Mana Contemporary Chicago and Monira Foundation are pleased to announce our Fall Open Studios. We invite you to meet our studio artists, tour the current exhibitions, and attend our presentations! This event is free and open to the public.

EXHIBITIONS – on view throughout the duration of the event!

“Jonas Mekas, Open Archives”
Presented by Monira Foundation

“Jonas Mekas, Open Archives” is a year-long exhibit at Mana Contemporary Chicago featuring artifacts, items and memorabilia from Mekas personal archives.

Since March of 2020 Open Archives has sent out a weekly digital release offering a glimpse into the personal archives of Jonas Mekas. Every item shared was selected by Sebastian Mekas, Director of the Jonas Mekas Studio, with the goal of keeping the studio practice alive and showing its long term relevance through its diaristic and meticulously cataloged collections of artwork, artifacts, and other materials.An Open Archives presumes a veritable archive. That of Jonas Mekas comprises more than eight decades of collected material of the famed filmmaker, poet and impresario of the avant garde.

Widely recognized as one of foremost pioneers of diaristic cinema – a practice now soundly established with the near ubiquitous presence of YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram stories and reels – more than that, Mekas also maintained a physical record of what he witnessed. A diverse body of material that spans from his departure from his native Lithuania and arrival in New York and early ‘50s encounters with luminaries of the Beat generation, to ‘60s censorship defiance that led him to jail and his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, and fast-forwarding, all the way up until the 2010s with his relentless writing, doodling, traveling and his embrace of all the new technologies of our present day.

“overhearings ”
A site-specific installation by Regina Martinez

This collaborative project led by Experimental Sound Studio and Monira Foundation located at Mana Contemporary Chicago

“overhearings” is a site-specific sound installation by artist Regina Martinez in response to the peregrine falcons who have resided at Mana Contemporary for over two decades. This 2-channel work is located in the recesses of Mana’s 4th Floor restroom area. It centers on the idea that, despite our close proximity to these creatures, what we know about the peregrine falcon is what we imagine the falcon to be. It is a story of contrasting textures, call and response and a personal reflection on our projections and compassion.

This installation is supported in part by Brightsign and is a partner in the 2023 Chicago Architecture Biennial.

A SELECTION OF PARTICIPATING ARTISTS AND SPACES–
Alice Hargrave
Alicia Goodwin Lingua Nigra
Amanda Gentry
Amanda Mulcahy
Amay Kataria
Anika Steppe
Ariadna Ginez
Ashley January
Bassim Al Shaker
Courtney Mackedanz
Ervin A. Johnson
Galina Shevchenko
Hale Ekinci
High Concept Labs
James Jankowiak
Jeff D. Servos
Jingqi Steinhiser
Jonathan M. Castillo
Joseph Josué Mora
Kara Cobb Johnson
Kathryn Rodrigues
Laura Kina
Lisa Jenschke
Lingua Nigra
Matt Siber
Mel Cook
Mickey Alice Kwapis
Michelle Dokes
Montserrat Alsina
Natalie Eva Clark
Olea Nova
Oscar Lopez
Purple Window Gallery
Rachana Nagarkar
Rajee Aryal
S.Rose Chicago
Sarita Garcia
Shanna Zentner
Shir Ende
Sofia Chitikov
Sona Kim
Tom Lau
Violet Luczak
Xingrui Xu
Xuanlin Ye
Yaismel Alba Garib

Official Website

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Tags: Alice Hargrave, Alicia Goodwin Lingua Nigra, Amanda Gentry, Amanda Mulcahy, Amay Kataria, Anika Steppe, Ariadna Ginez, Ashley January, Bassim Al Shaker, Chicago, Chicago Open Studios, Courtney Mackedanz, Ervin A. Johnson, Galina Shevchenko, Hale Ekinci, High Concept Labs, James Jankowiak, Jeff D. Servos, Jingqi Steinhiser, Jonas Mekas, Jonathan M. Castillo, Joseph Josue Mora, Kara Cobb Johnson, Kathryn Rodrigues, Laura Kina, Lingua Nigra, Lisa Jenschke, Lower West Side, Mana Contemporary, Matt Siber, Mel Cook, Michelle Dokes, Mickey Alice Kwapis, Montserrat Alsina, Natalie Eva Clark, Olea Nova, Open Archives, Oscar Lopez, Purple Window Gallery, Rachana Nagarkar, Rajee Aryal, Regina Martinez, S. Rose Chicago, Sarita Garcia, Shanna Zentner, Shir Ende, Sofia Chitikov, Sona Kim, Tom Lau, Violet Luczak, Xingrui Xu, Xuanlin Ye, Yaismel Alba Garib