Emre Kocagil: VERY
@ Peanut Gallery
1000 N. California Ave., Chicago IL 60622
Opening Sunday, February 17th, from 5PM - 9PM
On view through Saturday, March 9th
Emre Kocagil’s energetic oil paintings in Miami Vice colors, accompanying sculptural arrangements and unwieldy sketches fill out a room nicely. The work exudes a distinct air of lightness and joviality as well as the thick smell of oil paint.
When Kocagil completes his MFA this spring, he will be a two-time graduate from SAIC — he received a BFA from there in 2009 with an emphasis on sound first, then painting and art history. A self-described “painter-dreamer-leisure fanatic”, Kocagil quickly rubs off as a slaphappy romantic with a penchant for pleasure. His work, examined through a well-trained lens, doesn’t exactly feel easy, but it feels smooth like butter.
Issues of recognizable style, gimmicks in process and the cult of the painter as a dysfunctional loner indulging in his madness shape his temporary mannerisms. The struggle to make meaningful work vs. self-serving objects with no responsibility is also a driving force in the studio. The work meditates on the semantics of painting, economy of meaning and a dialogue between culture and individual. It doesn’t avoid the darker side of the human psyche — it’s often born out of it — but it is never drab. The physical manifestations are, in their basic forms, a joy to share a space with.
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Peanut Gallery is a no-brow space for creative collaboration, experimentation, exhibition and good, old-fashioned mingling. Their goal is to connect creative people with one another and nurture a vibrant, inclusive community.
peanutgallerychicago.com
Official Website
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Tags: Emre Kocagil, Humboldt Park, Peanut Gallery, SAIC
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