J IVCEVICH – SIDEWALK SOLILOQUY

March 16 – April 21, 2007
Opening reception for the artist Friday March 16, 6 – 9pm

Thomas Robertello Gallery is delighted to present Sidewalk Soliloquy; the first solo exhibition of paintings by New York based artist J Ivcevich in Chicago. On the surface, Ivcevich’s Pollyanna distillations of urban noise, chaos, and aggression in muted colors, soft dynamics, rendered in flat comic-style appear lyrical and disconnected from the reality of daily existence. Images of construction workers, firemen, police officers, discarded food, trash, graffiti, and newspaper dispensers reveal a Stepford-like denial and numb response to current events and threats in American cities. This silent optimism provides little protection from thinly veiled, potentially destructive forces one might encounter during the simplest walk down a city sidewalk.

An inner paranoia quelled by false hope prevails just beneath the pastel surfaces of Ivcevich’s work. This inherent duplicity illustrates the cold perceptual control often futilely imposed on everyday scenes to maintain lower levels of chronic fear. With a tight smile, Ivcevich’s art addresses phobic responses to ethnic and social class differences, as well as the pervasive climate of crime, surveillance, media, and indeterminate threats.

J Ivcevich lives and works in New York, NY. He is a recent recipient of a grant from the Pollack-Krasner Foundation. His work has been exhibited in New York, Washington, DC, and Atlanta.

Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday 11 - 6 and by appointment.