2008 and 2013, and a series of new works on paper. This exhibition reflects the diversity of mediums and themes found in O’Brien’s work for almost ten years. William J. O’Brien is part of the return to ceramics in contemporary art, seen over the last ten years with artists such as Rosemarie Trockel, Thomas Schütte and subsequently taken on by a younger generation of artists. His ceramic sculptures reflect the extent of his vocabulary by developing complementary or opposite forms: they oscillate between matt and gloss, between anthropomorphic shapes with smudges and drips; as well as geometric abstraction reminiscent of Calder. The shaping hand always present, there is a primitive element that immediately stands out – whether referencing the grinning masks of the South Pacific or the plastic qualities found in the culture of native Americans. For O’Brien this is not an identity issue nor a tribute to a native history: the artist was born in Ohio, and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, so his use of primitive forms is more akin to Picasso, Paul Klee or the Surrealists; taking an oppositional stance relative to a cert ain automated sophistication of form found in many artists of his generation. O’Brien’s ceramic practice skillfully plays with this return to primary expressionism (it is curious to note that the artist was an instructor at a center for the mentally ill), a representation of the human sometimes flirting with the grotesque, but presented on pedestals made by the artist, an institutional device that is simultaneously perfect and ironic. This primitive and modernist dual heritage is also an important anchor in teaching at the Art Institute and on Chicago Art, which shapes the sensibilities of such artists as Nancy Spero or more recently Sterling Ruby. Indeed, one of the first group shows to introduce O’Brien was “Modern Primitivism” at the Shane Campbell Gallery in 2009. The Lovers affords us the possibility to understand the extent of his expression, both sensitive and informed. Born in 1975 in Eastlake, Ohio, William J. O'Brien lives and works in Chicago. Recent and important exhibitions include The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art (Overland Park, KS, 2012); Works on Paper at SHAHEEN Modern and Contemporary Art (Cleveland, Ohio, 2011); and The Renaissance Society at The University of Chicago (Chicago, 2011). The artist's first major survey exhibition opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago in January 2014. ******* La galerie Almine Rech est heureuse de présenter « The Lovers », la première exposition personnelle de William J. O'Brien à la galerie et en France. Précédant une importante rétrospective du jeune artiste américain au Museum of Contemporary Art de Chicago, l’exposition rassemble une série de sculptures en céramique réalisées entre 2008 et 2013, et un ensemble de nouvelles œuvres sur papier. La sélection témoigne de la diversité des médiums chez William J. O’Brien et des thématiques en jeu dans son travail depuis près de dix ans. William J. O’Brien a su s’approprier le retour de la céramique observé dans la création contemporaine depuis une dizaine d’années, partie d’artistes reconnus comme Rosemarie Trockel et Thomas Schütte et repris par la jeune génération. Ses sculptures en céramique témoignent de l’étendue de son vocabulaire en déclinant des formes complémentaires, voire opposées : elles oscillent entre le mat et le brillant, entre des formes anthropomorphes aux coulures salies et les lignes droites d’une abstraction géométrique héritière de Calder. La main pourtant, le façonnage, sont toujours présents. Il y a une inspiration primitiviste qui s’impose d’emblée chez William J. O’Brien : la référence aux masques grimaçants d’Océanie dans ses sculptures, la culture des native americans dans les frises géométriques bigarrées de ses dessins aux couleurs franches. Il ne s’agit pas chez William J. O’Brien d’un motif identitaire ou d'un hommage à une histoire indigène : l’artiste est né dans l’Ohio, a étudié à l’Art Institute de Chicago, et son usage des formes primitives serait plutôt celui d’un Picasso, d’un Paul Klee ou des surréalistes, prenant le contre-pied d’une certaine sophistication automatisée de la forme à sa génération. La pratique de la céramique chez O’Brien joue avec talent de ce retour à un expressionnisme premier (il n’est pas anodin de savoir que l’artiste a été instructeur dans un centre pour malade mentaux qui utilisait la thérapie par l’art), d’une représentation de l’humain flirtant parfois le grotesque mais que l’artiste présente sur des socles, dans un dispositif parfaitement muséal et ironiquement institutionnel. Le double héritage primitif et moderniste est d’ailleurs un point d’ancrage important dans l’enseignement de l’Art Institute et sur la scène artistique de Chicago, dont sont issus des artistes comme Nancy Spero ou plus récemm ent Sterling Ruby. D’ailleurs, une des premières expositions de groupe qui a fait connaître William J O’Brien fut l’exposition « Modern Primitivism » à la Shane Campbell Gallery en 2009. The Lovers permet aujourd’hui d’appréhender l’étendue de son expression, à la fois sensible et intelligente. Né en 1975 à Eastlake, Ohio, William J. O'Brien vit et travaille à Chicago. Il a récemment participé à plusieurs expositions, notamment à The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art (Overland Park, KS, 2012), Works on Paper au SHAHEEN Modern and Contemporary Art (Cleveland, Ohio, 2011) et The Renaissance Society à l'Université de Chicago (Chicago, 2011). Une rétrospective lui sera consacrée au Musée d'Art Contemporain de Chicago à partir de Janvier 2014. Judith Souriau

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21 Chicago Museum Exhibits to See in January | Chicago magazine

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Arts & Culture

21 Chicago Museum Exhibits to See in January With Vivian Maier, pioneering painter Artemisia Gentileschi, and selections from the Walt Disney archives, 2014 gets off to a good start in the city’s museums.

