With Image Structure, the latest Public Works exhibition from Sonnenzimmer, artistic duo Nick Butcher and Nadine Nakanishi break rank from the flat planes that have defined and dictated much of their previous work, moving from static two-dimensional imagery to a more malleable format.
Known for abstract screen printed music posters the world over (Aphex Twin, Andrew Bird, The National, Bedhead, Deerhoof, Fourtet, Jesu and hundreds more) their newest work delves into the tradition of textiles, merging hand-woven and screen-printed fabric into a series of quilts.
Rather than a simple reproduction of imagery onto a new surface, the aim of Image Structure is to explore the tactile and sculptural qualities made possible by this new medium. Working closely with the recent recipients of the 2012 Chicago Architectural Prize, Club Club, the exhibition investigates the nature of two-dimensional images under the influence of three-dimensional form.
Each quilt interacts with a unique structural display, both magnifying and dismantling the function and graphic nature of the individual quilts. Paired with recent abstract paintings exploring landscape, these works act as a pendulum of functionality and abstract thinking. In dialogue with the exhibit, Sonnenzimmer will be publishing a limited edition book in collaboration with Club Club, both documenting and investigating the work and its theme.
Sonnenzimmer’s work has been shown in The United States, Brazil, China, and Europe; with solo exhibitions at Vebikus Kunsthalle Schaffhausen, Switzerland, and Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee. They lead lectures & workshops in academic and commercial settings, including past visits to Aalto University, Finland; California Institute for the Arts, CA; Columbia College Chicago, IL; Cranbrook Art Academy, MI; Facebook Analog Research Laboratory, CA; Grafisches Forum Zürich, Switzerland; The Art Institute of Chicago, IL; Minneapolis College of Art and Design, MN; Pratt Institute, NY; Yale School of Art, CT.
