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| ©Darryll Schiff |
As an Otium featured artist, I was
asked to take part in the Otium Collective exhibition, Confluences held this past September. This was an exciting showcase full of
talented Chicago artists. Otium, as you
may not realize, is a Latin word meaning to withdraw from one’s daily business
and affairs to engage in activities considered to be artistically valuable or
enlightening. Given the definition, the
Otium Collective was appropriately named as it offers artistic enlightenment
through its community of artists and the work we have to offer.
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| ©Darryll Schiff |
The
exhibition was a colorful curation that featured the artwork of notable artists
such as Flow, Rita J, Joseph “Sentrock” Perez, Erin Burke, Tara Zanzig, Brett
Whitcare and myself – all of which are artists who have a prominent presence in
Chicago’s Art scene. The show consisted
of a variety of styles showcased through different mediums, all of which
portrayed the unique perspective of the artist.
The works of two photographers (myself being one), multiple pop-art and
stencil artists and the artistic renderings of personified creatures filled the
gallery space with color and vitality.
Performance artists and live painters conveyed their slice of life as
each artist depicted a colorful truth about themselves and the world we live
in.
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| ©Darryll Schiff |
As it so
happened, my contribution to the show was a piece from my Descending to Heaven
series, which became the centerpiece of the entire show. Hauntingly gravitating, my piece hung alone
on the back of the gallery’s white wall and beckoned viewers to experience it
up close, from the moment they could first see it when entering the
exhibition. On opening night I watched
as my sole piece captivate the interest of many, curious if they knew I was the
artist behind this alluring piece.
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| ©Darryll Schiff |
It excited
me to see how our group of collected artists drew a crowd of art enthusiasts to
experience our work, together for the first time all in one place. What I reflected on that evening was my place
as a prominent member of an ever growing, and ever changing art community full
of inspiring individuals.
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| ©Darryll Schiff |
Of course, I cannot
mention the show without giving credit to the talented curator who made it all
possible, Ophélie le Troadec. The
intended goal of the Otium Collective is to create a network by artists, for
artists and judging by that criteria, our group exhibition was a huge success!
Each unique voice that was brought together for the Confluences exhibition
played an active part in painting an abstract picture of what it means to be an
artist in the city of Chicago. I hope
that in reading this blog post, and viewing some photos from the event, you too
will have a better understanding of our artistic intent and need to share in
the beauty we dare to express.
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| ©Darryll Schiff |
Congratulations to all of the artists on an excellent group exhibition! We had a wonderful show and I want to thank all of the Chicagoans who came out to see it! For more information on the artists involved see the Featured Artists link on the Otium page http://otiumcollective.com/
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| ©Darryll Schiff |
Please stay tuned for a look at my all new series, I will be revealing images soon! - Darryll
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