“duckrabbit” installation view. Courtesy of the gallery.

Currently on view at ADDS DONNA, Chicago is a seven-person group show of abstract paintings, photographs and sculptures entitled “duckrabbit” in which the artworks use objects and references with a clear connection to our lived world. This terrestrial abstraction, the curators suggest, instructs us to truly look at the world around us. The artists included in the show are Alberto Aguilar, Peter Fagundo, Julia Fish, Michelle Grabner, Jessica Labatte, Nick Ostoff and Allison Wade; organized by Michael Milano and Jeff M. Ward.

“duckrabbit” installation view. Courtesy of the gallery.

After over one hundred years of abstract art, the telltale signs of abstraction—non-objective emphasis on form, color, and line—are well known. Though abstract art generally purports to sit at a certain distance away from the world, the artists in duckrabbit leave clear references back to our day-to-day lives. These paintings, photographs and sculptures are made of and take inspiration from everyday things such as architectural elements, simple snapshots, textile patterns, and found detritus. In these artworks, abstraction’s tendency towards contemplative remove is used as an opportunity to look back onto the world. These artworks, which emphasize imminence over transcendence, demonstrate how to look closely at and engage with our lived experience. The exhibition’s title duckrabbit refers to the gestalt illusion in which a singular drawing can be perceived as more than one discrete image, mirroring the exhibition’s suggestion that the alienating function of art can help us see our own world.

“duckrabbit” will be on view through October 28th, 2013.

For more information on “duckrabbit” visit ADDS DONNA, Chicago.