At the Hop: A Virtual Gallery Spotlight on Regards
In response to temporary business closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak, DFA presents “At the Hop,” a series highlighting local art galleries we miss hopping to. Our aim is to keep a spotlight on our community and stay engaged with one another. Each feature includes an overview of the gallery’s current show and some remote insights from the gallerists. Answers may be lightly edited for length and clarity.
Featuring: Regards
Location: West Town, Chicago, IL
Regards is known in the Chicago art community to be an approachable space with a focus on minimal and conceptual artwork led by a husband and wife team: Natalie Popovic Schuh and Mike Schuh.
Currently on view at Regards is a solo exhibition titled plenum by Chicago-based artist Nick Raffel. The show pairs two groups of sculptures each presented on one of the two levels of the gallery space. The installation responds to a CAD (Computer Aided Design) model of the space in which a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) visualizes how air circulates through its own sealed interior. MDF sculptures are situated throughout the first floor and appear as replicates of HVAC vents seen in warehouses, office buildings, and condominiums. On the upper level, stainless steel sculptures of pipes and fittings responsible for processing air, gas, and fluids lay on the hardwood floor. The full press release for the exhibition can be read here.
When did you open the gallery and what makes you two a great team?
We opened in July of 2014. Initially, it was all about what we shared in terms of how we connect to artists. But over time we have also come to appreciate the differences in one another's given approach to working with artists and producing exhibitions; we've worked to make that an asset. It's important that every artist be given the opportunity to present work in a way that aligns with the needs of their particular approach. By the time we are at the point of working on a show with an artist, we've built up a level of trust that allows us to fully support whatever it is that they need that show to be. Likewise, it's important that the dynamic between us reflects that, so we spend a lot of time thinking about how we might adjust our collaborative approach for each exhibition and continue developing a trust in each other's perspectives even at times when they aren't in sync. We are only drawn to work that challenges us and we want to support artists who are driven by a sense that art should force everyone involved to contend with it on some level--material, conceptual, formal, social.
What local lunch spot are you going to miss the most while we are away from our posts?
We are on Chicago Avenue and are lucky to have great spots nearby--half a block west is the legendary Fatso's, half a block east is All Together Now, which quickly became a go-to after it opened about a year ago. All Together Now is perfect for grabbing lunch or some wine, and luckily they are still doing pick up orders--we just ordered our vegetarian dinner the other night and some extra wine to keep us supplied! We will also miss weekly lunches at Milk and Honey, where we have been going for almost a decade and getting coffee at the nearby Dark Matter spots.
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