Art & Art History
Whisper Down the Lane

Artists: Emanuel Almborg, Judith Brotman, Dana DeGiulio, Cayetano Ferrer, Krista Franklin, Aaron Frisby, Karolina Gnatowski, Sidsel Meineche Hansen, Brad Hayes, Clive Hodgson, Elizabeth Isakson-Dado, Merlin James, Olalekan B. Jeyifous, Katie Kahn and Terri Kapsalis, David Leggett, Christopher Meerdo, Susan Morris, Deirdre O’Dwyer, R.E.P., J.P. Rodman, Scott Ruff, Cauleen Smith, Stephanie Syjuco, Lena Tutunjian, Richard Walker, Jocko Weyland, Amanda Williams, and Nathan Williams.
Turning an exhibition inside out, Whisper Down the Lane is an experiment gathering twenty-nine artists through a process based on the children ’s game of telephone, also known as whisper down the lane. Gallery 400 Director Lorelei Stewart invited five initial artists (DeGiulio, Leggett, Meerdo, Smith, and Syjuco) to each exhibit work, as well as to ask another artist, who would exhibit and in turn ask another artist, and so on. The broad themes communicated to the first round of artists were subsequently shared artist-to-artist by phone or in person. Who picked whom and why, as well as what connections may be drawn between works and artists, are to be revealed at the opening.
EXHIBITION SUPPORT
Whisper Down the Lane is supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; the College of Architecture and the Arts, University of Illinois at Chicago; and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Whitney Moeller
Assistant Director
312 996 6114
gallery400@uic.edu
Whisper Down the Lane
Gallery 400
Chicago, Illinois
July 12-August 24, 2013
Image: Olalekan B. Jeyifous, Untitled #03, 2013, pencil on paper.
Featuring artists Emanuel Almborg, Judith Brotman, Dana DeGiulio, Cayetano Ferrer, Krista Franklin, Aaron Frisby, Karolina Gnatowski, Sidsel Meineche Hansen, Brad Hayes, Clive Hodgson, Elizabeth Isakson-Dado, Merlin James, Olalekan B. Jeyifous, Katie Kahn and Terri Kapsalis, David Leggett, Christopher Meerdo, Susan Morris, Deirdre O’Dwyer, R.E.P., J.P. Rodman, Scott Ruff, Cauleen Smith, Stephanie Syjuco, Lena Tutunjian, Richard Walker, Jocko Weyland, Amanda Williams, and Nathan Williams.
Turning an exhibition inside out, Whisper Down the Lane is an experiment gathering twenty-nine artists through a process based on the children ’s game of telephone, also known as whisper down the lane. Gallery 400 Director Lorelei Stewart invited four Chicago-based artists (DeGiulio, Leggett, Meerdo, and Smith) and one San Francisco based artist (Syjuco) to each exhibit work, as well as to ask another artist, who would exhibit and in turn ask another artist, and so on. The broad themes communicated to the first round of artists were subsequently shared by phone or in person. As the information travelled from artist to artist, thematic and geographic boundaries expanded, involving artists from as far away as England and Russia. Each path of communication evolved in its own way, complicating notions of transmission, translation, and mistranslation, not only across time and space, but also across culture and artistic media. Who picked whom and why, as well as what connections may be drawn between works and artists, are to be revealed at the opening.
Related Programs:
Opening Reception: Friday, July 12, 5-8pm
TIMESLIP, Video Screening, Curated by Jesse Malmed, Thursday, August 22, 7pm
Tours:
Gallery 400 offers guided tours for groups of all ages. Tours are free of charge but require reservation. Please complete our online form (accessible at gallery400.uic.edu/visit/tours) to schedule a tour of Whisper Down the Lane. For more information, or to discuss the specific needs and interests of your group, please contact us at 312 996 6114 or gallery400@uic.edu.
Whisper Down the Lane is supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; the College of Architecture and the Arts, University of Illinois at Chicago; and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
Founded in 1983, Gallery 400 is one of the nation’s most vibrant university galleries, showcasing work at the leading edge of contemporary art, architecture, and design. The Gallery’s program of exhibitions, lectures, film and video screenings, and performances features interdisciplinary and experimental practices. Operating within the College of Architecture and the Arts at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Gallery 400 endeavors to make the arts and its practitioners accessible to a broad spectrum of the public and to cultivate a variety of cultural and intellectual perspectives. Gallery 400 is recognized for its support of the creation of new work, the diversity of its programs and participants, and the development of experimental models for multidisciplinary exhibition.
- Press images available on the Gallery 400 Flickr
Postcard: Whisper Down the Lane
Poster: Whisper Down the Lane
Eler, Alicia. “A Midsummer Group Show,” Jul. 26, 2013. hyperallergic.com
Isé, Claudine. “A new style of art communication,” Jul. 31, 2013. chicagotribune.com
EXHIBITION CHECKLIST
Emanuel Almborg
Nothing is Left to Tell, 2011
16mm film transferred to HD video, 30:00 min. loop
Judith Brotman
The 93 Dreams of Summer, 2013
Mixed media installation with audio, dimensions variable
Dana DeGiulio
Whacher, 2013
Diptych, left: oil on panel, 10 x 8 in.; right: oil and spray paint on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
Cayetano Ferrer
Shadow Replica (Juan O ’Gorman Monograph), 2010
Book, 10 x 8 1/8 in.
Krista Franklin
Ima Throw Some Chicken Bones and Feathers on $100 Bucks, 2012
Letterpress on cyanotype on handmade paper, 20 x 16 in.
