Absurdity: In Dada We Trust
Absurdity, In Dada We Trust, is a collaboration between The Art Center Highland Park, Chicago Women's Caucus for Art, and Stola Contemporary Art.
When the world goes mad, the arts go Dada.
Racism and extremist nationalism are empowered and bullies are applauded. Women?s rights are being set back by 50 years, and the LGBTQ community is dangling by a thread as individual rights are regulated but assault weapons are not. Social media has highjacked news and the term ?alternate set of facts? has become the norm, no longer just the brunt of jokes. The world is witnessing a new level of insanity.
For artists, it's a clear call to look to the past for guidance and take a stand. How? In a word: Dadaism. Created as a reaction to the absurdity of war and the propaganda of WWI, Dadaism was the reaction of a group of artists from another time in history when the world was on the brink of madness. That is why The Art Center Highland Park, Stola Gallery, and Chicago Women's Caucus for Art are building a coalition to fight back against the current trend toward insanity. How this collaboration is happening is by combining our efforts to invite as many other art institutions, theatre companies, filmmakers, dance companies, writers, musicians, and creatives to participate in our communal movement/exhibit -Absurdity: In Dada We Trust.
TAC is searching for artists whose work addresses the theme of Absurdity: a world on the brink of madness. Entries can be in any medium and groups, companies, and individuals are all welcome to submit.
Entire organizations can join our project and help us expand the concept as far as we can all imagine. Reach out to Caren Helene Rudman crudman@theartcenterhp.org to inquire how you can participate with a separate exhibition.
Featured artist and guest juror Sally Edelstein is a New York artist and blogger who uses propaganda and media of the past to draw comparisons to today?s issues. Her blog, Envisioning the American Dream, probes the ways that advertising and media alter our perceptions of race, class, and gender.
*Stola Contemporary Art will host a separate call for entry specifically for current members of The Women's Caucus for Art addressing the theme of Absurdity.
Curators and jurors will be looking for artworks that reflect how ABSURDITY is a sign of the times. A wide interpretation of the theme will be considered.
