Presented as part of Art Design Chicago

Exhibit Hall  

May 4 – August 25, 2024  

Opening Passages brings together ten photographic series by French and American artists that survey the dynamic social landscapes of Chicago and Paris. American artists include Marzena Abrahamik, Jonathan Michael Castillo, zakkiyyah najeebah dumas o’neal, Tonika Johnson, and Sasha Phyars-Burgess, while the French are Gilberto Guiza-Rojas, Karim Kal, Assia Labbas, Marion Poussier, and Rebecca Topakian.

This multi-venue exhibition also features site-specific installations in venues and community spaces spread across the city, including 6018|North (Edgewater), BUILD Chicago (Austin), and Experimental Station (Woodlawn). These various activations throughout the city feature work that directly resonates with the neighborhoods where the venues are situated and speak to the socio-cultural themes that structure the overall exhibition, which reflects on urban divisions, cultural identity, immigrant experiences, waterfronts and green spaces, and the built environment. The exhibition centers stories from the margins, forming a visual collage of life within these two global cities.

Opening Passages: Photographers Respond to Chicago and Paris is organized by Villa Albertine in Chicago, curated by Carl Fuldner in association with Pascal Beausse from the Centre national des arts plastiques and Clément Postec from the Ateliers Médicis. It is supported by the Terra Foundation for the American Arts, Albertine Foundation chapter in Chicago, the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Chicago and the Institut Français.

Opening Passages is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities and Villa Albertine's City/Cité program that seeks to foster a multidisciplinary transatlantic conversation on urban issues. Pairing metropolitan areas from both countries, it brings together diverse stakeholders, including researchers, artists, architects, journalists, urban planners, community activists, culture professionals, and political leaders.

Gallery Talk – Wednesday, May 8, 12-1pm

Join us for a Gallery Talk inside the exhibition Opening Passages: Photographers Respond to Chicago and Paris at The Chicago Cultural Center.

Curators Carl Fuldner and Pascal Beausse (Cnap) will host a conversation between Jonathan Michael Castillo, Gilberto Güiza-Rojas, Tonika Lewis Johnson, Karim Kal and Marion Poussier. The discussion will focus on documentary strategies for representing communities.

Image: Karim Kal (self portrait), Tonika Lewis Johnson ©Nyjah Johnson, Marion Poussier ©Leila Graindorge, Jonathan Michael Castillo ©Daniel Hud, Gilberto Güiza-Rojas ©Julia Amarger