Aaron Frisby
Untitled (Jumpers series), 2012
Cut paper, adhesive, and spray paint on paper, 16 1/2 x 13. 1/2 in. framed
Untitled (Jumpers series), 2012
Cut paper, adhesive, spray paint, and ink on paper, 19 x 11 in. framed
Untitled (Jumpers series), 2012
Cut paper and adhesive on paper, 14 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. framed
Untitled (Jumpers series), 2012
Cut paper, adhesive, spray paint, and ink on paper, 15 1/2 x 12 3/4 in. framed
Untitled (Jumpers series), 2012
Cut paper, adhesive, and spray paint on paper, 11 4/5 x 9 4/5 in. framed
Karolina Gnatowski
Smelly Rug, 2013
Yarns, glass beads, hardware, findings, and steel rods, 37 1/4 x 35 in.
Sidsel Meineche Hansen
Autonomic Worker, 2013
Woodcut print, 14 3/8 x 20 5/8 in.
Copypastefeeling, 2013
Woodcut print, approx. 20 5/8 x 14 3/8 in.
Brad Hayes
fire, 2013
Cibachrome print, 11 x 8 1/2 in.
route 66, 2013
Cibachrome print, 11 x 8 1/2 in.
street harp, 2013
Cibachrome print, 11 x 8 1/2 in.
Clive Hodgson
Untitled, 2009
Acrylic on canvas, 19 1/2 x 17 in.
Elizabeth Isakson-Dado
Deep Cuts, 2013
Letterpress print, 15 x 11 in.
Drive, 2013
Letterpress print, 15 x 11 in.
Fade Out, 2013
Letterpress print, 15 x 11 in.
Merlin James
Tank, 2004/2013
Soft-ground etching on paper, 6 x 8 1/2 in.
Published by Thumb Print Editions, London
Courtesy Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York
Olalekan B. Jeyifous
Untitled #01, 2013
Pencil and ink on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Untitled #02, 2013
Pencil and ink on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Untitled #03, 2013
Pencil and ink on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Katie Kahn
Tiny Specks of Misery, Both Vile and Useful, 2008
Pen and gouache on page from New York Times, 23 1/2 x 22 in.
Terri Kapsalis
Tiny Specks of Misery, Both Vile and Useful, 2008/2013
Serigraph on paper, 12 1/2 x 22 in.
David Leggett
300, 2013
Acrylic, ink, and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Black Thang, 2012
Ink and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Cash out, 2013
Rubber stamp, ink, and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
David danced for the lord, 2012
Rubber stamp, ink, and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Don Cheadle black, 2013
Acrylic and ink on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Giving up the ghost, 2013
Ink and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Making it look bad out here, 2013
Ink and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
My vote counts, 2013
Rubber stamp, ink, and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Number four, 2012
Ink and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Painting Club, 2012
Ink on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Primitive, 2012
Rubber stamp, ink, and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Sister Girl, 2013
Ink and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Sleep behind the wheel, 2012
Ink, rubber stamp, and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Sleepin ’ on y ’ll, 2013
Ink and color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Them boys, 2013
Color pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.
Christopher Meerdo
Dark Data: Breidðalsheiði austur, 2013
Colorwave print, 24 x 16 in.
Dark Data: Eldhraun norðaustur, 2013
Colorwave print, 24 x 16 in.
Dark Data: Héðinsfjarðargöng Siglufjörður, 2013
Colorwave print, 24 x 16 in.
Dark Data: Svínadalur norður, 2013
Colorwave print, 24 x 16 in.
Susan Morris
Found Object: Bushy Garden, 2013
Found object, 16 3/8 x 14 1/2 x 1 /12 in.
Found Object (with Intervention): Parking Permit, 2013
Found object, 18 1/2 x 14 x 1 1/2 in.
Test Print 2: de Umbris Idæarum, 2013
Artist book, 8 x 5 1/8 x 3/8 in.
Deirdre O ’Dwyer
Untitled, 2013
Marker on cotton with nails, 58 x 60 in.
R.E.P.
Mediators, 2006-
Video documentation of performance, 85:14 min. loop
Courtesy R.E.P. Group
J.P. Rodman
clownshoesbro, 2013
Enamel on steel and forged steel, 45 x 19 x 3 in.
Scott Ruff
Quilt Study, 2013
Chipboard model, 5 x 5 x 4 1/2 in.
Cauleen Smith
The Green Dress, 2005
35mm film transferred to video, 14:00 min. loop
Stephanie Syjuco
LOST TRIBES (This is not a totem pole), 2013
Wheat pasted photocopies on paper, 125 1/2 x 91 1/4 in.
Courtesy Catherine Clark Gallery, San Francisco
Lena Tuntunjian
Family Tree + Social Network = , 2013
Acrylic on canvas, 35 7/16 x 25 5/8 x 3/4 in.
Richard Walker
Moth, 2004
Oil on board, 8 x 11 in.
Courtesy Alexandre Gallery, New York
Jocko Weyland/Elk Books
Inés Picchetti ’s Piedre Movediza, 2013
Artist ’s book, 6 copies, each 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.
Courtesy Inés Picchetti and Elk Books
Amanda Williams
Englewood is Paris, 2012
Laser cut watercolor paper, two sheets, each 22 x 36 in.
Nathan Williams
Translations: Baile Yorukongo Palenke (panels 19–21 and 36), 2010–13
Cut paper, acrylic, watercolor, and pencil on foam core, each 24 x 36 in.
Disclaimer: All works courtesy the artist unless otherwise noted.