Event Wed Feb 18 2015

Inside/Within & VIA Publication @ Threewalls Gallery

By S. Nicole Lane

I'll have to admit, I'm a little -- okay more than a little -- immersed in the online archive, Inside/Within. I won't go into specifics about how sleek their website is, or how they sometimes incorporate .gifs into interview segments, but I will go into how important I think studio visits are for eager fan-folk (like myself) and how, similarly, they are beneficial for the artists themselves. In a nutshell, Inside/Within is an online archive that visits, absorbs and features Chicago artists in their creative spaces. Exposing an artist's creative space allows for other artists, or interested peers, to gain insight into what goes on behind the scenes. The website has a pretty large collection of captivating interviews and close-ups of studio practice. For both reader and artist, the process enables creative growth and the ability to share ideas and artistic practice.

So, of course, excitement and dedication forced me outside into the fresh snow and black ice when I heard that VIA Publication and Inside/Within were hosting an event at Threewalls called "I Like Your Work."

The event, an in-person and off-line gathering, invited artists, curators, musicians, writers and programmers for a night of relaxed conversation and interviews in the Threewalls gallery space in the west loop. Seated upon yellow benches among a full-to-the-brim packed room, VIA and Inside/Within introduced 16 local and international individuals for two hours of discourse.

VIA, a print magazine and online platform that focuses around the central themes of visual art, music and LA culture, hosts "I Like Your Work" conversations often on the west coast. However, this was the first Chicago-based event. Interviewers and interviewees included Sabina Ott, Danny Orendorff, Noel Morical, Karolina Gnatowski, Chad Kouri, Josh Berman, Assaf Evron, Lise Haller Baggesen, Brandon Alvendia, Jason Lazarus, Danny Giles, Dave Leggett, Andrew Fenchel from Lampo, Abina Manning from Video Data Bank, Stephanie Cristello and Michal Raz-Russo. Intimate and spontaneous, artists interviewed artists, serious questions were asked and hilarious questions were answered. Overall, the night was casual yet, insightful. The variety of individuals invited to participate in the evening event were all over the map in terms of careers, interests, practice, and experience.

"I Like Your Work" made a conscious decision to include a wonderful array of creatives, which allowed the attendees to focus on a collection of topics and personal interests. The Chicago Artist Writers, The Three Graces exhibition, and The Kitchen in NYC are just a few examples of the topics and discussions that were included in interviews throughout the night. Whatever piqued your interest, someone was bound to discuss. Abina Manning, who was interviewed by Andrew Fenchel, was particularly distinctive due to the combination of personal, yet professional questions, that concentrated on the incredible resource, Video Data Bank, which has the work of more than 550 artists and 5,500 video art titles.

"I Like Your Work" is currently an event based in the sunshine of LA along with VIA Publication. Hosts, Ally Hasche and Julie Niemi of VIA and Katie Sierzputowski of Inside/Within, organized an informative, playful and cozy environment for all types of Chicago creatives. Additionally, Threewalls has the current exhibitions, Latham Zearfoss' Yes X 1000 and Outreach: Jaime Davidovich, 1974-1984 which is on view until March 21 at 119 N. Peoria, #2C. For more info, email info@three-walls.org or call 312-432-3972.