It's the work, not the space where the work is displaced, that matters most to avery r. young, one of 11 artists who will be featured in "Marvelous Freedom: Vigilance of Desire, Revisited," a group exhibition that explores Chicago's contemporary and emerging artists of color who approach art-making through an Afro-Surrealist lens.
But young, an out artist, certainly isn't opposed to the high-profile real estate where his art will be displayedat Columbia College Chicago, 618 S. Michigan Ave..
"I don't identify myself as much by the building [my art is showcased in] as much as the art … but I'm thankful for the building," young said, laughing. He has one piece in the exhibit, which will be on display through mid-March. young spent two years working on the piece.
Alexandria Eregbu is the curator for the project, which according to organizers, showcases the richness of Chicago's Surrealist history in order to extend, expand, and re-impose new visions of 21st century Afro-Surrealist aesthetics and cultural concerns, reexamining the first Marvelous Freedom/Vigilance of Desire, the Surrealist exhibition that took place in Chicago in 1976.
"It deals with youth who are affected by the violence in Chicago," young said. "I am excited [to hear] what people will say once they see the exhibit. I also am excited to hear the dialogue that the artwork will initiate."
San Francisco-based writer and performer D. Scot Miller's "AfroSurreal Manifesto: Black is the New Black" helped launch the arena, which young said, "is about what's going on now, not about what happened in the past, or in the future. It's about what's in the current state."
young said the project "is very important to me."
"Normally, I'm known as a spoken-word artist. This is one of the first times I have been featured [through] my visual artwork. This is a personal matter for me," he said.
young's piece will be showcased within a newsbox, "which diversifies this idea of what, how children are affected by violence," he said.
"The piece is letterpress on top of a front-page news story. The newsbox is an important statement to me."