Catacombs Gallery
February 22, 2026 - April 25, 2026
Through the investigation of personal histories, familial ancestry, and the weight of place, the six ACRE alumni artists in tether me to the ground or let me float consider how we gather fragmented ideas of place and identity to piece together notions of belonging and grounding.
Grounding becomes a means of navigating obscured histories and solidifying ourselves, our ancestors, and our communities to a place. tether me to the ground or let me float examines how we ground ourselves within our own histories and how we become informed and infused by the places we occupy.
The exhibition questions the complexity of home, the relationship between the environment and the body, and the fragility of temporalities. Molded and shaped by the landscapes that surround them, the artists in the exhibition explore the multifaceted, imperfect, and often difficult undertaking of building an ecology of belonging that radically imagines our relationships to the ongoing history of a place.
Unearthing and breaking down these relationships, the artists reflect on space in relation to memory, migration, community, and spirituality. They consider the tangible traces of our presence and the ephemeral quality of the personal and ancestral histories that both tether and release us from the places we pass through and remain in. Place and home become at once stark and ephemeral in these narratives, inviting the viewer to imagine how we locate and ground ourselves within these complexities.
Featured Artists:
Prerna, Colin Martinez, yétúndé ọlágbajú, Lars Shimabukuro, Ian Solomon, Shirin Towfiq
Curated by Gemma Kim
ACRE (Artists’ Cooperative Residency and Exhibitions) is an artist-run non-profit devoted to providing resources to emerging artists and nurturing a diverse community of cultural producers. ACRE’s programs support this generative community with materials, equipment, expertise, conscientiously produced food, and opportunities to exhibit and share work.
ACRE’s annual summer residency in rural Wisconsin brings together emerging artists to live and work in a communal setting. A corresponding year-long program of exhibitions and events based in Chicago creates ongoing opportunities for idea exchange, feedback and growth. Programs such as ACRE Projects, ACRE Kitchen, and ACRE TV, provide additional venues for collaboration and experimentation.
ACRE aims to be a leader at advancing new means of support for emerging artists at critical junctures in their careers. ACRE eschews focus on traditional institutional success, instead prioritizing the unique, individually-defined paths of artists.
RSVP for the opening reception on Sunday, February 22nd from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the link below:
RSVP for the closing reception on Sunday, April 12th from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the link below:
Click HERE for more information on gallery hours and private appointments.
Catacombs Gallery
February 22, 2026 - April 25, 2026
Through the investigation of personal histories, familial ancestry, and the weight of place, the six ACRE alumni artists in tether me to the ground or let me float consider how we gather fragmented ideas of place and identity to piece together notions of belonging and grounding.
Grounding becomes a means of navigating obscured histories and solidifying ourselves, our ancestors, and our communities to a place. tether me to the ground or let me float examines how we ground ourselves within our own histories and how we become informed and infused by the places we occupy.
The exhibition questions the complexity of home, the relationship between the environment and the body, and the fragility of temporalities. Molded and shaped by the landscapes that surround them, the artists in the exhibition explore the multifaceted, imperfect, and often difficult undertaking of building an ecology of belonging that radically imagines our relationships to the ongoing history of a place.
Unearthing and breaking down these relationships, the artists reflect on space in relation to memory, migration, community, and spirituality. They consider the tangible traces of our presence and the ephemeral quality of the personal and ancestral histories that both tether and release us from the places we pass through and remain in. Place and home become at once stark and ephemeral in these narratives, inviting the viewer to imagine how we locate and ground ourselves within these complexities.
Featured Artists:
Prerna, Colin Martinez, yétúndé ọlágbajú, Lars Shimabukuro, Ian Solomon, Shirin Towfiq
Curated by Gemma Kim
ACRE (Artists’ Cooperative Residency and Exhibitions) is an artist-run non-profit devoted to providing resources to emerging artists and nurturing a diverse community of cultural producers. ACRE’s programs support this generative community with materials, equipment, expertise, conscientiously produced food, and opportunities to exhibit and share work.
ACRE’s annual summer residency in rural Wisconsin brings together emerging artists to live and work in a communal setting. A corresponding year-long program of exhibitions and events based in Chicago creates ongoing opportunities for idea exchange, feedback and growth. Programs such as ACRE Projects, ACRE Kitchen, and ACRE TV, provide additional venues for collaboration and experimentation.
ACRE aims to be a leader at advancing new means of support for emerging artists at critical junctures in their careers. ACRE eschews focus on traditional institutional success, instead prioritizing the unique, individually-defined paths of artists.
RSVP for the opening reception on Sunday, February 22nd from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the link below:
RSVP for the closing reception on Sunday, April 12th from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the link below:
Click HERE for more information on gallery hours and private appointments.
