Xu Zhen: A MadeIn Company Production

The Chinese artist balances between spirituality, irony, somberness and humor in his ongoing exhibition

Xu Zhen is a pioneer within Chinese underground contemporary art and an influential figure in Shanghai’s scene. In 1998, along with Davide Quadrio, he founded Bizart in Shanghai, a platform to support local and international artists, which has been at the forefront of the most innovative art exhibitions and curatorial practices in China for years. In the late ’90s, when new media art was not …

Raymond Pettibon: Are Your Motives Pure?

Words and art combine to make up this bold, surf-centric exhibition

by Charlotte Anderson With characters and landscapes composed in stark ink, self-trained artist Raymond Pettibon‘s style is a melding of images and text––reminiscent of William Blake’s illustrated poems––wryly focusing in on motifs of American life, literature, comics, art, religion and pop culture. Tucson-born, now NYC-based, Pettibon is known not only as an artist, but also as the former bass player for Black Flag. His work …

Conventional Wisdom: World Clown Association

An inside look at the wonky world through photographer Arthur Drooker's lens

Just putting on an oversized, colorful suit and slapping on some makeup does not a clown make. There’s a deep understanding of comedy, coupled with zany performance abilities and an acceptance that the role is a historic one. The roots of clowning go back centuries; they’ve been spokespeople for brands, much-loved television presenters—and some have been feared. Situated at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Northbrook, …