CUT & PASTE @ COALITION GALLERY
On Thursday, September 3rd, 2009 from 5:30 to 8:30pm, Cut & Paste will inaugurate the fall art season at
Coalition Gallery, the co-op gallery of the Chicago Artist Coalition. The gallery, with its large windows at street level, is located at 2010 West Pierce Street, Suite 101 (One block south of the Damen, Milwaukee, North Ave. intersection), in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. The opening and the gallery are free and open to the public.

Independent curator Susan Aurinko, who founded and owned FLATFILEgalleries until its closing in March, will be curating the first year exhibitions of Coalition Gallery. Cut & Paste marks Aurinko’s first exhibition with the group. For Cut & Paste, Aurinko chose the work of Coalition Gallery members Richard Shipps, Jun Jun Sta.Ana, and Vanessa Vargas, each of whom use the concept of cutting, pasting and collage in their own unique way.

Richard Shipps has shown throughout the Chicago area since moving here in 2007 from Michigan. His work is a study of form and counter-form using hand cut paper, vinyl, and laser cut steel. Art writer Jeff Stevenson recently quoted Shipps as saying that his work “examines the dynamic tensions between light and shadow, and the interplay of negative and positive form” and “the push and pull – juxtaposition and synergy of image.” - http://www.richardshipps.com

Jun Jun Sta.Ana, was born and raised in the Philippines. He came to Chicago in 2006, and has been showing steadily since. Sta.Ana has shown frequently in the Philippines, as well as in Japan, Russia, and across the US. His collaging is done entirely in the computer. He is known particularly for his Unconventional Portraits in which he repeats images of the subject as a design element to create a larger image portraying, defining, or referencing the person. - http://www.caconline.org/gallery.asp?artist=junjunstaana

Vanessa Vargas, who lives and works in Chicago, has shown in Illinois and Minnesota. Her Ikebaba series,
which will be shown in this exhibition, is meticulously crafted from plexiglass and paper. The varying depths of the minute boxes that each hold part of the whole extend from the wall, create the feeling of a multitude of tiny paintings assembled into a larger image that becomes a cluster of flowers. - http://vanessavargas.com

The exhibition will run through Saturday, September 26th. The gallery is open Wednesday – Friday from Noon to 7pm, and Saturday from noon to 5pm, or by appointment. Ph (773) 772-2386. It is also open until 8pm on the first Friday of each month.