Riva Lehrer: The Monster Studio

September 6 – October 12, 2024

Opening reception:  Friday, September 6th – 4pm to 7pm

Zolla/Lieberman Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the Chicago gallery season with a solo exhibition featuring the work of renowned Chicago artist Riva Lehrer. The Monster Studio will be on view from September 6 to October 12, 2024.

For the show's six-week run, Lehrer will be performing a public portrait studio. She has invited a selection of distinguished collaborators, including: 

Authors/performers/podcasters Stephen T. Asma and Brandy Schillace, Art critic Jill Casid, Sculptor Anna Campbell, Theorist Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. 

Each collaborator will be asked to describe—and collaboratively draw—an image depicting their inner “monsterselves,” resulting in portraits created through deep conversation.

The Monster Studio is a public event. We actively encourage viewers to be part of the audience, to comment, ask questions, and witness these conversations. The portrait schedule will be posted soon, and the sessions will also be live-streamed.

For more information, see also Lehrer’s statement of purpose for this project.

 “I believe that the true product of a portrait is not the object, but the exchanges between artist and collaborator. Intimacy is the very foundation of what we do. I am who I am because of the countless transformative conversations I have had in the studio.”

 – Riva Lehrer

 

About the artist:

Riva Lehrer’s work is celebrated for its exploration into the marginalized and stigmatized body. Through a distinct blend of drawing, painting, collage, and sculpture, she challenges viewers to reconsider their assumptions about beauty and difference. She has become a leading voice in the formation of Disability Culture, and her contributions to art, literature, and activism have had a profound impact on the way we understand diversity.