The Peninsula Announces Contemporary Art Exhibit: REVERB

The Peninsula Chicago, in partnership with Kasmin, is pleased
to present REVERB, an exhibition of contemporary art showcasing works by three artists whose
practices explore movement, sound, and electricity, engaging with the rhythm and structure of the
urban environment. This is the fifth consecutive year that The Peninsula Chicago has hosted a
contemporary art exhibit at the hotel, in conjunction with EXPO CHICAGO, the International
Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, the eighth edition of which will take place at Navy
Pier, September 20 to 22, 2019. On view and open to the public throughout the hotel’s public space
from September 20 through October 22, 2019, the presentation additionally coincides with the
Chicago Architecture Biennial—another of the city’s most celebrated creative expositions.
Featured artists and exhibit artworks:
James Nares’ (b. 1952, England) multi-media practice encompasses film, music, painting,
photography and performance, investigating physicality and the unfolding of time. Nares’ Delta,
from his Road Paintings series, continues the artist’s ongoing kinetic investigations—exploring
the form, direction and repetition of objects in motion by mark-marking using a mechanical road
striper. Driggs II, a gilded pavement-stone rubbing of a New York City street, registers the
topography of the city which has acted as protagonist and collaborator throughout Nares’ work.
Three of the artist’s films—Drip (2007), Drop (2007,) and Paper Factory (2007)—will also be
exhibited. A retrospective of the artist’s work, NARES: MOVES, is on view at Milwaukee Art
Museum now through October 6, 2019.
Iván Navarro’s (b. 1972, Chile) socio-politically charged sculptures of neon, fluorescent and
incandescent light activate both the sensorial and psychological experience in his viewer. Back To
Square One (2017) emerges from a series incorporating text that poetically alludes to the geometric
form of each work. Also included in the exhibition are two iterations of Navarro’s iconic
Impenetrable Room (2012-2016) and, elsewhere, Impenetrable (Mouth) (2012)—a work that sits
directly on the floor, enticing viewers to look down and into the body of the sculpture. Exploring
a fourth dimension that can be seen as either reflection or fiction, the works are made up of
containers lined with undulating neon that ripples into infinity against a mirrored backdrop.
Naama Tsabar’s (b. 1982, Israel) Transition canvases repurpose the internal and external
components of the amplifier—wires, speaker, circuit board—to create a new formal visual
experience whilst retaining the object’s ability to broadcast sound. Her photographs, also on view,
are an intimate portrayal of the artist’s body and its movement through, within, and into
architecture. Tsabar’s sculptural works and sonic installations weave together iconic actions and
objects from rock music (the guitar, the amplifier, the microphone). The motifs of femininity,
gender, disruption, destruction, and reconstruction recur throughout her work and performances.
Commitment to Contemporary Arts
Maria Razumich-Zec, Regional Vice President and General Manager of The Peninsula Chicago
remarks, “Every fall for the past five years we have partnered with extraordinary artists, collectors
and galleries to showcase exceptional artists’ work, all with an effort to shine a light on emerging
talent, and transform our lobby to encourage guests to pause, take notice and appreciate the art.
The Peninsula Hotels Supports Public Art Initiatives
The Peninsula Chicago’s desire to provide guests with memorable art experiences aligns with The
Peninsula Hotels’ global commitment to promoting the rich and vibrant cultural aspects of the
destination cities in which it resides. In a continuation of the group’s ethos of innovation, The
Peninsula Hotels has worked alongside curators Bettina Prentice and Isolde Brielmaier to present
‘Art in Resonance’ a new, multi-year global contemporary art program – that commissions work
from artists who are poetically pushing the boundaries of their mediums. The program reflects a
deeper commitment to engage with the artistic sphere, not only as a venue but as an originator and
innovator of culture.