From Signs to Symbols: Chryssa’s Mechanical Manipulations
@ Wrightwood 659
659 W Wrightwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
Opening Thursday, May 30th, at 6PM
On view through Saturday, July 27th
From her Newspaper series to The Gates to Times Square, Chryssa blurred the legibility of text and letters in a variety of media to extend the boundaries of language and highlight the possibilities of light, form, and mechanical processes. This panel discussion features esteemed art historians Christine Mehring, Mark Pascale, and Anne Rorimer, in what promises to be an important conversation deciphering Chryssa’s approach to textual abstraction and her desire to embody the machine.
About the Exhibition
Co-organized by Dia Art Foundation and the Menil Collection, Chryssa & New York is the first comprehensive survey of works by Greek-born artist Chryssa (1933–2013) to take place in North America since 1982. Wrightwood 659, Chicago, will host the exhibition in May 2024, presented by Alphawood Exhibitions. Chryssa & New York premiered at Dia Chelsea, New York, on March 2, 2023 and opened at the Menil Collection, Houston, on September 29, 2023.
A leading figure of the New York art world in the 1950s and ’60s, Chryssa developed an innovative approach to activating sculptural surfaces through subtle manipulations of light and shadow. Pathbreaking in its use of signage, text, and neon, her vastly underrecognized body of work bridges Pop, Conceptual, and Minimalist ideas of art making. This exhibition focuses on works from these decades through to the early 1970s, bringing together Chryssa’s deeply formal concerns and critical interest in exploring the United States following World War II.
Chryssa & New York presents the full breadth of the artist’s dynamic oeuvre, including early works such as the enigmatic Cycladic Books series (1954–57) as well as numerous reliefs in plaster and metal that deftly capture the phenomenon of passing natural light. The newly restored The Gates to Times Square (1964–66) is displayed alongside works detailing Chryssa’s processes in realizing that monumental sculpture, her transitional pieces combining metal and neon, as well as examples of Studies for The Gates (1966–67).
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Tags: Chicago, Chryssa, Chryssa & New York, From Signs to Symbols: Chryssa’s Mechanical Manipulations, Lincoln Park, Wrightwood 659
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