Mirth, Delight, AWE opens at Co-Prosperity Sphere in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago on Friday 22 June. 6 - 9 pm.
John Arthur Kramer, is among the artists showing.
John says, "My work explores social politics in American culture. Issues of acceptance and alienation are explored and presented in irreverent ways, often referencing art history. Gimmicks and tricks are given as much credit as the simple, geometric forms which they often inhabit. Common detritus is glued and taped, stretched and pulled, twisted and knotted in a highly tactile, transformative process. Serious subject matter manifests itself in campy disguises with brattish attitude, pushing the boundaries of trust and allowing for personal "baggage" to guide the viewing experience. Craft is garishly exposed while repetition and organization suggests a masculine domesticity, exposing and questioning traditional gender roles. The impermanence of non-traditional materials used raises questions of value and authenticity, while suggesting a critique of modern, "throw-away" society. Embedded meanings in the materials offer a primer which helps decode the narrative."
John has consistently demonstrated an ability to uproot himself from one urban - or SUBurban - cultural tribe then transplant himself into another. It is from these not always queer-friendly intersections that he
creates poignant artwork about his experience. Much of this work identifies signifiers of good taste and codifications of high social and financial status taken from communities within which
high art is un-present.
The macho vocabulary of new urban kitsch is a motif omnipresent in the matrix of John's landscape. Conversely, there is also a recurrence of an amused examination of d-list female icons of the 1990s like Kathy Ireland. Women who have made it to the middle but think they're on top.
Finally, John also enjoys dissecting queer sexual sub-stereotypes like piss pigs through a DuChampian-via Eva Hesse-sometimes-Fluxist lens as you can see in this photo of a structure assembled from jock straps and yellow lights woven into a triangular formation. I look forward to seeing these as well as other provocative and humorous pieces Friday at Co-Prosperity Sphere. 3219 S. Morgan St. Chicago, IL. 60608.
Mirth, Delight, AWE runs 22 June - 8 July 2012.
Erik R. Peterson
John has consistently demonstrated an ability to uproot himself from one urban - or SUBurban - cultural tribe then transplant himself into another. It is from these not always queer-friendly intersections that he 
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