Tag Archives: gallery

5 Quick and Easy Ways to Elevate an Accent Wall

room with pink and grey walls
CCO Licensed Image Courtesy of Freepik

It can be tricky to elevate an accent wall, especially when you are low on ideas. But as you really examine what you want, it becomes much clearer, and you don’t always have to spend a lot either. From adding extra dimension to hanging up wall planters, here are some ideas you might want to implement.
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5 Ways To Incorporate Art into Your Home Décor

artfully decorated full room photo by gail worley
All Photos of Kips Bay Decorator Show House By Gail

Incorporating art into your home décor doesn’t have to be difficult. Plenty of simple ways to add more style to your interior design. No matter what kind of art you enjoy collecting, you can find ways to display them around the home. You can use your favorite pieces to show off your taste and create a unique atmosphere. There are plenty of ways to incorporate art into your home décor. Read on to learn more about them!
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Instagram Post of The Week: Photos From a Fancy Party

In the wake of my two favorite design shows (Salon Art + Design and BDNY) I was invited to attend the opening party for Achille Salvagni Atelier design gallery on Madison Avenue. The luxurious gallery features furniture, lighting and glass works by renowned designers Achille Salvagni and Benoist F. Drut of Maison Gerard placed in a domestic setting to facilitate the experience of living with these  beautiful pieces. Visit Instagram at the link above to enjoy a selection of my photos from this very fun evening, and stay tuned for more featured posts from the Salon Art + Design.

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Coniuncto By Christian Rex Van Minnen

portrait by christian rex van minnen photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

If you’ve seen the 1987 horror movie Hellraiser, you probably remember the Butterball Cenobite: one of the minor demon characters charged with dragging people to Hell. If you can’t conjure an image of his likeness from memory, he looked like this: Please Click Me.  To me, the wildly surreal portraits comprising Christian Rex Van Minnen’s recent exhibit, Coniuncto  look like they could be Butterball’s contemporary relatives, albeit with tattoos and jewel-toned gummy candies hovering over their mutant visages. At the very least, this series of paintings  encourages wildly imaginative extrapolation, and that’s what good art is all about!
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Warriors of The Apocalypse Series By Brian Sperry

Five Robot Mannequins
All Photos By Gail

Chicago is a fabulous city and home to one of the most beautifully curated art museums (The Art Institute) in the world. That said, it definitely does not enjoy a socially vibrant art scene that is equivalent to that of NYC — with its vast number of galleries in Chelsea, the LES, Midtown and Uptown. While the NYC art scene hosts a weekly (Thursday) night of opening receptions in galleries across the city, Chicago has one such evening per month, which is called Second Friday. Taking place in the Chicago Arts District (also known as Pilsen) Second Fridays Gallery Night is a monthly evening of opening receptions at the galleries and artists’ studios along South Halsted Street. If you’re a tourist and have the chance to attend Second Fridays only once, the one studio you must absolutely must not miss is House of The Apocalypse.

Four Warrior Mannequins

More of a studio showcase than a traditional gallery, House of The Apocalypse is where you’ll find an impressive and visually engaging collection of wildly embellished Sci-Fi-themed, mannequin-based sculptures known as the Warriors of the Apocalypse, which are designed and compiled from found objects by artist and gallery owner Brian Sperry.

Chrome Robot Mannequins

The Warriors have a backstory, courtesy of Sperry, as follows:

The year is 3095, a post-apocalyptic world. Man and machine unite to form a hybrid super soldier to fight against tyranny and oppression perpetrated by governments, corporations, and banks that have destroyed the planet. The Warriors spread truth and light in a futuristic world where humanity is fighting to survive. In the darkness, we are light. We will stand and fight. We are the Warriors of the Apocalypse!

Mohawk Mannequin

Sperry also offers his Artist’s Statement:

The visual elements of my figurative sculptures takes abstract human forms and gives them an acid bath in the surreal. The compositions attempts to displace the viewer and prompt them to question their own cognitive dissonance that is a pervasive part of what is destroying our society. The reconceptualization of mechanical found objects and the human form exudes hybridism and trans-humanism, the next wave of human evolution

Pink and Yellow Warrior

This juxtaposition of objects and the body attempts to give the viewer an interactive experience and encouragement to take a stand against imperialist scum who are determined to act as slave masters over the entire planet. Each figure is a Warrior embodying specific aspects of the spirit of revolt against the system. My work can me summed up in one slogan: Death to Tyranny!

Four Warriors

House of The Apocalypse is located at 1908 South Halsted Street, Chicago. It is open to the public every Second Friday of the month from 6-10 PM and by appointment. A suggested donation of a few dollars is requested to photograph the sculptures. Worth it.

Seven Mannequins