Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about empathy and its connection to wickedness. In order to consider something wicked, or condemn it, in order to burn it at the stake, the executors distance themselves completely from it empathetically, they polarize it and rabidly shout their morals as to raze anything that could be in between. To be considered “depraved,” sometimes, is to be excommunicated for our honesty, dissent, experience. Loneliness is an unavoidable state forced on us for our heresy. Knowing this doesn’t make us any less lonely.

Occasionally I make Ben (who curated this show) go out dancing with me. I know we share the same itchy, unshakeable shame and ambient guilt. We are both Leos who, at one point, qualified for birthright. I might be trying to make myself feel better by pressuring him to come. I might assume that this activity will be cathartic for him. I think we both appreciate the small moments where our depravity can translate into something wholly physical and, under the right lighting, gorgeous.

– CS, December 2016

Beautiful presents Touch Me I’m Sick, a group exhibition organized by Ben Regozin featuring works by John Henley, Lauren Barnes, Lauren Taylor, and Lesley Jackson.

John Henley lives and works in Chicago, IL. He received his MFA in 1985 from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and is a long time faculty member at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Noted exhibitions include Slow Gallery, Chicago IL; Harold Washington College; and Johns Hopkins University – Evergreen House.

Lesley Jackson was born in Louisville, KY and earned her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013. Recently her work has been shown at Heaven Gallery, Cornerstore Gallery, Born Nude Gallery, and NADA New York with SPF15 Exhibitions. Forthcoming projects include solo exhibitions with Efrain Lopez Gallery and 4th Ward Project Space in early 2017.

Lauren Barnes is a sculptor, art handler, set designer, teacher, and fabricator currently living and working in Hudson, NY. Her work has been shown in venues such as the Kingston Sculpture Biennial (Kingston, NY), Suzanna Gallery (Germantown, NY), and various living rooms. She grew up in Flint, MI and downriver Detroit before moving to Bard College in upstate New York, where she graduated in 2015 with a BA in Studio Art.

Lauren Taylor lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. Taylor received her B.F.A from The Art Institute of Chicago in 2014. She recently had a solo exhibition Standing on my knees at Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL. Additionally, her work has been included with exhibitions at Left Field Gallery, San Luis Obispo, CA; Bahamas Biennale, Detroit, MI; Paris London Hong Kong, Chicago, IL; cornerstore, Chicago, IL; amongst others.

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Tags: Beautiful, Ben Regozin, Chicago, Lauren Barnes, Lauren Taylor, Lesley Jackson, Lower West Side, ohn Henley, Touch Me I'm Sick