Hilton/Asmus Contemporary 
Present 
A John Ford Film Festival
with
Book signing 
Author Joseph Malham 
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Chicago, IL] Joseph Malham will present A John Ford Film Festival, taking place at Hilton/Asmus Contemporary on October 11, 12 and 13, 2013, and featuring three classic John Ford Films to be screened and discussed with a reception after.

The John Ford Film Festival will celebrate the release of Malham's book: John Ford: Poet in the Desert and commemorate the 40th anniversary of the director's death. 

The three day festival will spotlight three of the director's classic works: Stagecoach (Friday, October 11, 7:30 p.m.), How Green Was My Valley (Saturday, October 12, 7:30 p.m.) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Sunday, October 13, 5:00 p.m.).  
Malham's book, published by Lake Street Press in Chicago, is an intimate look at the life and work of a man considered the greatest poet of the American cinema and arguably the greatest in the history of the medium itself.  The films will be introduced by three guest speakers, including the author himself, and copies of the book will be available for purchase and autographing.  The Western-themed works of photographer Dennis Manarchy, who celebrates the vanishing cultures of America with a particular emphasis on the cowboy and the myths of the West.   

This event is free and while RSVPs are not required, they are recommended to insure seating for all. For more information, please call or write the author (info at top of page) or visit:
www.hiltonasmus.com 
www.lakestreetpress.com.  
WINTER INTO SPRING
THE MARVELOUS WEAVINGS
of ANI AFSHAR
click here to read the blog

ANI AFSHAR
FROM ISTANBUL 
TO CHICAGO

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As a child I had always been interested in making things and looking at art.

In my twenties I discovered weaving as a medium and taught myself all that I needed to know to create what was in my imagination. At the time I was also living in Iran and discovering the rural crafts that fascinated me.

Everything I weave stems from an impression, a mood. The first stage is a rough drawing in which I try to capture the the feeling of a moment through notations, shapes and divisions of space. When I start a piece, I select the colors and try to match them with a sketch. Once the work is on the loom, I follow the chosen colors and overall division of space as closely as possible. The next stage – the details- are more spontaneous; I usually know where things are going to be, but not exactly what they are going to be. These develop instinctively with colors, beads and textures. In weaving one is always going forward. I work with very basic techniques using the textures and colors as a palette. Once I have woven, I don’t go back and unravel or embellish; everything is created on the loom. 

My jewelry collection was developed for the high fashion mass market, with the vocabulary of weaving and embroidery that was familiar to me while keeping in mind the demands of the end user and the market.

The Tulle Constructions are the product of many small projects assembled into one; and at other times they stand alone. They don’t have the restrictions of a medium or an end user. 

I was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1946, went to school in Switzerland when I was twelve. There I met my husband from Iran there, and came to Chicago in 1966, always navigating between these four countries either for long vacations or to live. Although I was brought up in a very contemporary environment, the Middle East was always attractive to me. I am sure that my subconscious is flooded with all the cultures that I was exposed to and, without my express intent, they undoubtedly show up in my work. 
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Ani Afshar, SMILE (detail)
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Ani Afshar, Stories (detail)
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Arica Hilton in front of "WHATEVER IT IS" mirror with poem. Meltem Aktas and Sven Asmus in the background.
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REFLECTION, sculpture
___________________________________

Sven Asmus moves from Rolls-Royce showroom to art gallery...
Click here to read the rest of the story

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Sven Asmus & Arica Hilton with Ray & Denise Drasga, in front of the painting they purchased, "ONE DAY LIKE RAIN"
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John Jostrand, Sven Asmus, Dennis Manarchy, John Clark, looking up in rapt attention at SOUL LIGHT, the mirrored cube, Swarovski Crystal installation by Arica Hilton
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Arica Hilton, SOUL LIGHT, Mirrored Cubes, Swarovski Crystals, Styrofoam, Wood

BODY & SOUL 
CLOSING RECEPTION

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ARTIST TALK 
hosted by ELYSABETH ALFANO  
(FEAR NO ART & THE DINNER PARTY)
 Special Guest, 
actress NORA DUNN

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
 (Doors close at 7:15 when filming begins) 
click here for more information


HILTON | ASMUS
SCULPTURE COLLECTION

DONALD SULTAN with ROBERT CREELEY
"VISUAL POETICS"

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In the tradition of Blake, Morris and "Les Livres des Peintres", "VISUAL POETICS, THE ART OF DONALD SULTAN, 1999, hales from the acclaimed series, Master Contemporary Books. This 17" x 22.5" volume is hand silkscreen printed on museum quality, 300 gram archival Coventry rag paper, Smythe sewn and hand casebound in black Brahma leather, wrapped with a high quality and enduring hide. This limited edition fine art book is in the collection of Museum of Modern Art and along with numerous other museums.  

