By Dzenita Mustafi
On January 24th, the Elmhurst Art Museum unveiled the “Sustenance & Land: Five Artists Consider Our Relationship With The Earth” installation, which is open to the public until April 27th. The installation contains art by Chunbo Zhang, Claire Pentecoste, Lydia Cheshewalla, Tomiko Jones, and Barbara Ciurej + Lindsay Lochman. The Installation was curated by Liz Chilsen, who shed light on the intricacies of the installation when interviewed.
Liz Chilsen has an extensive history in curation, from photography curation in galleries for Columbia College Chicago to her current work curating exhibits at the Elmhurst Art Museum. As a local to the area, she had been familiar with the museum for years before her employment there, ensuring her curations were suited to the interests of both the museum and the demographics it attracts. When asked about her planning process, she clarified that she “had not worked with these artists before, but knew of their work and topics of focus” and knew they would be the right choices once she had settled on the theme of the installation.
The Exhibit begins with an interactive art piece from Claire Pentecoste containing multiple trays of soil that guests are invited to smell. The piece aims to connect the viewers with the ideas of the earth and our interconnectedness, so that they are more prepared for the diverse artworks composing the installation. Though the initial art piece invites the guests to utilize their senses, to touch and smell, the central piece of her section is less interactive. It is composed of a series of podiums displaying various jars, bottles, and tins containing earthly elements such as soil, roots, and dried plants.
The section on Chunbo Zhang features art pieces centered on food and the earth, and offers a more comedic take on the themes of the installation. This section is centered around wall-mounted art pieces, and guests are invited to view paintings such as a donut composed of fine china, while considering the deeper messages of the work. Though the absurdist qualities of the artwork may portray the art as comedic, it reveals much about consumerism and conservation in America through Zhang’s connections between processed foods and Chinese motifs.
The artists Barbara Ciurej + Lindsay Lochman prefer to be labeled as a singular artist, as they have worked together for decades and have a collaborative display in this installation. Their art pairs well with the work of Chunbo Zhang, a fact that Liz Chilsen emphasized during her interview. “Once I had decided the themes, I knew the art would fall into place, especially since they draw on the comedic side of things,” expressed Chilsen. Though the artists have created art centered around humanity’s relationship with food previously, the artwork for this installation was unlike anything seen before, especially the piece with different candies displayed as geological specimens.
The section containing the art of Lydia Cheshewalla is composed of an immersive art piece projected onto the walls of the gallery. The images display scenes of collaboration between the natural and man-made world, with brutalist architecture against the leafy green backdrop of a forest. Along with this are mosaic-style pieces on the walls, composed of leaves, seeds, flowers, and other forms of vegetation native to the area. This section blends the experience of the senses, much like the Pentecoste section, through sight and sound. The images of the man-made world invading the natural world, with the sounds of wildlife against city noise, emphasize the shift in humanity’s relationship with the earth.
The art from Tomiko Jones has a much more centralized theme, and though it does contain art of many mediums, the usage of the color blue throughout unifies the art. This section of the installation focused more on the usage of ink and the silhouettes of wildlife, but other aspects of the natural world were incorporated as well, through the shells and landscape shots displayed. The inclusion of Jones’s art provided a different perspective into the interpretation of sustenance, with nature serving as food for the soul. Though the art in this section is wall-mounted, similarly to Zhang’s art, there are multiple mediums displayed, as well as a three-dimensional piece composed of shelves displaying various natural elements.
Though the artists all came from different backgrounds and utilized different mediums, the central themes still ring clear to the viewer. The experience of curator Liz Chilsen is shown in the cohesiveness of the installation, and the overarching themes connecting artists. The artists Chunbo Zhang, Claire Pentecost, Lydia Cheshewalla, Tomiko Jones, and Barbara Ciurej & Lindsay Lochman each have their own websites containing archives of their works and updates on upcoming installations. For those looking to immerse themselves in art addressing our dependence on the earth and how we seek to sustain ourselves from it, this installation from the Elmhurst Art Museum is an invaluable experience.
All images courtesy of the Elmhurst Art Museum and The Silverman Group.
