"Twin Rooms"at Julius Caesar

When in contemporary art discourse the adjective “social” is assigned to certain artworks and left out for others, a distinction is created that can similarly be found in other contexts in our daily lives, such as newspapers, education, politics, bar conversations, love stories and fashion magazines. There seems to be a default position that seeks to take into consideration the existence of a social “context” in which non-social activities take place. The social realm is supposed to be a specific domain of reality. But why are some activities said to have a ‘social dimension’, while others do not? Even though the most common definition of “social” is of an homogenous thing, we also designate the social as a collection of associations between heterogeneous elements. If we define the social as a tracing of association, the distinction between the social and the non-social may disappear. 

Problems arise when “social” begins to define a type of material, as if the adjective is comparable to other terms like “wooden,” “steely,” “glassy.” The social as material can create superfluous assumptions about the nature of what is at stake. In Bruno Latour’s words, the meaning of the word “breaks down since it now designates two entirely different things: first, a movement during a process of assembling; and second, a specific type of ingredient that is supposed to differ from other materials.” (Bruno Latour, Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory).

"Twin Rooms" attempts to interpret the social in art in a different way. Objects and subjects are very much part of (social) relationships. Persons and things lovingly speak to and hear one another. It is assumed that objects remain silent and unaccountable while subjects make them talk. However, the key is to allow the object to be heard and let them start talking about us. This is not to say that artifacts think like people do and decide how they will act, but their behavior or nature often has a comparable role. 

With drawings, paintings, installation, sculptures, and sound, the artists in this show let their artworks push back on people as a result of their physical structure, concept and design. The relationship between the objects and the self is displayed in two adjacent rooms of same size–what we call "Twin Rooms"–where works by the five artists are displayed on both rooms. Similar to the relationship between a mother and a child or between siblings, the relationship between the two rooms reveals relationship of similarity and difference. As one of the artists in the show expressed: “In the end it is all about relationships” objects with objects, objects with subjects, subjects with subjects. There is a sense of honesty and rawness that is created by each work and the relationship between them. Specific subtle tricks are invented in order to activate relationships between humans and nonhumans, among heterogeneous but related elements.

This exhibition is curated by Ionit Behar and Pinar Üner Yilmaz.

Artists include Assaf Everson, Michelle Grabner, UIC MFA Alumni, Sherwin Ovid, and current MFA Graduate Student, Bailey Romaine.

This exhibition is open on Sundays from 1pm to 4 pm and also by appointment and runs until Deember 13, 2015.