Bless You!

For four nights, July 7 & 8, 15 & 16, The Art Center Highland Park will host a pop-up gallery featuring the work of upcoming artist Jimi P. with Bless You! The public is invited to an opening reception on Friday, July 7, 5:30-8 PM.  There will be an open bar with LIVE music performed by Nancy Popular. The ‘pop-up’ nature of the exhibit means it will come and go quickly. 

Jimi P, the ‘P’ is for Paszkiewicz, is an interdisciplinary Chicago-based artist who has been working since 2017. His practice involves a combination of screenprinting, photography, videography, and various painting and drawing methods. Instinct and the subconscious play major roles in his work, facilitated by his abstract and gestural painting style. Jimi’s work seeks to raise questions about what delineates legitimacy and highlight the importance of influences in making art. 

This Bless You! exhibit is informed by the impulse reaction when we hear another person sneeze and is a metaphor for Jimi’s approach to art making. He responds intuitively to images, places, ideas, and his self-taught style of art reflects that energy and impulse – but it’s not random. “You know Jimi’s work when you see it,” says TAC Curator Caren Helene Rudman. “He is full of raw energy and I’m eager to see how our audience reacts to him.”   

“I first met Jimi at the opening of a friend’s business where he had done an entire wall with his abstract art. I ran into him again when he displayed at the AIR studio in Glencoe and right away asked Caren to find a place for him in our schedule,” says TAC Executive Director James Lynch. “We had been talking about finding artists who were ‘discoveries’ –artists who were ‘hot’ and ‘of the moment’ and offering them pop-up exhibits. Between his apparel and canvases, there will be something for everyone – and he’ll even take commissions for murals during the event.” 

The Bless You! pop-up will be available Friday, July 7th, from 1-8 PM*, the 8th from 10-4 PM, and the 15th, from 1-4 PM, and close on the 16th, from 10-4 PM, at The Art Center Highland Park, 1957 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, IL 60035. 

The Art Center Highland Park, a not-for-profit organization, is the North Shore’s home for artistic discovery and creative exploration. Through innovative programs, exhibitions, and classes designed for all levels and ages, The Art Center provides a welcoming space for our diverse communities to experience and participate in the arts. 

Artist Reception Friday, July 7, 5:30-8 PM with LIVE music performed by Nancy Popular.

Image: "Bless You" 2023, 40” x 40” mixed media artwork, by Jimi P. Photo Courtesy of the Artist.