I took a break this afternoon and drove downtown especially to see Harim Al Karim’s new show at the Robischon Gallery. I’ve been following Al Karim’s photographic work for some time and was definitely not disappointed. This year’s photographs are very large soft-focus images of people. I found them haunting and elusive. Moving back further from them, the images are somewhat sharper but remain mysterious and intriguing.
Also in the gallery is Al Karim’s enormous hand-built camera (note the floor to ceiling window behind as a scale reference). Using collodion printing techniques, Al Karim also applies latex paint directly to his subjects’ faces and then photographs through a silk scrim to achieve these ghostly effects.
While I was in the car, I also took in the current shows at Ice Cube Gallery in RINO (River North). Jena Smith’s show, Polka-dots and Relics, was mostly ceramic sculptural pieces but also included works on paper. The work was inspired by slides she took at the Las Vegas Boneyard, a place where old neon signs from casinos, hotels and restaurants are deposited. The work on paper below is via a Polaroid transfer.
Also at Ice Cube was Roxanne Rossi’s latest work, Coalesce. Transparent layers and lively use of line result in a feeling of movement and energy.
Michael Dickey, Rossi’s son, exhibited graphite drawings with references to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in his show, Fault. Accompanying each drawing was a wheel thrown porcelain vessel which supported the feel of the portrait.
