Currently on view at devening projects + editions’ offspace, Chicago is “Exile on Main Street,” a solo exhibition by Mike Rea. For over a decade, Chicago artist Mike Rea has used his bombastic wooden sculptures to conflate notions of working hard and playing hard. Regenerated moments of cinematic horror, science fiction, comedy and drama intermingle with memory to form bizarre personal narratives. The aggregate of this mix is uncanny and often thrills and confounds his audience. Rea’s sculptures carry forward the familiar; very quickly those recognizable elements are subverted and meaning and understanding go haywire. Whether the work operates as conventional sculpture or as props within interactive installations and performances, these typically large-scale works sensitively reflect a culture of humor, violence and vulgarity.

Installation view. Courtesy of devening projects + editions.

“Exile on Main Street” is on view through April 12, 2014.
For more information visit devening projects + editions, Chicago.