Known for its Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Institute, Chicago is on the map in the art world. But with such big names to endorse in such a big city, people often forget about the great local talent in Chicago. New artists with fresh perspectives are born every day, and they aren't only from Italy or France! Here are some local contemporary sculptors to merely wet your palate.
With a Masters in Fine Arts from the great Art Institute of Chicago, Vanessa Smith is one Chicago sculptor who makes the city proud.
Her work, much like the French sculptor Auguste Rodin, focuses on motion and movement. Smith explores the relationships between the natural environment and the human body in her artwork. She believes this presents endless possibilities of expression. One such piece is entitled Rib: Reed: Dragon Belly, which is her artistic interpretation of a rib cage. Smith's sculptures frequently begin as pieces thrown on a potter's wheel, which are subsequently altered into more detailed pieces. She wishes to challenge her viewers to interpret and take from her artwork what they will.
Yet another Chicago sculptor is Jozef Sumicrast, whose art has come to imitate his life. Years ago, Sumicrast had to have his legs surgically reattached, a procedure that he hasn't given any explanation for. Since then, his art has evolved to connect the viewer to the pain of his experience. To do this, he uses the color red, cut marks within the clay, and metal fasteners as embellishment for his current work, such as in Large Narrow Horse. Also, several of his current projects have sections of the anatomy removed. In his piece entitled Toyamura Horse, the horse is missing a leg. Sumicrast has never provided any details of his surgery but these pieces. He buys his materials from hardware stores because they have both strengths and limitations which determine what he will create. His work is 2, 3, and 4-D; he wants the viewer to see the sculpture from more than one angle at a time. Sumicrast's work is truly unique and inspirational.
Nancy Pirri is a Chicago sculptor inspired by curves, shapes, and gestures. Mostly sculpting the female figure, Pirri uses clay, which she soda fires to produce different color and texture effects. Soda firing typically produces an orange surface with flashes of color, and a glaze-like finish. She includes texture in her pieces, such as imprints on the surface of the clay, which is meant to make the viewer want to touch her pieces. One example is her sculpture entitled Diana. It is a female torso, but imprinted upon it are what appears to be cracks in the clay and fish scales. Pirri tries to evoke sensual awareness by capturing the human figure and its essence, all while keeping the earthy feeling of the clay.
Each of these Chicago sculptors approach sculpture in a truly individualistic, distinctive manner. It is very obvious that the wind in Chicago has blown each sculptor in different directions, but is still home to some incredible talent.
