Dibs
@ ANDREW RAFACZ
1749 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Opening Friday, January 16th, from 5PM - 8PM
On view through Saturday, February 14th
DIBS
January 16th – February 14th, 2026
Opening Reception:
Friday, January 16th
5 – 8 PM
SOFÍA FERNÁNDEZ DÍAZ
JOSH DIHLE
DOVE HORNBUCKLE
TONY LEWIS
LIZ MCCARTHY
NICHOLAS MOENICH
JONATHAN MUECKE
ARI NORRIS
SUSY OLIVEIRA
SCOTT REEDER
ANDERS RUHWALD
DEB SOKOLOW
EDRA SOTO
JESSICA STOCKHOLDER
TRISH TILLMAN
LAN TUAZON
ADRIAN WONG
ANDREW RAFACZ is thrilled to begin the new year with Dibs, a group exhibition of seventeen artists, in Galleries One & Two. The exhibition opens Friday, January 16th and continues through Saturday, February 14th, 2026.
The dead of a Midwestern winter. The seemingly unending accumulation of lake effect snow, sub-zero temperatures bringing sheets of ice glazing the streets and sidewalks, making one’s basic movements challenging. You’ve dug out the parking spot closest to your origin of comfort and safety. You put in the hours of making this claimed space yours— courtesy and generosity be damned!
‘Dibs’ colloquially refers to the unofficial tradition of reserving a shoveled or dug out parking space by leaving objects like chairs or cones in the spot after a heavy snowfall or storm. This practice is intended to mark an individual’s hard work in digging out their vehicle and claiming the space for their return. The practice of dibs is not exclusive to Chicago, though it is a well-known and deeply ingrained tradition here. Other places that experience significant weather have their own versions of reserving space after shoveling— often using different names and various objects to claim the spot.
Dibs is a uniquely cold weather concept. It is also a conceptual summation of what it is like to endure life in a northern climate. With Dibs, we aim to playfully examine the way this time of the year affects change and evokes creativity in its impacted participants.
– curated by Jenal Dolson
Official Website
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Tags: Adrian Wong, Anders Ruhwald, andrew rafacz, Ari Norris, Chicago, Deb Sokolow, DIBS, Dove Hornbuckle, Edra Soto, Jessica Stockholder, Jonathan Muecke, Josh Dihle, Lan Tuazon, Liz McCarthy, Nicholas Moenich, Scott Reeder, Sofía Fernández Díaz, Susy Oliveira, Tony Lewis, Trish Tillman, West Town
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