‘Dear Mama’ Exhibition Explores the Dual Identities of Mother and Artist
Elephant Room Gallery is excited to present ‘Dear Mama’, an exhibition curated by Kyle Lilly featuring ten Chicago-Based artists. The exhibition opens on Friday, April 8th with a reception from 6-9pm and runs through May 8th, 2022. The gallery exhibits new, emerging and under-represented artists and is located at 704 S Wabash Ave. in the South Loop Neighborhood of Chicago.
‘Dear Mama’ aims to explore the intersection inhabited by the dual identities of ‘artist’ and ‘mother’. At the foundation of both roles are the common themes of love, sacrifice, dedication and adaptation. Inspiration for the show was drawn from the Tupac song of the same name as well as the curator’s relationship with his own mother. The beautiful and complicated relationship between mother and child can be a catalyst for creativity and can influence the lens in which the world is viewed. ‘Dear Mama’ is meant to serve as an opportunity to reflect on and honor this bond. The show features new pieces by ten mothers/artists whose works are reflective of their experiences and stories of motherhood. The line- up for the show features Andy Bellomo, Brenda Perez, Cydney M. Lewis, Dorian Sylvian, Gloria “Gloe” Talamantes, Isamar Medina, Lindsey Claire Newman, Mimi Zaphiratos, Rae Denise and Zeye One.
Kyle Lilly is a Chicago-based curator, art collector and urban planner. Hailing from the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, his enthusiasm for visual arts can be traced back to his early love and appreciation of comic books, cartoons, video games and urban exploration. Last year, Kyle was a co-curator of the ‘Black is__.’ art show at Lacuna Lofts and the solo curator of Uptown Gallery’s inaugural show, ‘Mixtape’. While not an artist himself, he aims to use these shows as an opportunity to showcase local artists and as an exercise in place-making.
Elephant Room Gallery
704 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
312-361-0281
www.elephantroomgallery.com