Paul Heyer, Adam and Eve, 2014
Chicago Works: Paul Heyer
MCA Chicago
220 E Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
January 16 - July 1, 2018
Chicago artist Paul Heyer creates a magical confluence of sci-fi imagery, surreal figures, fairy tale forests, abstract forms, skyscapes and hypnotic music in his first solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. An immersive installation, rooted in Heyer’s experiences and memories of rave and club culture, the exhibition features a soundtrack that helps draw listeners into another world. Heyer’s large, pastel paintings, along with recent sculptural works, including brooms that hang in a constellation above the viewer, interact with the music to create a multisensory, dream-like realm. A common theme is transformation, with, according to the artist, “brooms becoming universes, people becoming skies, apples becoming blue.” Heyer wants to bring the viewer into a space where the imagination and magic of childhood are vibrantly alive, and anything is possible. Heyer says, “it’s my job to play and invite the viewer in to play.”
Chicago Works was organized by Omar Kholeif, Manilow Senior Curator and Director of Global Initiatives, and Erin Toale, former Curatorial Assistant, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. It is presented in the Dr. Paul and Dorie Sternberg Family Gallery and Ed and Jackie Rabin Gallery on the museum’s third floor. The exhibition runs January 16 through July 1, 2018.
For more information, visit the MCA online.
