TOTEMS AND ANGELS
The Guild Room
August 4, 2023 to September 16, 2023
“Over the years I have been interested in, researched, and studied mythology and its origins, popular culture, sociology, psychology, religious and spiritual ideas, history: In short, quite a lot that has to do with the human experience. Painting and making objects help me understand the world we inhabit. I strive to make reflective work in which people can recognize themselves, while allowing them to see humanity from diverse vantage points.”
Totems are paternal symbols and archetypes that represent the creation of a people. Animals, as portrayed through totems, are power symbols from which inspiration and strong connections can be formed. In my totems, the structure and original “animal” associations remain, but the objects are comprised of a variety of Western symbols that are often associated with human waste, gluttony, and shallowness.”
In his series Totems and Angels, Aleman explores how contemporary humans experience God. In four monumental oil paintings, he depicts the narrative of the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel’s fantastical visions of a heavenly hybrid creature having the four faces of God’s dominion: the lion, the eagle, the bull, and the human. His paintings literally explode these iconic figures using multiple painting techniques that suggest motion and fragmentation. The simple cutout body and fluttering wings of Cherubim–Lion serve as a backdrop for the blue sky and barren tree erupting from its fiery head. A peering human eye in Cherubim–Eagle engages the viewer in a mist of flames, feathers, and shards of color. In Cherubim–Bull, a flowering, horned head shakes itself out over a vast blur of city lights. Finally, in Cherubim–Human, Aleman renders a network of scintillating neurons radiating from a splayed figure.
In his fragmentation of the symbols and icons of religion and science, Aleman attempts to represent God as both mystical and multidimensional, as if to say we can never truly ‘see’ God.
For more information or to schedule a viewing appointment, please email art@epiphanychi.com.
TOTEMS AND ANGELS
The Guild Room
August 4, 2023 to September 16, 2023
“Over the years I have been interested in, researched, and studied mythology and its origins, popular culture, sociology, psychology, religious and spiritual ideas, history: In short, quite a lot that has to do with the human experience. Painting and making objects help me understand the world we inhabit. I strive to make reflective work in which people can recognize themselves, while allowing them to see humanity from diverse vantage points.”
In his series Totems and Angels, Aleman explores how contemporary humans experience God. In four monumental oil paintings, he depicts the narrative of the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel’s fantastical visions of a heavenly hybrid creature having the four faces of God’s dominion: the lion, the eagle, the bull, and the human. His paintings literally explode these iconic figures using multiple painting techniques that suggest motion and fragmentation. The simple cutout body and fluttering wings of Cherubim–Lion serve as a backdrop for the blue sky and barren tree erupting from its fiery head. A peering human eye in Cherubim–Eagle engages the viewer in a mist of flames, feathers, and shards of color. In Cherubim–Bull, a flowering, horned head shakes itself out over a vast blur of city lights. Finally, in Cherubim–Human, Aleman renders a network of scintillating neurons radiating from a splayed figure.
In his fragmentation of the symbols and icons of religion and science, Aleman attempts to represent God as both mystical and multidimensional, as if to say we can never truly ‘see’ God.
For more information or to schedule a viewing appointment, please email art@epiphanychi.com.
Jose Aleman is an artist and architect. A native of Lima, Peru, Aleman resides in Chicago where he received a BArch in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a MFA from the University of Chicago.
In 1998 and 2000, Aleman was invited to participate in the Salons for the Lima Biennials. His work is held in the Contemporary Art Collection of San Marcos University in Lima, Peru, as well as private collections across the United States. He has participated in numerous one-person and group exhibitions in Chicago and New York City, and has been commissioned for public art, including the signature artwork for La Casa Norte's Solid Ground Project in Chicago.
As an educator, Aleman has served as faculty in Fine Art and Architecture at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago (MCA). At the MCA, Jose taught courses in architectural design in conjunction with the exhibition Mies in America. His community work at Yollocalli Arts Reach through the MCA earned him a letter of appreciation and a commendation from that institution. He has served as faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and participated in the development of its First Year team docent program. At Harrington College of Design, Aleman taught courses in color and design. As faculty of DePaul University’s Department of Art, Media and Design, Aleman taught courses in fine art and urban planning. His community engagement work at DePaul includes the Eye on Drexel project, which partnered with the 4th Ward Community, Quad Community Development Corporation, and the City of Chicago for the development of Chicago’s historic Drexel Boulevard. The three-year urban arts project was presented at the City of Chicago Mayor’s office.
Jose Aleman is an artist and architect. A native of Lima, Peru, Aleman resides in Chicago where he received a BArch in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a MFA from the University of Chicago.
In 1998 and 2000, Aleman was invited to participate in the Salons for the Lima Biennials. His work is held in the Contemporary Art Collection of San Marcos University in Lima, Peru, as well as private collections across the United States. He has participated in numerous one-person and group exhibitions in Chicago and New York City, and has been commissioned for public art, including the signature artwork for La Casa Norte's Solid Ground Project in Chicago.
As an educator, Aleman has served as faculty in Fine Art and Architecture at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago (MCA). At the MCA, Jose taught courses in architectural design in conjunction with the exhibition Mies in America. His community work at Yollocalli Arts Reach through the MCA earned him a letter of appreciation and a commendation from that institution. He has served as faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and participated in the development of its First Year team docent program. At Harrington College of Design, Aleman taught courses in color and design. As faculty of DePaul University’s Department of Art, Media and Design, Aleman taught courses in fine art and urban planning. His community engagement work at DePaul includes the Eye on Drexel project, which partnered with the 4th Ward Community, Quad Community Development Corporation, and the City of Chicago for the development of Chicago’s historic Drexel Boulevard. The three-year urban arts project was presented at the City of Chicago Mayor’s office.
