Thomas Rapai & Amy Vogel at Chicago’s 40000

Edward Ruscha Richard Diebenkorn Conversation with Robert Indiana Gagosian Plans Moscow Show in Former Chocolate Factory Ruscha and Dill Fight to Save Outdoor Studio Crushing on Colorado Bank of America Launches Art Exhibition Program Anonymous

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From most Chicagoans’ point of view, Michigan is simply that state across the lake that gets all the snow. However, these two solo exhibitions are not necessarily just about Michigan; rather, they are ruminations on the quirky values that all cities, states and communities seem to have and proudly call their own. “Nowhere Else To Go” and “U.P.” are utterly different in approach, yet share a common exploration into the ideas of vernacular as a visual tool that defines place.

“Nowhere Else To Go” presents a new body of drawings and paintings by Thomas Rapai. The artist continues his exploration into contemporary urbanity and kitsch; his brushy, colorful “Party Store” paintings mine modern art’s historical reference points.

Alluding to the documentary style of Ed Ruscha’s “Gas Station” photography, as well as the architectural brushstrokes of Richard Diebenkorn, Rapai’s paintings embody something wholly Midwestern. The contextualizing of “Party Stores” (party store is Michigan slang for the corner convenience store) creates a romantic intention that immortalizes the ubiquitous corner store, where beer, chips, cigarettes and a quart of milk are always available.

Amy Vogel’s exhibition “U.P.” presents an installation of transformed objects, paintings, drawings and fiber work that encapsulate the rural landscape of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Musing on the tenants of distinctly rural dwellings and the iconic dilapidated trailer home, in particular, Vogel’s lonely images hint at mobility and stagnancy, vacancy and occupation. The artist asks us to think about the existential virtues and conundrums in such rustic living.