Cesar Conde & C.J. Hungerman
C + C = COLLISION
Cesar Conde & C.J. Hungerman
C + C = COLLISION

The Guild Room

July 29, 2022 to September 10, 2022

Abstract collides with Realism. The exhibition C + C = COLLISION presents a collaborative series between Cesar Conde and C.J. Hungerman.

With their own unique style, Cesar Conde, a realist painter, and C.J. Hungerman, an Abstract Modernist, decided to collaborate two years ago. Hungerman approached Conde about the Collision concept: a collaboration that would require complete, blind trust. Conde hands off his portraits for Hungerman to apply his expertise; he never knows what’s going to happen to his paintings. Every time a canvas is invaded by Hungerman’s high energy and explosive colors, it takes on another life that is delicious, exciting and explosive. “I never know what’s coming next. It’s like unwrapping a present and it never disappoints,” said Conde of their collaboration. “I tell C.J. who the person I’m painting is, what they are like, their character, their passion. C.J. interprets them with his own visual language. I feel that both disciplines just feed off of each other. I totally love it! I completely trust C.J.“

Hungerman, speaking on his perspective on the collaboration, said, “I have incredible satisfaction while creating artwork with Cesar. The icons and imagery I utilize construct the subconscious personality of the human portrayed in each painting. These works are an exciting new adventure which have reinvigorated our skills and desire to produce art. Combining our forms and techniques with the subject matter has led to a series of artworks that reveal each portrait’s visual description in a new, dynamic fashion.”

The vibrato of Cesar Conde’s portraiture guides the tone of the symbols C.J. Hungerman chooses and the forms he fashions. It is no small thing for an artist to hand over their work without knowing what it will look like when they receive it back; it is an exercise of trust and friendship. The flow of these works creates a surreal environment that engages the viewer’s imagination.

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About the Artists

Cesar Conde is a contemporary painter who uses old-world techniques with modern materials to paint his realistic portraits. He studied at Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, and with the master of Technique Mixte, Patrick Betaudier in his atelier in southern France and with Ed Hinkley in Chicago. His artwork has been exhibited internationally, and he deals mostly with social justice issues.

CJ Hungerman, originally from Pittsburgh, completed his graduate degree at Northern Illinois University. He has created many public art projects in Chicago; his most notable one is a 500-square-foot artwork conceived and created for the Chinatown Library in Chicago, which was funded by the mayor’s office and the City of Chicago. He won the Alice & Arthur Baer Award from the Beverly Arts Center in 2013, and in 2014 he received a grant from the Illinois Art Council Agency that enabled him to exclusively produce art.

About the Artists

Cesar Conde is a contemporary painter who uses old-world techniques with modern materials to paint his realistic portraits. He studied at Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, and with the master of Technique Mixte, Patrick Betaudier in his atelier in southern France and with Ed Hinkley in Chicago. His artwork has been exhibited internationally, and he deals mostly with social justice issues.

CJ Hungerman, originally from Pittsburgh, completed his graduate degree at Northern Illinois University. He has created many public art projects in Chicago; his most notable one is a 500-square-foot artwork conceived and created for the Chinatown Library in Chicago, which was funded by the mayor’s office and the City of Chicago. He won the Alice & Arthur Baer Award from the Beverly Arts Center in 2013, and in 2014 he received a grant from the Illinois Art Council Agency that enabled him to exclusively produce art.