Artists Walkthrough: Connectivity

Juried by Anke Loh

Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is proud to present Connectivity, a group exhibition with work by 39 artists. Juried by Anke Loh, this exhibition explores connecting to oneself, to others, and to one’s surroundings. The exhibition includes visual material, tactile and sound explorations, poetry, moving image, and more, experienced through the prism of how we establish and maintain our connections on multiple levels. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, July 13, from 4 to 7 p.m. at 1332 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607.

Juror’s Statement: “Societies and cultures have been transformed over the last decade or so through global access to and use of new and emerging technologies, including smart textiles. Our methods for communicating and connecting with one another are accelerating, with many more ways to connect across the planet in real time.

“At the same time, particularly during the height of the pandemic when everything came to a jolting halt, we discovered how to ‘be in touch’ and ‘maintain contact’ in new ways. Isolation-induced longing engendered remarkably innovative ways to communicate.

“In a world with so much urgency, how do people in crisis get in touch, take action, or form a protest? Who is in contact with whom, and what are their methods of communication? What are the unknown forces that move us, and what or with whom do we maintain contact? Do immediacy and speeding up everything help or hurt us? Do we need to slow down to find a deep connection with sensation? What about the importance of touch to foster deeper connection? What will be the next interface for human connectivity?

“Artists are pivotal social catalysts who filter, express, and help reveal new pathways for verbal and nonverbal communication. This exhibition aims to showcase artistic explorations into connectivity via the realms of fashion, design, craft, artificial intelligence, and social consciousness. Work in this exhibition reflects both social justice and imagination.”

Exhibiting Artists: Grace Adamczyk, Salma Arastu, Asya Aseeva, Xiaowen Bao, Julia Betts, Sophia Brueckner, Pamela Chipman, Mag Cramer, Cindy Dick, Raya Dukhan, Marie-Helene Fabra, Gabriella Gentile, Farida Hughes, Peicen Jiang, Judith Joseph, Heather Klinkhamer, Carley Knight, Catherine Lyu, Seema Mathew, Asia Mathis, Maya, Filio Zoi Milioti, Katherine Nemanich, Maya Nguen, Cheryl Pagurek, Sabine Pearlman, Rosalina Perez, Laura Phelps Rogers, Natalie Preston, Beth Racette, Shirene Rafie, Kenzi Rayelle, Catherine Spencer, Savneet Talwar, Winnie van der Rijn, Mary Barbara Walsh, Sarah Weiner, Adrienne Weiss, Qianwen Yu

Anke Loh is a designer, artist and educator who works at the intersection of fashion, art and technology. With a focus on textile development and wearable tech, her collaborative practice explores potential ways to build community through craft and making. In the process of creating installations and site-specific interventions, Loh regularly invites scientists, designers, artists, and community members to collaborate on innovative projects, like her touch-sensitive embroidered textiles that can elicit pre-recorded soundscapes and imagery. Her practice explores the inherent meaning and symbolism embedded into everyday materials, for example, wire, used not only for building fences, yet also serving as a conduit for communication across borders of all kinds. Loh has integrated her multidisciplinary approach to art and design throughout her academic career at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she is a Professor in the Fashion Design Department.

For more information visit: https://re-fream.eu/pioneers/embroidered-touch/ and www.ankeloh.net

View the exhibition online: https://womanmade.org/connectivity/

Woman Made Gallery is supported in part by grants from The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Illinois Arts Council Agency; the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Illinois Arts Council Agency; the Puffin Foundation; a major anonymous donor; and the generosity of its members and contributors.