A new exhibition with 33 Contemporary, curated by Didi Menendez and Sergio Gomez, showcases artwork of the human form across a variety of genres and styles. “Liberating the Flesh is an exhibition of figurative-focused paintings, drawings and sculptures exploring various interpretations of the figure from realism to abstraction,” says Gomez, artist and director of 33 Contemporary. “Artists were invited to think about the idea of liberation and to respond to the theme from any particular point of view. Therefore, presenting the viewer with a wide gamut of ways of seeing our common humanity.” Hilary Swingle, Purge, oil, 48 x 48"

Liberating the Flesh will be held from July 15 to September 2. Among the artists’ whose works will be featured in the exhibition are Brianna Lee, Victor Gadino, Hilary Swingle and Kelly Birkenruth, among others. 

A woman faces a tempestuous ocean, her back to the viewers, in Lee’s Tempest. As she lifts her arms and slightly tilts her torso, the muscular forms of her back are accentuated. “What pulled me to create Tempest was the idea of facing overwhelming circumstances and how isolated we feel when we endure these moments in our lives…She stands isolated yet unwavering facing the unforgiving elements that surround her. Civilization seems a distant harbor in this storm, but it too is under threat,” says Lee. “A break in the storm illuminates her figure against the tempestuous sea because she is a beacon of hope and strength amidst chaos and uncertainty.”Brianna Lee, Tempest, oil on panel, 30 x 24"

Victor Gadino,  Mask Confusion, pencil, 25 x 19"

Swingle’s Purge draws upon the artist’s personal experience and the panic she developed working in healthcare during the primary throes of the Covid-19 pandemic. “At the beginning of our first Covid-19 surge in 2020, there was so much unknown and the ‘unknown’ was rocket fuel for my anxiety,” she says. Often, her panic attacks would bring her to the point of vomiting.  “Painting is a way for me to exercise my feelings, so I knew I wanted to paint about what I was going through. I wanted to capture the feelings without the full grotesque visual, so I substituted the bows and tinsel. It was also a way for me to view the panic attacks in a not-so-negative light.”Kelly Birkenruth, Wrapped in Secrets, oil, 28 x 22"

Birkenruth says her oil Wrapped in Secrets, the model directly facing the viewer, is meant to provoke questions. “The model’s straight-on stance is direct and almost confrontational, defying the viewer to observe her physical and emotional being. Yet the finger to her lips and her nakedness shrouded in the sheer fabric make it impossible to know her inner thoughts, impossible to truly see her vulnerability,” says the artist. “She is a master of secrecy, keeping her body and thoughts private, leaving the viewer wanting to know more.” 

33 Contemporary is located on the fourth floor of the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago. —

33 Contemporary
Zhou B Art Center • 1029 W. 35th Street, Fourth Floor
Chicago, IL 60609 • www.33contemporary.com 

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