The Chicago Artists Coalition is pleased to present “social distortion,” a HATCH Projects exhibition featuring new works by Rebecca Himelstein and Joseph Wilcox.

THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Dissonance can be generally described as a lack of agreement on something, where two similar frequencies create a discordant drone or sets of information that don’t quite add up. The incongruity that is presented can be jarring, delightful, or comically absurd. The works presented in “social distortion” consider data, systems of comprehension, and context as one. Both artists are inspired by theory that they manifest through their material and aural investigations. Rebecca Himelstein’s research-driven studio practice surfaces sound installations and minimal works on paper that articulate personal metaphors for affective spaces between people, and a curiosity for affect theory. Joseph Wilcox’s deep, dark internet probing reveals the conspiracies surrounding a man named Martin Klein, uncovering the evidence of his findings as images, video, and sound.

“social distortion” is curated by Meg T. Noe.

ARTIST BIOS

Rebecca Himelstein is an interdisciplinary artist, musician, researcher, and writer. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Critical Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is a curator of Gather, an experimental music series at the Comfort Station, and a member of Chicago Balinese Gamelan. She has performed in the [Tiny Garage] Series at Defibrillator Gallery, Andy Slater presents at Café Mustache, as well as the Comfort Station, Archer Beach Haus, and Ballroom Projects.

Joseph Wilcox is an artist and educator living in Chicago. Adopting the roles of image gatherer, object maker, documentarian, curator, and organizer, his practice explores how institutional control and social power structures undermine the autonomy of the individual. He was most recently the co-founder of LDOC, a free yearlong arts publication distributed on the Red Line train in Chicago, and an artist-in-residence at LATITUDE. Wilcox is a graduate of Kendall College of Art and Design (BFA) and Lesley University (MFA). He is a current HATCH Projects resident and teaches high school students in Chicago.

CURATOR BIO

Meg T. Noe is an interdisciplinary artist and curator. Her curatorial practice studies aesthetics and politics. Through her work as the Exhibitions and Programming Director at Weinberg/Newton Gallery (Chicago, IL), Meg curates exhibitions focused on issues of social justice in partnership with nonprofit organizations. In two years, she organized seven exhibitions with programming for international and grassroots organizations, including “Soul Asylum” for Human Rights Watch, and “Try Youth As Youth” for the ACLU of Illinois.

Meg also likes dark things. Her artworks express a fascination with morbidity, the material of memorialization and ritual, and celebrations of the macabre under late capitalism. She received a BA in Photography from Columbia College of Chicago in 2013.

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Tags: Chicago, Chicago Artists' Coalition, Joseph Wilcox, Meg T Noe, near west side, Rebecca Himelstein, social distortion