BY JASON FOUMBERG AND TOMI OBARO

PUBLISHED YESTERDAY AT 1:00 P.M.

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http://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/December-2013/What-to-Do-in-Chicago-in-January-Museums/[12/27/2013 4:10:34 PM] 21 Chicago Museum Exhibits to See in January | Chicago magazine

Sculpture by Mariana Castillo Deball, part of The Way of the Shovel PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Art & Design

Art Institute of Chicago 1/25–5/18 Christopher Williams: The Production Line of Happiness. Revitalizing the tradition of pop art, Williams parodies consumer culture by photographing realistic fakes of advertising, fashion, and photojournalistic imagery. This is the first museum retrospective for the L.A.-born, Düsseldorf-based conceptual photographer. Through 1/9 Violence and Virtue: Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Slaying Holofernes. The trailblazing female painter’s masterpiece travels here from Florence. Through 1/26 Focus: Monika Baer. The Berlin artist shows 30 colorful paintings that manage to be both stoic and playful, with forms drawn from her “shape archive,” including salami and breasts. Through 1/27 Art and Appetite: American Painting, Culture, and Cuisine. The exhibit highlights more than 100 works involving fine dining and fast food. Through 4/20 Amar Kanwar, from New Delhi, shows her 2007 film The Lightning Testimonies, which gives personal accounts of rape in India. 111 S Michigan. artic.edu

DePaul Art Museum 1/9–3/30 The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus. New photos and films document the traumatic memories of Soviet communism and genocide—very different from the Russian beach town’s holiday veneer. 935 W Fullerton. museums.depaul.edu

FREE! Hyde Park Art Center Through 1/12 A Study in Midwestern Appropriation. This 40-artist-strong exhibition examines the Midwest region’s artistic influences. 5020 S Cornell. hydeparkart.org

Museum of Contemporary Art 1/25–5/18 William J. O’Brien. Organized like a poem, the multimedia artist’s first survey exhibition demonstrates his prodigious output in both drawing and ceramics. Through 3/9 The Way of the Shovel: Art as Archaeology. This exhibition looks at art through an anthropological lens, with politically provocative work influenced by the 20th-century artist Robert Smithson. Open Tue 10–8, Wed–Sun 10–5. Free (kids under 13) to $12; free Tue for Ill residents. 220 E Chicago. mcachicago.org

http://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/December-2013/What-to-Do-in-Chicago-in-January-Museums/[12/27/2013 4:10:34 PM] 21 Chicago Museum Exhibits to See in January | Chicago magazine

FREE! Museum of Contemporary Photography 1/20–4/6 Archive State. Six artists display their collections of images, each with an unusual or thoughtful theme, such as Arab video selfies, the East German secret service, and American soldiers in Iraq. 600 S Michigan. mocp.org

Renaissance Society 1/12–2/23 Nora Schultz. The museum’s new director, Solveig Øvstebø, curates her first Chicago show, featuring the sculptural installations of Berlin artist Nora Schultz. 5811 S Ellis. renaissancesociety.org

History & Culture

Chicago History Museum Through 1/5 Vivian Maier’s breathtaking black-and-white photos of Chicago in the 1960s. Through 1/5 Ebony Fashion Fair. Dazzling designer garments from the archives of the famed traveling fashion show on custom-made mannequins. Through 3/2 Siam: The Queen and the White City. Photographs, costumes, and other artifacts from the Siamese queen Savang Vadanafor’s collection. Mon–Sat 9:30–4:30, Sun 12–5. $14. $12 students, seniors. 1601 N Clark. chicagohs.org

DuSable Museum of African American History 1/2–4/1 Beyond the Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges. When the Nazis forced Jewish academics to flee Europe, some scholars relocated to the United States and found refuge in an unlikely place: historically black colleges. This exhibit explores the surprising relationship between two oft- marginalized groups. Through 3/30 The Endangered Species: A Visual Response to the Vanishing Black Man. Artist Raub Welch examines the iconography around the African American male. Tue–Sat 10–5, Sun 12–5. Free–$10. 740 E 56th Pl. dusablemuseum.org

CHILD FRIENDLY Field Museum Through 1/5 Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence. This fascinating exhibit illuminates the many life forms that produce light. Through 9/7 Opening the Vaults: Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair. The museum reveals rare artifacts from the famous fair. Through 9/30 Before the Dinosaurs: Super Reptiles of Pangaea. Learn how to read http://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/December-2013/What-to-Do-in-Chicago-in-January-Museums/[12/27/2013 4:10:34 PM] Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Upcoming Events on Do312

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