DENNIS MANARCHY
BUTTERFLIES & BUFFALO
Tales of American Culture

September 6 - October 12
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Hilton | Asmus Contemporary is proud to introduce Dennis Manarchy's latest series of photograph, Butterflies & Buffalo, (Tales of American Culture) on the heels of the fantastic METAL show from last September.  The show is comprised of not only his classic black & white imagery, but color renditions of his photography along with a video of Manrchy's contemporary vision of a gunfight!   

Recently a speaker for TEDx Windy City, Manarchy discussed the creation of his 35 foot camera that create a negative with 97,000 pixels and can develop into a two story tall photograph, showing every pore, hair follicle and more detail than any photograph ever taken.  A model of the camera will be on display during the exhibition.  

More details to follow....
CHICAGO TRIBUNE  "AT THE FIELD MUSEUM VISIONS OF DANTE" 
JOHN W. CLARK

REFLECTIONS: 
THE FUNCTION OF FORM

FRIDAY, MAY 31
5 pm to 9 pm

Exhibition runs thru July 23
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John W. Clark, EARTH DANCE

KOSTIS GEORGIOU 


PIXELS
PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES

CLOSING RECEPTION 
AND TALK ABOUT THE OEUVRE 
of KOSTIS GEORGIOU
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward 
appearance of things, but their inward significance." -Plato

A pixel, short for picture element, is the smallest element of an image that can be illuminated or darkened.  And so it is, with the paintings and sculptures of Kostis Georgiou.  Infused with an alchemy of brilliant colors, these smallest elements burst with emotion and lyricism.  Please join us as we welcome Kostis Georgiou to Chicago for an exhibition of his paintings and sculptures following his 5-museum tour in China.  

Exhibition runs through April 12th, 2013
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Kostis Georgiou w/Connie Mourtoupalas, President of the Hellenic Museum in Chicago at a luncheon at Hilton | Asmus Contemporary
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Taurus Omega, oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
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Kostis Georgiou, Thesis, 18 x 24 x 5 cm

BODY & SOUL
PART II

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11
5:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Hilton | Asmus Contemporary | THE SOUL
Jennifer Norback Fine Art  | THE BODY 
Addington Gallery | WHERE THE TWO MEET

paintings, poetry, video by ARICA HILTON
sculpture by
BELGIN YÜCELEN, ÇETIN ATEŞ, 
 jewelry by TAMMY KOHL

The next chapter in this collaborative exhibition between three galleries addresses the themes of symmetry, color and an deeper exploration into the history of birth through death (or transmutation of energy). 
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ARICA HILTON & SVEN ASMUS at opening of BODY & SOUL, Part I

WHAT IS SOUL? 
By Arica Hilton

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 "How does an artist visually define SOUL?  That was the challenge when I began the exploration and connections of SOUL, combined with and exclusive of, BODY, for my December exhibition at Hilton | Asmus Contemporary.  I have always painted, whether on canvas or in my poetry, an interconnection between the human being and the universe, as in my series, WHERE STARS ARE BORN.  That was the beginning of a lifelong search for the origins of life, my own, and in general.  So where is the link between the elements that comprise a nebula, those clouds of dust and gases in the galaxies far, far away from our earth AND the human SOUL  We know that without the creation and destruction of stars, we would not physically exist.  What is the underlying relationship between that realm of spirit and the physical aspects of the world we live in?  Can we quantify SOUL?

In many mythological, religious, philosophical, and psychological traditions, SOUL is considered incorporeal (meaning, without a body)  and, in many conceptions, the immortal essence of a person, living thing, or object. In ancient Greece, AIR was considered to be incorporeal (movement)  as opposed to EARTH (solid).  The Catholic theologian, Thomas Aquinas, attributed "soul" (anima) to all organisms but taught that only humans are immortal, as in #6 of the Webster definition above.  Other religions teach that all organisms, not only humans, such as animals, plants, rivers, mountains and natural phenomena possess souls. This latter belief is called animism,  where there is no separation between the spiritual and physical world. And then there was Carl Jung, who described the anima and animus as elements of the collective unconscious, a psychic awareness that exists by an accumulation of experience by preceding generations.

So what does this all mean to me?  Is the soul a manifestation of the essence of life? Does it materialize from the mind process? Or is it a separate "thing" that exists in our bodies that the ancient Egyptian Goddess Ma'at can weigh on her scales of truth and justice when a person dies.  

"I have always believed in the centers of the body that collect and distribute energy. I believe that we, as physical beings are more than a collection of atoms, molecules and cells.  We have a brain that is stimulated by thought. But how is thought actually manifested in our brain?  And what about the process of the heart?  Many of us "think" with our hearts, or often with our "gut."  We have the ability to distill feelings and thoughts through various organs of our bodies.  Where and how does that apply to SOUL?  Can we differentiate how the ultimate nature of our spirit interrelates with our bodies?  These are questions that have perplexed me for years. 

