28-07-2017

Exhibition Chicago Works: Amanda Williams at the MCA Chicago

Amanda Williams,

Chicago, USA,

Exhibition,

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presents “Chicago Works: Amanda Williams”, the artist's first solo museum exhibition.



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Exhibition Chicago Works: Amanda Williams at the MCA Chicago The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presents “Chicago Works: Amanda Williams”, the artist's first solo museum exhibition. Amanda Williams has now expanded her breakout Color(ed) Theory project, which was presented at the first Chicago Architectural Biennial in 2015.


Amanda Williams, born in 1974, was raised in Chicago and graduated with a degree in architecture from Cornell University followed by a Ford/Mellon Research Fellowship at Berkeley and she is currently one of America's favourite artists. 
Her project Color(ed) Theory was presented at the 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial and consisted of an artistic interpretation of the many empty houses in Chicago's South Side. So she painted unoccupied houses slated for demolition in vibrant colours chosen for their relation to African-American consumer culture, such as red, pink and teal.
The creative gesture of Amanda Williams transformed the abandoned houses into sculptural objects and sparked a candid conversation on vacancy and urban blight while creating a new narrative around the issue of the decline of certain neighbourhoods and the underinvestment in black communities, again underscoring the great importance of art and architecture as drivers of social change.
For the exhibition “Chicago Works: Amanda Williams” at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is running from 18 July to 31 December so you can also visit it during the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Color(ed) Theory includes a commissioned video on the razing of the houses by the filmmaking collective Spirit of Space. In addition, some of her works for this exhibition are constructed from materials gathered from the demolished houses. Her new works for this exhibition include A Dream or Substance, a Beamer, a Necklace or Freedom?, the small sculpture with the very long name “Reliquary II: LOT 49 IN THE SUBDIVISION OF BLOCK 1 IN WRIGHT, EMBREE AND AYRE’S, A SUBDIVISION OF BLOCK 33 IN SCHOOL TRUSTEES’ SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 16, TOWNSHIP 36 NORTH, RANGE 14 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. C/K/A: NJ’s Toybox” that Williams created with a young person who lived near the property of the title. They also explore the issue of urban spaces, their use and their re-use. On the other hand, Goldmine/Is the Gold Mine? and She’s Mighty Mighty, Just Lettin’ It All Hang Out  refer to the value of “bricks” in general, not surprisingly presented here in gold-leaf.
So if you're going to Chicago, perhaps for the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial (link), drop into the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and enjoy this exciting opportunity to get a better grip on some of the urban and social aspects of the city on Lake Michigan through the multidisciplinary approach of Amanda Williams.

Christiane Bürklein

“Chicago Works: Amanda Williams”
exhibition organised by Grace Deveney (curatorial assistant)
from 18 July to 31 December 2017
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA
Find out morei: https://mcachicago.org/Exhibitions/2017/Amanda-Williams
Images: Courtesy of MCA Chicago 
Key:
Amanda Williams, Crown Royal Bag from Color(ed) Theory Suite, 2014–16. Courtesy of the artist and McCormick Gallery
Amanda Williams, Flamin’ Red Hots from Color(ed) Theory Suite, 2014–16. Courtesy of the artist/ McCormick Gallery
Amanda Williams, It’s a Goldmine/Is the Gold Mine?, 2016. Courtesy of the artist and McCormick Gallery
Amanda Williams, Englewood is Paris, 2016. Courtesy of the artist and McCormick Gallery
Amanda Williams, Paris is Englewood, 2016. Courtesy of the artist and McCormick Gallery

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