Exploring Chicago: The Museum of Contemporary Art

Yesterday, I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's open until 8 on Tuesdays and admission is free so basically you have no reason not to go. I love this museum for its accessibility because it is small and easy to navigate (unlike its bigger sister down the street). The current exhibitions include a series called Phantom Limb: An Approach to Painting Today, which consists of works created using something other than a paintbrush; and Rashid Johnson, a photographer who began his career at Columbia College and who produces what can be described as "conceptual post-black art." Unfortunately, the fourth floor was under construction so I did not get to see the Martin Creed exhibition.

Isa Genzken, a German artist, created this piece by covering it in paint and then dragging it face down across the floor of her apartment. Before I even read the method of this painting, I thought it looked remarkably like dust on a floor! It's a little hard to tell in this picture, but it's pretty awesome.

Sympathy for the Devil, Adam Pendleton

This work was commissioned for the MCA's 2007 exhibition entitled, Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll since 1967. Pendleton uses the same techniques in silk-screening that Andy Warhol did.

Trophy, brown, Aaron Curry and Richard Hawkins

This is painted on cardboard! And that blob in the middle of the framed painting on the left side is a scalped Halloween mask.

What I really liked about this blurb was the line, "the artists represented in this gallery have welcomed the messy reality of the modern world into their paintings." Oh what a messy reality it is, too.

Bad Dog, Christopher Wool

Why wouldn't I take a picture of a painting that says Bad Dog?

Love in Outer Space, Rashid Johnson

I love this one because the title refers to a Sun Ra song and the painting is created using beans placed on the canvas, then spray painted over, and removed. What a cool method to get that celestial effect.

Rashid Johnson (that is him in the third pic from the left middle row)

Study for Frank, Chuck Close

This is part of the First 50 exhibit, which has the first 50 objects that entered the museum's collection. Of course I had to take a picture of the Chuck Close one, I can't deny my hipster tendencies.

I also cannot deny my affinity for Lego. Who knew it could get you into the MCA? I have no idea who the artist is or what the title is, but it's great.