Monira Foundation Presents In Good Company

Monira Foundation Presents In Good Company: a Mana Contemporary Chicago Exhibit

The very first Mana Community exhibit, over 60 artists working at Mana will feature their works.

Installation image, In Good Company.

CHICAGO, IL – On Friday, December 10th Monira Foundation will present a Mana artists community exhibition featuring 66 artists whose studios are located within the former Commonwealth Edison warehouse of Mana Contemporary Chicago entitled “In Good Company”. The exhibition opens to the public on December 13th, 2021. Ranging from all mediums the 67 works will be on view on several floors of the building, the main lobby, the 4th floor, the 5th floor gallery and the newly inaugurated 6th floor North side. Many talented artists will be exhibited such as Yvette Mayorga, James Kao, Guanyu Xu, Jeffly Gabriela Molina and Matt Siber. Additionally, Monira Foundation has chosen to spotlight two works; A Barbara Kasten photograph that has not been shown since 1996, TEMPLE OF ZEUS, EUROMOS, TURKEY 2 a cyanotype from 1995, and a Jan Tichy, Untitled(Junkers), (2020), a Silver Gelatin artist’s proof.

All the works on view were created during and slightly before the pandemic, an especially volatile time for artists. What does it mean to build and sustain a community and practice during an era of unprecedented uncertainty and change? During the pandemic the core of artist’s practice was undeniably disrupted, notions of how to work and what to produce were of pressing importance for artist communities on a global scale. Practices that were not inherently capitalist in nature would have to shift to a more ouvert and dynamic means of production wherein artists faced a challenging dilemma; can artists effectively maintain their practices during times of social and economic duress? The artists’ studios at Mana Contemporary Chicago, however, managed to thrive. The works on display represent a dizzying array of distinctly different artistic practices, materials, and goals, however they coalesce into an overarching collection of artistic ideals and experiences of working at Mana Contemporary Chicago.

The full list of exhibiting artists is: Abraham B., Aimée Beaubien, Amanda Gentry, Amanda Maraist in collaboration with Chien An Yuan, Chrissy Martin and Kara Brody, Amay Kataria, Ashley January, Assaf Evron, Aubrey Pittman-Heglund, Aya Nakamura, Barbara Kasten, Bassim Al Shaker, Brad Stumpf, Carisa Mitchell, Carmen Neely, Christine Forni, Clarence Morgan, Connie Noyes, Conrad Cheung, Dabin Ahn, Danielle McKinney-Elmore, Deirdre Fox, Derek G. Larson, Derric Clemmons, Efren Candelaria, Elnaz Javani, Eugene A. Maltez, Guanyu Xu, Hale Ekinci, Holly Cahill, Hope Wang, Industry of the Ordinary, Iris Bernblum, Isa Martinez, James Jankowiak, James Kao, Jan Christopher-Berkson, Christian Cognazzo, Christopher Elmore, Jan Tichy, Jeffly Gabriela Molina, Juan Antonio Baños, Karen Azarnia, Karen Dana Cohen, Katherine Desjardins, Kevin Maginnis, Kimberly Davidson, Leasho Johnson, Lucy Wood Baird, M_m<M, Marc Benja, Marzena Abrahamik, Mas Man, Matt Siber, Mia Capodilupo, Montserrat Alsina, Olea Nova, Peter Antor, Rory Monaghan, Rose Dickson, Seamus Carey, Shanna Zentner, Sheri Rush, Shir Ende, Simone Whiteley-Allen, Sofia Chitikov, Teri Carson, Tom Van Eynde, Wendy Robles, Yoonshin Park, Yvette Mayorga.

Mana Contemporary Chicago is located at 2233 S. Throop Street.

About Monira Foundation

Monira Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution, functions as a radical experimental laboratory, working in close collaboration with artists, curators, musicians, producers, and writers to conceive, realize, and present innovative projects in all media. Its mission is to expand the reach and quality of art available to the public through residencies, exhibitions, and educational programs that address urgent and ongoing community needs, particularly as these needs evolve and change.