Who defines the present?
What is contemporary art?

Where is now located?
When does contemporary begin and end?
Why are people making art right now?
How is this show contemporary?

The impulse to define or understand the contemporary has preoccupied generations before us and will continue to elude generations to come. While contemporary is by definition the exact moment we are in, we found that how artists react to their individual present convey a vast disparity in articulations.
 

Contemporary art is not developed in a vacuum. It reflects influences from the past and insights into the future.  Amongst the works exhibited some draw from familial history while other looks to new media, alternative materials, and hybrid practices.

This exhibition is a tool for developing different expressions of contemporary, ultimately pushing people to seek their own. By bringing together a team of diverse artists with individual interests, we challenge the notion that being contemporary is a solid state. Instead, we propose that being contemporary is an ever evolving, emergent process.

This exhibition is curated by 15 students listed below enrolled in Curatorial Practice at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago under the instruction of curator Mia Lopez, SAIC MAAAP and MAAH, 2013.

Vidisha Aggarwal, B.F.A. in Studio Art 2018
Ariel Aguilar, Continuing Studies
Brenda Lee Bohen, M.A. in Historic Preservation 2017
Emily Breidenbach, M.A. in Arts Administration and Policy 2019
Chia-An Chin, M.F.A. in Studio Art 2018
Ivonne Cruz, M.A. in Art Education 2018
Danielle Eady, M.A. in Modern and Contemporary Art History and Arts Administration and Policy 2019
Courtney Graham, M.A. in Arts Administration and Policy 2018
Yarima Elena Hernandez Perez, M.A. in Arts Administration and Policy 2018
Xin Hu, M.A. in Arts Administration and Policy 2017
Jiayi Song, M.A. in Arts Administration and Policy 2017
Fabiola Tosi, M.A. in Arts Administration and Policy 2017
Asha Veal Brisebois, M.A. in Arts Administration and Policy 2017
Xue Yang, M.A. in Modern and Contemporary Art History 2018
Zheyuan Zhang, M.A. in Arts Administration and Policy 2018

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