ART OR IDIOCY?: Tonite! SAT, APR 26

Art or Idiocy? is coming to you LIVE from the Artropolis press room. In the next few days you will find posts and slide shows on a variety of goings on and noteworthy things, such as muscle cars slowly enacting the end of history in the Hegelian sense and the result of modern primitives building the starship Enterprse. But for now there's plenty of stuff going on tonight after the fairs close down for the evening. Here are just a few:

Artist Paul Nudd has organized STOMA (the post-COMA aroma) that is taking place at the former home of The California Occidental Museum of Art (COMA)an alternative space run by artists Erik Brown and Annika Seitz. When I found out about it, I said

Dude that is one fucking sweet poster. So we know that COMA is closing? And Stoma is the final-ing of it? And it is like a stye?

To which the reply was

is a stoma not an opening from an internal organ to an external device? like a colostomy bag? our goal is to find someone with a
colostomy and feed him/her one of the erotic cakes and then we can all watch the art being stomatized....
nudd

So check it out.
STOMA (the post-op aroma of COMA)
Saturday April 26th, 2008 7pm
1626 N. California #2,Chicago

Next is Alogon, a space run by folks from the Art Institute's grad program.
Discipline Problems is a group exhibition curated by the magnifficant Joseph Grigely.

Alogon
Performance and Opening Reception:7-10P
April 26 to May 3 2008 Alogon Gallery, hours: Sundays 1-4pm
Film Screening and Closing Event: Saturday May 3rd 7-10pm
1049 N. PAULINA APT 3R, CHICAGO, IL 60622
(Division stop on the blue line)
>WEBSITE

artists include: Sarah Alford, Katie Lennard, AndrewandAndrea, Alicia Chester, Ellen Alderman, Danielle Sommer, Rebecca Gordon, Kristi McGuire, Mike Gibisser, Samantha Topol, Jesse Vogler, Szu-Han Ho, and Heidi Neubauer-Winterburn, with a performance by Joey Orr, and a screening program of occult shit films, Channeling: An Invocation of Spectral Bodies and Queer Spirits, organized by Ethan White and Latham Zearfoss.

Also, "check us [Alogon] out at the NEXT fair in booth 4014! We are showing selected works from previous shows and trying to be genuinely nice and available people willing answer any questions about the space.

Roots & Culture is having their Second Annual Fundraiser and Art Fair Decompression Party featuring a silent auction of dozens of artworks by R & C artists and distinguished friends, live music by Pit Er Pat, surprise guest DJ's, drinks, and as always, tasty snacks!
Roots & Culture
8pm- Midnight
1034 N MILWAUKEE
CHICAGO, IL 60622
>WEBSITE

Roots also has a booth at the NEXT fair with work by Mike Andrews,
Isak Applin, Sarah Conaway, Ryan Fenchel, Sabine Gruffat, Jamisen Ogg, Carmen Price, Kristen Vandeventer and film and video by Andy Roche, Michael Robinson, and Lisa Williamson

Finally, in a little bit of mixed interest plugging:
Gary Rattigan: Things Go Wrong Quite Often
at
65GRAND
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 26 (7-10PM)
April 26 - June 07, 2008
1378 W Grand Ave at Noble St. (entrance on Noble)
312-719-4325
>WEBSITE

I got involved with 65GRAND through visiting it as a writer, my first piece for TimeOut Chicago was a review of Rattigan's last show. Now I'm more involved as an artist than as a critic who is interested in the program (alough I still am). So I don't get to plug this space and review it like a used to for conflict of interest reasons. But this show is still awesome and you should check it out. I also have a piece up. So how's that for disclosure/nepotism!

Enjoy your weekend dear art lovers.