LINCOLN PARK — We pass billboards and signs every day, but we rarely stop to think about the meaning behind the structures themselves.
Local artist Matt Siber is exploring just that in his upcoming art exhibit, "Idol Structures," at DePaul Art Museum, 935 W. Fullerton Ave., beginning Sept. 10 and running through Dec. 20.
Siber, who also teaches advanced digital imaging at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, said his sculpture and photography collection "looks to omit or obscure the messages that are being advertised by drawing the aesthetic attention to the underpinnings of the system that holds them there."
He does that by capturing the side of the signs, rather than the front of them, so you focus on the physical structure — not the messages.
“By looking at the structures you can guess the brand being promoted, but the angles of the photos and sculptures are so extreme it may take you a while to realize what you are looking at,” said curator Gregory Harris. “You are drawn to the support structure, rather than the message itself.”
Siber agreed, saying “We are so used to being inundated by advertising that we are not paying attention to the actual physical structure relaying the message to us as we go about our daily lives."
According to Harris, Siber's work draws from the minimalist movement, which gained prominence in the 1960s and '70s, as well as the "New Topographics" movement, which explores the impact humans have made on landscapes.
In addition to Siber's exhibit, the DePaul Art Museum is also opening "The Andy Archetype," which includes the museum's permanent Andy Warhol collection and other pieces.
The museum is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from noon-5 p.m. It is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission is free.
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