CHICAGO —Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is proud to present “Observing American Culture” with paintings by Suzanne Keith Loechl and Robin Riggs from January 17 through February 27, 2014. The opening reception is on Friday, January 17 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Illinois artists, Suzanne Keith Loechl and Robin Riggs both combine the themes of nature, either implied or absent, with de-natured aspects of American society. Loechl does this through her observations of contemporary American space. Riggs playfully examines the processed and packaged food culture.
Loechl believes the landscape and the built environment have evoked a sense of place and identity throughout history because they evolved within a local and regional framework. But much of the contemporary landscape is made up of predictable architecture and land use design dominated by national chains and trends. Drawing from her background as a landscape architect, she examines how people live, work and play in these environments. She is especially curious about the psychological effects that these spaces have on the individual.
Riggs bases her work on America’s increasing disconnect from nature through what we eat. Through her re-creation of the food pyramid and development of hybrid food types, she pokes fun at brightly colored, lusciously appealing food industry products. While fresh fruits and vegetables are intentionally absent from Riggs images, she constantly questions how this new diet of artificial flavors and colors has become part of the collective subconscious.
