Good news in the art world is — perhaps as always — scarce. Chicago has certainly been feeling the pain of change recently, with the city’s annual art fair, EXPO, shrinking by almost 25% (and excluding a section that featured many local nonprofits), university arts programs facing budget cuts and restructuring, and the DePaul Art Museum closing. However, what could be read as total doom also exposes a condition the city’s creative communities have always known: Artists here make their way, with or without institutional support.
Chicago’s rich cultural history, after all, has as much to owe to its thriving ecosystem of apartment galleries and alternative communities as it does to its big-ticket arts institutions. Given this landscape, it’s no surprise that artistic work here remains strong, even if it often points to existential threats. Many are addressing political and environmental peril, as is evident in shows at the Hyde Park Art Center and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art. Others are considering infrastructure, seen at LVL3 and Weatherproof. In a moment of institutional failure, it’s a great time to seek art in community and artist-run organizations.
Martin Wong: Chinatown USA
Wrightwood 659, 659 W. Wrightwood Ave, Chicago
April 17–July 18
Chinatowns in the United States exist in dueling realities, simultaneously serving as havens for Asian American communities and constructed exotic experiences for White tourists. These complex enclaves were a point of inspiration for Martin Wong’s practice, as explored in this sweeping exhibition at Wrightwood 659, where over 100 of his works unflinchingly tackle the many folds of Asian American lived experience. “Tai Ping Tien Kuo (Tai Ping Kuo)” (1982), a massive painting that went unseen for almost 40 years, exemplifies Wong’s movement between East and West, blending the artist’s family history with both Western and Chinese art historical, religious, and cultural references.