Works by over 300 of Chicago’s emerging and seasoned artists are on full display in “TEN by TEN” at Wicker Park’s Jackson Junge Gallery. Spanning styles, mediums, and themes, the exhibition features over 400 bold and intricate pieces.
Guidelines for submissions were limited to only two requirements: each piece must be 10 inches by 10 inches and must be hangable. The result is an enormous variety of work that curbs visual hunger.
Because of the staggering number of works showcased, the exhibition fosters an air of healthy competition, with each piece fighting for the viewer’s attention. The exhibit is arranged in a grid along two of the gallery’s main walls, spanning six pieces high and running the length of the walls. Whether utilizing a thicker canvas or physically reaching out toward viewers, the pieces that incorporate three-dimensional elements resonate most.
Courtesy Jackson Junge Gallery
Dominic Sansone’s Turgid Limnations, Doodle May Jenkins’s Certain, and Michele Silvetti-Schmitt’s Flutter are among the three-dimensional pieces that catch a viewer’s eye. Glossy black fabric pulled taught, felt figures emerging out of a sneaker, and dangling fragments of clay, respectively, prompt a consideration of what went into creating each intricate piece, and how the artists intend their work to interact with audiences.
Jon Beskin’s Every Word That Was and Wasn’t Said is an effective two-dimensional work. Beskin’s use of cool colors around the silhouettes of two figures contrasts with the vivid orange and yellow of the sunset collage, guiding the viewer’s eye in a circular motion around the piece.
In several spots along the gallery walls, pieces seem to align perfectly with their neighbors, no easy feat in a show with a surplus of work. The wide array of art in this year’s “TEN by TEN” should indicate that its residency at the Jackson Junge Gallery will become a Chicago tradition for years to come.
“TEN by TEN”
Through 1/7/24: Mon-Sat 11 AM-8 PM, Sun 11 AM-7 PM, Jackson Junge Gallery, 1389 N. Milwaukee, j2gallery.com/exhibitions
related stories
Discover five new Chicagoland artists
Chicago’s art scene wouldn’t be as vibrant if we didn’t have so much new talent entering the flow each year. After all, art is about growth, change, and discovery. In its past editions, the Cleve Carney Museum of Art’s Emerging Artist Exhibit has highlighted some of the most iconic Chicagoland artists, including 2021 Joan Mitchell…
Abstract language and sacred knowing
In Kameelah Janan Rasheed’s solo exhibition “Unsewn Time,” curated by Grace Deveney, letters and words are isolated, and punctuation marks are paired with incalculable calculations to form new sentences. Using her body as a writing instrument, Rasheed devises a new language that flows from the soul and a spiritual sense of knowing. “Kameelah Janan Rasheed:…
Soft light
Painter Scott Wolniak’s delightful new exhibition “Crosscurrents” at Goldfinch is a lot to take in. With nearly 20 works of various sizes hung close together in the modest space, the exhibition is like a salon-style dive into the visual deep. Viewers used to sparse white walls and serious square footage between works might find the…