The Guild Room
December 2, 2022 to February 18, 2023
Curated by Chicago artist Czr Prz and Epiphany Center for the Arts, Even So showcases six Chicago-based artists whose works defy easy categorization. Opening in the Guild Room on December 2 and running through February 18, the exhibition features paintings and sculpture by Sara Hoffman, Murrz, Nate Otto, Diego Penuela, Czr Prz and Rawooh. These artists make work that thrives in the fertile ground between figuration and abstraction, precision and painterliness, illustration and mystery. What results are lively objects that suggest a wide array of cultural relationships and potential influences, ranging from mid-century color field painting to anime, street art and hip hop.
Diego Peñuela is an award-winning illustrator, fine artist and muralist from Bogota, Colombia currently based in Chicago. His work, which is often informed by his Latin American identity, uses dreamy and whimsical themes to reflect on current events and to convey his personal vision of the world we live in. Diego has worked on public art projects including several murals in Atlanta and Chicago, and his paintings have been displayed in galleries like Nucleus Gallery, ABV Gallery, Vertical Gallery, WOWxWOW among others. His work has earned accolades from prestigious publications and organizations like 3×3 magazine, Society of Illustrators LA, Latin American Illustration, Red Dot Awards and Addy Awards.
Czr Prz is an urban contemporary artist working in sculptural fabrication, large-scale aerosol murals, and all manner of design. Born and raised in working class Chicago, Prz’s 20 year creative career has spanned America all the way to Europe. Across their multifaceted media, Prz’s artworks tell stories in the folklorico tradition instilled by his Latino-Caribbean upbringing.
Sara Hoffman is a Chicago-based artist known for her large-scale, dreamlike, and energetic compositions. Just as human emotions and feelings continuously change, Hoffman’s artistic practice constantly changes. The evolution within Hoffman’s practice reflects how her mind never stays still for too long, treating each piece as its entity. She believes growth is determined not by subject matter stagnation but by an obsession for constant change. Hoffman’s creative practice stems from the human condition, trauma, cognitive behaviors, and the influences they push into the human body. These themes are expressed in the work, the physical process of creating the work, or both.
Nate Otto is a full-time artist living on the south side of Chicago with his wife and two young kids. A prolific painter and muralist, Nate makes a couple hundred paintings a year, give or take, and he’s done over fifty murals. He has had solo shows at Vertical Gallery, Galerie F, and about eight other galleries. He strives to make whatever he wants and hopes that people want that. A bunch of fancy companies have fallen for it.
A Chicago based virtuoso with a classical artistic foundation, Raul’s (Rawooh) artistic motivation is creating inanimate sensations. His ethereal perspective transcends what we see on the surface of the human form and infrastructure.
Mary Damian, MURRZ, is a Manila-born, self-taught, artist. Since her entry into the art scene, she has participated in group art exhibits in NYC, Chicago, LA, and Manila. Using her social media platform, she has been able to collaborate with brands as well as connect with nonprofit organizations. She combines her learnings from her 9+ years working in the advertising industry, and her love for street art, music, and Filipino culture to help her discover an artistic style that is truly her own.
Diego Peñuela is an award-winning illustrator, fine artist and muralist from Bogota, Colombia currently based in Chicago. His work, which is often informed by his Latin American identity, uses dreamy and whimsical themes to reflect on current events and to convey his personal vision of the world we live in. Diego has worked on public art projects including several murals in Atlanta and Chicago, and his paintings have been displayed in galleries like Nucleus Gallery, ABV Gallery, Vertical Gallery, WOWxWOW among others. His work has earned accolades from prestigious publications and organizations like 3×3 magazine, Society of Illustrators LA, Latin American Illustration, Red Dot Awards and Addy Awards.
Czr Prz is an urban contemporary artist working in sculptural fabrication, large-scale aerosol murals, and all manner of design. Born and raised in working class Chicago, Prz’s 20 year creative career has spanned America all the way to Europe. Across their multifaceted media, Prz’s artworks tell stories in the folklorico tradition instilled by his Latino-Caribbean upbringing.
Sara Hoffman is a Chicago-based artist known for her large-scale, dreamlike, and energetic compositions. Just as human emotions and feelings continuously change, Hoffman’s artistic practice constantly changes. The evolution within Hoffman’s practice reflects how her mind never stays still for too long, treating each piece as its entity. She believes growth is determined not by subject matter stagnation but by an obsession for constant change. Hoffman’s creative practice stems from the human condition, trauma, cognitive behaviors, and the influences they push into the human body. These themes are expressed in the work, the physical process of creating the work, or both.
Nate Otto is a full-time artist living on the south side of Chicago with his wife and two young kids. A prolific painter and muralist, Nate makes a couple hundred paintings a year, give or take, and he’s done over fifty murals. He has had solo shows at Vertical Gallery, Galerie F, and about eight other galleries. He strives to make whatever he wants and hopes that people want that. A bunch of fancy companies have fallen for it.
A Chicago based virtuoso with a classical artistic foundation, Raul’s (Rawooh) artistic motivation is creating inanimate sensations. His ethereal perspective transcends what we see on the surface of the human form and infrastructure.
Mary Damian, MURRZ, is a Manila-born, self-taught, artist. Since her entry into the art scene, she has participated in group art exhibits in NYC, Chicago, LA, and Manila. Using her social media platform, she has been able to collaborate with brands as well as connect with nonprofit organizations. She combines her learnings from her 9+ years working in the advertising industry, and her love for street art, music, and Filipino culture to help her discover an artistic style that is truly her own.
Artwork
