March 8–May 17, 2025
Familiar/Unfamiliar
Bill Arning Exhibitions is pleased to present Familiar/Unfamiliar, a group exhibition of works by Kevin Mosca, Matthew Bede Murphy, Sue Muskat, and Erik Daniel White, all artists who use iconography and images that are or seem familiar in unfamiliar ways. The exhibition explores the idea that subversions of familiar images from popular culture, advertising, visual art, and everyday life can penetrate the consciousness of viewers in a uniquely deep way. Encountering any mundane image can provoke the question, “Have I seen this before?” or “Do I know what this is?” Realizing that one has or does can sometimes bring about a feeling of comfort in the viewer. Yet that feeling of calm can be short-lived if a viewer realizes that something in the image feels off. Closer inspection can reveal anomalies or slight alterations, prompting a doubling-back moment in which we ask, “What is that?” Such an experience allows one to consider both the altered image and the image as we remember it with more intentional inspection.
Expo Chicago Contemporary Art Fair — APR 24–27Gabriel Martinez
Rekindling Sparks
Responding to the specific history of Philadelphia based, queer Cuban American artist Gabriel Martinez in Chicago Bill Arning Exhibitions is proud to present “Rekindling Sparks.” Martinez whose works always derives from queer archives and subcultural erotic histories created an unforgettable installation “Sparks in A Dark Room” in 2024 at Chicago’s inimitable and unique Leather Archives and Museum (LA&M), drawing parallels between his art and life and queer Cuban artist, Etienne, the Chicago artist whose work forms the core of LA&M’s collection. For Expo Chicago the works that functioned as part of a freewheeling installation, taped to the wall and tucked into bathrooms have been reimagined in more authoritative, museum-ready and archival forms,