LVL3 is proud to present as a sort of cloud rather than a bubble, a two-person exhibition featuring work by Juan Neira (Chicago) & Clare Gatto (Detroit).
In this exhibition the artists grapple with the boundaries between the body and nothingness, and between organic & material form. Neira’s sculptures place the viewer face-to-face with the abyss, a heavy emptiness. Material pulls and puckers within the reflective darkness, drawing us up into an abstract and abject tug-of-war between expansion and contraction. Up against an ineffable border, Gatto’s meandering forms, amorphous bodies, & oothecae slide in and out of our view. Drawing inspiration from natural spawning structures and transient orifices, their sculptures take viscera seriously, pointing out precarity in 2d & 3d realms. The interstitial space Neira & Gatto’s works inhabit permeates the line between external & internal. In as a sort of cloud, the artists cruise the seductive ambiguity of the void and what lies beyond it.
Juan Neira was born in Bogota, Colombia, in the year 1992. He received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2019. Neira currently lives and works in Chicago, IL. His practice deconstructs the way we experience mental health through a raw abstraction of emotions and feelings as a way to demystify and facilitate topics we feel uncomfortable speaking of.
Clare Gatto is a transdisciplinary artist living and working in Detroit, MI. They received their BFA from Ohio State State University and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. A recipient of the 2020 Red Bull Micro Grant, they have attended artist residencies such as Vermont Studio Center, ACRE, Seljavegur residency in Iceland, and Velferden Residency in Norway. Their artist book Good Side is in the Whitney Museum of Art Library Special Collections. Notable group shows include Daily Rush: Season 3 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit, Loading at the Mana Contemporary pavilion as part of the Wrong Digital Art Biennial, and The Lucent Image at Eastern Michigan University. Gatto is co-director of BULK SPACE alongside Jova Lynne, Sara Nishikawa, Meg Kelley and Jes Allie. BULK SPACE Artist Residency was a recipient of the Knights Arts Challenge Award in 2019.
Opening: Saturday, November 20th 6 – 10 pm!
Gallery hours are Sundays 1-4 pm and can also be made by appointment. Email team@lvl3official.com or call/text 312-469-0333 to reserve a time outside of gallery hours.
*Proof of vaccination and masks are required for all visitors during opening events, regular gallery hours, and all private appointments.
