Dan Oliver: Afire

In his latest body of work, Dan Oliver explores the theme of fire in all its metaphorical complexity. Passion, rage, chaos, destructive power, transformation, danger, energy, life, hell, protest, wildfires and global warming—fire means so many things and we have a complicated relationship to it. Two of the artist’s most vivid childhood memories are the burning of his family’s parish church and a neighbor’s home. Fire is simultaneously a deeply imprinted symbol and a timely crisis. The exhibition Afire is scheduled to open in October 2021, the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire.

Dan Oliver grew up in the Southern Illinois cities of East Saint Louis and Belleville. He studied with Lester Goldman at the Kansas City Art Institute for his BFA, then, inspired by the Chicago Imagists, moved to Chicago, and earned his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Shifting between narrative, abstraction, the personal and the historical, Oliver’s intention is to always capture a psychological reality. His paintings have a dream logic, and are inspired by filmmakers such as Kubrick and Lynch just as much as by 20th and 13th century painting. His Catholic upbringing, his travels in Europe and Asia, his interest in art history and philosophy, as well as current events all merge and reemerge in his work. Dan Oliver currently resides in Chicago, and is married to artist Valerie Beller. He is also a museum exhibit designer, and the director of Glow Exhibitions, a private art gallery in Chicago.

GALLERY HOURS & VISITOR INFORMATION FOR COVID-19 GUIDELINES

This exhibition will be held in the First Floor Gallery of the Evanston Art Center (EAC). All visitors are required to wear masks and take their temperature upon entry using provided gloves, and share results with an EAC staff member. Please adhere to 6' social distancing requirements when in the gallery space. 

Gallery Hours

Monday - Friday: 1 pm - 6 pm

Saturday & Sunday: 9 am - 4 pm

HOW TO PURCHASE ARTWORK

If you are interested in purchasing artwork on display, please contact Cara Feeney, Director of Exhibitions, at cfeeney@evanstonartcenter.org or (847) 475-5300 x 107.

This project is partially funded by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Artwork shown (L to R): Church Fire, 2020, 20" x 20", acrylic on canvas; Inferno, 2019, 18" x 18", acrylic on canvas