When I think of SOUL, I cannot help but think of the word, LOVE.  To me, LOVE is the connector of everything, the link to life, so to speak.  In my poetry and paintings, each is infused with that recognition, in connection with the earth, the air, the stars and beyond.  Perhaps I subscribe to the philosophy of Animism.  All aspects of the elements that comprise the universe permeate through my works.  As far as I am concerned, searching for Soul is searching for Love.  Contrary to popular belief, I believe LOVE is the "grounding" force in  life.  So many people think of love as a weakness, not a strength, as an ethereal, transient, figment of one's imagination.  Very much like SOUL that people think of as an ethereal, elusive, mist of some sort that is separate from the body.  I think the chemistry between LOVE and SOUL is unmistakable, interchangeable. If we believe in a faith-based definition of Soul, then Love is  inexorably intertwined with that concept and thus, the Body becomes the vessel for the intermingling of these various dimensions of consciousness."...... ...to read more please click here
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COURAGE OF THE SHADOW, honed metal sculpture
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I AM OCEAN, honed metal sculpture
 PictureDennis Manarchy, Cowboy
"Mythical Proportions"

written and performed by
Nora Dunn

HELD OVER UNTIL 
OCTOBER 20, 2013
Using Arica Hilton's 6 x 10 foot painting, UNIVERSE, LIFE UNLIMITED, as the backdrop for her play, Nora Dunn's singular solo performance emerges from the memories of a mythical 87-year-old Hollywood doyenne who discovered the greatest stars of the 50’s, the musings of a seven-year old girl who is mystified by the small world of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and the life of the inmates in a TV series called Lockdown, a 65-year-old woman, Mrs. Williams, who chronicles a family history tainted by racism yet grounded in love, and a dreamy middle-aged English bookkeeper who’s ill fated vacation to Southern California ends in tragedy. Dunn’s personal stories from her childhood in Chicago’s West Side collide with the tales of the rich and powerful players in show business.

Running Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

For more information click here

THEATER WIT
1229 W Belmont,
Chicago IL 60657 
773-975-8150 
MARCO NEREO ROTELLI ILLUMINATES FIELD MUSEUM ON JUNE 24! 
PictureMarco Nereo Rotelli with Arica Hilton & Sven Asmus
Monday June 24, at 9:30 pm , Marco Nereo Rotelli's collaborative installation of light, projected images, music and live poetry turned the north and west facades of the Field Museum into a living architectural manuscript meditating on Dante's visions of heaven and hell, nature and numerology, reality and representation.

True to the theme of Dante's Inferno, the evening was 
According to Kerry Reid in an article in the Chicago Tribune, 

"Rotelli, when he was approached by Silvio Marchetti, the director of Istituto Italiano di Cultura about creating a site-specific installation for Chicago's celebration of 2013 as the Year of Italian Culture in the United States, "I wanted to take a poem of the Italian culture that became an object of all the world." He also wanted, as he had done in many of his works, to bring in global visions of poets. In doing so, he reached out to past collaborator Arica Hilton, an artist, poet and owner of Hilton Asmus Contemporary gallery in River North and former president of the Poetry Center, to help him find poets who could work with cantos that Rotelli selected from Dante and give them a contemporary spin."
"For me, the space where I work is a concept," says Rotelli, who first trained as an architect. "It is interesting for me to work on horizontal architecture in a city of the vertical." Long fascinated with lost languages, Rotelli also finds inspiration in the Field as a repository of natural history and cultures, as well as in its location near the lake, with its vista of the horizon of water and sky.

"The light, the poetry, the architecture all suggest the possibility of joining the past and the present," says Rotelli. And as Marchetti notes, the Field's location on a hill overlooking major thoroughfares allows for the installation to be glimpsed by those passing by.

In addition to the poetry (other participating poets include Elise Paschen, Ana Castillo, Giuseppe Conte, Reginald Gibbons, Lia Siamou, Thomas Haskell Simpson and Chana Zelig), "Divina Natura" also incorporates an original soundtrack featuring original compositions by Adrian Leverkuhn and Thomas Masters as well as soprano Karolina Dvorakova.

For a city known as "Nature's Metropolis" — as William Cronon dubbed Chicago in his signature history — as well as one that romanticizes its own phoenix-from-the-ashes past, there may be a special resonance in Rotelli's "Divina Natura." But for all who look wearily upon the never-ending bad news in the headlines, Rotelli promises that the installation can remind us that "The mind of every man, every poet, is looking toward heaven."

