Curated by Scott J Hunter

Artists include: Marcos Balter, Edmund Chia, Rebekah Heller and Casilda Sánchez

A paraphrase of Gertrude Stein’s prominent line from her 1913 poem, Sacred Emily, this alliterative statement is a reflection on the structures and constancy of identity. Stein understood that although each work is based on a premise of initial meaning – meaning can move or be altered, so that it is always taking on layers of potential reconsideration.

Each of the three pieces selected for exhibition engage with the element of self, that is contained within a made object, while also wrestling with how place and time serve to change the layers of representation that develop around that core. The works, a sculpture by Edmund Chia, a single-channel video by Casilda Sanchez, and a Stein-based contemporary composition by Marcos Balter, that is performed by International Contemporary Ensemble bassoonist Rebekah Heller, interact across and within the gallery space.

Artist and curator biographies:

Marcos Balter is Associate Professor of Music Composition at Montclair State University in NJ; he was previously head of composition at Columbia College Chicago. His works have been featured worldwide in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Köln Philharmonie, the French Academy at Villa Medici, New World Symphony Cen- ter, Park Avenue Armory, Teatro de Madrid, Tokyo Bunka Kaykan, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Teatro Amazonas, Le Poison Rouge, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago.

Edmund Chia is a multimedia artist currently residing in Singapore, Indonesia. Chia received his MFA from and then taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and cofounded Peregrine Program, a contempo- rary exhibition program. Group exhibitions include, Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago; Adds Donna and Julius Caesar, both in Chicago, and Feature, Inc., in NY.

Rebekah Heller is principle bassoonist and coordinator of Development for ICE. Heller has played at some of the world’s most prestigious music festivals, including the Mostly Mozart Festival, the Lincoln Center Festival, the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music, and The Helsinki Musica Nova Festival.

Aspect/Ratio represented artist Casilda Sánchez is a Spanish multimedia artist, who received her MFA in Video, Film and New Media at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, following a BFA from Complutense University in Madrid. Solo shows include the Centre d’Art La Panera in Lleida, Spain and Aspect/Ratio in Chi- cago. Group exhibitions include FRAC Corse, in Corsica, France, the Athens Video Art Festival, Greece, the Hyde Park Arts Center and the Mission, both in Chicago.

Curator Scott J Hunter is Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Neuroscience, and Pediatrics at the University of Chicago, where he serves as Director of Neuropsychology and Child Psychology Training. A collector of contemporary works across media, Scott serves as Vice President and Director of Programming for the Society of Contemporary Art of the Art Institute of Chicago; and is a member of the Board of Directors for ICE and Roots & Culture. Scott has curated two previous group exhibitions in Chicago, Psychosexual at Andrew Rafacz Gallery in 2013 and Sticky & Sweet at Terrain in 2014.

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Tags: Casilda Sánchez, Gallery, installation, Scott J Hunter, video art, West Loop