Artwork by Rathin Barman and Yasmin Spiro
Lived spaces are not just pieces of architecture; they are anthropological tools to explore history, memory, and even human behavior. Over time, the relationship between homes and their occupants changes through structural additions or functional shifts. Rathin Barman: Unsettled Structures emerges from many such stories of the restructuring of domestic space. In particular, the artist considers the legacy of colonial mansions in the artist’s hometown of Kolkata, India. These grand, luxurious buildings have been repopulated over time by migrants who come to the urban center to escape conflict, climate change, famine, or political unrest. Barman’s sculptures begin with a sense of dwelling borne out of the isolation of the pandemic and in light of ongoing pressures to house the dispossessed across the globe.
Opening September 19, closing December 22.
artsclubchicago.org/exhibition/rathin-barman-unsettled-structures
Yasmin Spiro’s (b. Kingston, Jamaica 1974) installation and semi-transparent weaving, Groundation, currently on view in the Arts Club Garden, is an homage to Jamaican wicker weaver Sylvester Ivy, and explores the creation of sacred spaces, vernacular architecture, and craft. Spiro is joined by Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in Latin American Literature at the University of Chicago, Danielle Roper, to discuss the work, Jamaican and Caribbean visual culture, spiritualism, and the history embedded in creative practices.
Closing October 7.
Friday: 11-6
Saturday: 11-3
Sunday: closed