Born in Venice in 1955, Marco Nereo Rotelli lives and works in Milan and Paris.  He holds an MBA in Architecture.  For years Rotelli researched light and the poetic dimension, which Harald Szeemann has defined “an expansion of the artistic contest”.  Rotelli has created a solid relationship between art and other disciplines of knowledge for years. Involving in his research as a consequence, philosophers, musicians, photographers, film directors, but mainly the relationship is between his art and poetry, which has become a constant reference to his work.  He has illuminated major monuments such as the Arc de Triomphe, the Musee du Petit Palais in paris, the Beijing Olympics and has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale numerous times. 

FROM ATHENS TO CHICAGO

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Kostis Georgiou was born in 1956 in Thessalonica, a town thriving with life and activity, and the second port of Greece. 

After his secondary schooling in Athens, he went on a quest to find his identity. For six months he tried living in Sweden but missed the heat. He went to Florence to study stage design, and then returned to Athens where he went to Art College to study painting and sculpture under Pr. D Mytaras and Pr. D.Kokkonides. He finished his studies at the Royal College of Art in London under Pr. Peter de Francia.

After his wanderings, he decided to settle in Athens where he felt at home. From 1988 to 1991 he taught painting and stage design at the L.Stavrakos School of Cinema and worked for theatre and the Greek television company ERT. At the same time he continued to paint and sculpt. Soon this is all he did, devoting himself to his art, preferring his work as an artist to more lucrative activities at that time. It was a necessity for him to create and bring forth forms from his soul and being. He likes both painting and sculpture and has the incessant need to go from one to the other continuously. For him, they both express the same tension. They are not soft but have a declamatory style, majestically orchestrated, with bright, frank,unrelenting colours, the space inhabited by people and animals. This theatricality is doubtless due to Georgiou’s years of training and experience.

Recent pictorial works by the artist use the same artificial settings, breaking away from traditional methods of composition. Georgiou creates another universe where the onlooker can grasp the silent language of colour and form. His palette in much of his work, is reduced to primary colours and black, (considered to be the absence of colour yet used as one). This simple use of yellows, reds, blues and black, bring an emotional intensity to each stage, almost film-like, in his canvases. The spectator is invited to enter and participate in the action taking place. For example, works such as  Domina, Tempus, Optimus, Stasis and Ecce Homo on three levels: the setting of the scene, the scene itself and in the semi-dark background where one guesses that something is happening.  Even more lively and interactive is the rather dark canvas Dreams  which shows a diver. Here Georgiou brings us into his own thoughts. He considers that a creator is not an artist but someone who dives into deep waters to translate an original and indefinable work. He is one of those artists with an insatiable appetite for creation.

When he feels the intrinsic need to turn to sculpture, a means of changing medium, he is driven by the same passion, to reposition and open his paintings to other perspectives. He began sculpture when he was twenty-four years old and held his first three dimensional exhibition in 1986. Everything is created from beginning to the end in his studio. He is the only person who touches his sculptural pieces. He tries to master stainless steel, sheets of iron, aluminium, and more recently, bronze. He solders, hammers and paints. It is only for work in bronze that he refers to a founder. Today he makes new sculptures. They are conceived to become monumental works installed in towns, making the environment a more beautiful and pleasant place for the inhabitants. The three bronzes Phylax, Galileo, Epiphanion are remarkably simple with great purity of line and a minimalist structure. In contrast, the Thesis and Stasis, types of strange, almost human, animals, transport us into a fantastical land. While Motion, Bridge, Dancers and Acrobats are more lyrical, lively and theatrical.This is doubtless Georgiou’s way of transporting us into a new world.

Pick Keobandith
Docteur en Histoire de l’Art – Ph.D
Director of Qu Art
October 29th, 2012

ÇETIN ATEŞ  
SCULPTURE

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Çetin Ateş's sculptures are a profound yet playful addition to the upcoming BODY & SOUL exhibition. The sculptures echo the kind of inner reflection the show hopes to inspire among viewers, delving into worlds beyond the tangible.

Sculptures such as COURAGE OF THE SHADOW resurrects the Greek myth of the daimon--benevolent guardian spirits which provided guidance and protection to individuals they watched over.  The representation of the daimon in this piece is mystifying and enables a spiritual realm to exist in our reality. 

Ateş's work provokes an assessment of one's past and future, fitting beautifully into  the upcoming celebrations of rebirth during Christmas and the new year.  METAMORPHOSIS is a sculpture that encompasses these gestures as a man literally climbs to his desirable state--a heavenly being. 

The title evokes this magnificent change from one self to another--a process in which we all strive to take part.  The sculptures provide a way for viewers to remember not only their mortality, but the spirits within them, awakening for another wholesome year.
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METAMORPHOSIS, honed metal sculpture