Sculptor reworks pop culture symbols in Elmhurst exhibit
Lion heads, electric guitars and Star Trek paraphernalia.
At first look, these things have little in common.
But right now, the Elmhurst Art Museum is showcasing a few similarities. Each is part of “Soiree,” a new sculpture exhibit by artist Michael Rea.
“On the surface it’s a remarkable grouping of humongous and playful wooden objects,” said Phyllis O’Neill, executive director at the Elmhurst Art Museum. “On a deeper level, it speaks to our contemporary culture and the objects that are put in front of our faces every day by the web, in newsprint, in TV and movies.”
Though his wooden sculptures have been called “larger than life,” Rea scales the objects around his own 6-foot height, what he believes is a good average altitude.
“I guess basketball players might not be into my work,” Rea said, alluding to the athletes’ above-average size.
But for most pop culture enthusiasts, the sculptures, made from unfinished wood, are “off the charts in terms of imagination,” O’Neill said.
Rea says the exhibition, which opened Friday, July 8, and runs through Sunday, Sept. 4, at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 Cottage Hill Ave., explores what happens when “fiction starts to leak into your life.”
In much of his work, Rea likes to examine “the kinks and wrinkles” of Hollywood magic and hopes to “add another layer to looking at film.”
Rea draws inspiration from many pop culture icons, among them are science fiction classics like Star Trek, one of his father’s favorites.
“It was just sort of something we talked about a lot at the dinner table,” said Rea, who grew up in Chicago’s South suburbs.
The museum charges $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors, with free admission for children younger than 12. Art enthusiasts looking for an expense-free afternoon can visit the museum Fridays when there is no admission fee.
“It’s never been seen before,” O’Neill said of Rea’s work. “It’s unique and unlike any other exhibition that the Elmhurst Art Museum has ever done.”
Rea, who received his undergraduate degree in art education from Northern Illinois University, specialized in painting but soon realized he spent more time stretching canvas, looking at the backs of his wood frames than working with paint.
With a basic knowledge of woodworking, Rea’s first sculpture endeavor was a performance piece.
Literally.
Rea constructed a fake rock ’n’ roll band.
After scheduling a show at The Mutiny, a dive rock club in the Bucktown area of Chicago, Rea and his friends performed what he describes as “hybrid karaoke.”
“It was a matter of creating the posture,” Rea said of the faux band’s stage presence.
Soon after, he decided to enroll in graduate studies for sculpture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“I didn’t quite have the energy to keep making a jackass of myself,” Rea said.
Depending on size, each intricate sculpture takes Rea months to complete.
“Coming from a painting background, I treat them like drawings,” Rea said of his sculptures. “They’re all very linear.”
After a number of successful showings around the Chicago area, the artist is preparing for an upcoming exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Rea will not be making the pilgrimage with his pieces. Instead he plans to use his iPhone to shoot videos of himself assembling the sculptures at home.
Rea has a number of new pop culture inspired pieces in the works.
Among them is a replication of the infamous bedroom from the 1973 horror flick “The Exorcist,” complete with electronic-equipped camera sculptures playing video loops and clips. Rea also plans to recreate the famous pottery wheel scene between Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in the movie “Ghost.” Though instead of a potter’s wheel, Rea will use a saw as the centerpiece.
Museum goers who would like a personal look at Rea’s work, as well as other current exhibits, can attend a free walk-and-talk with exhibit curator Aaron Ott at 6 p.m. Friday, July 15.
If you go
What: Soiree, an exhibition of Michael Reas wooden sculptures
When: Through Sunday, Sept. 4
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays
Where: Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst
Cost: $7 adults, $5 seniors and students, free for ages 12 and younger; free admission on Fridays
Info: (630) 834-0202 or elmhurstartmuseum.org