The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts launched its new series, Coming Home at the end of October. The five exhibitions feature works by emerging and established Michigan artists. One of the shows, Macabre, which features works by more than 20 artists, incorporates themes and imagery from both Halloween and Día de los Muertos.
The ethereal ambiance is a perfect fit for Lansing-based photographer Nicole Rico, her piece “Hierophant” is among the featured works. “I have always been drawn to the occult and the idea of unseen beings living amongst us,” Rico said. “My work revolves around the concept of an ‘Other’ — a living, breathing consciousness that inhabits us or follows our lives unseen yet aware of our every move … within my photos I explore the ‘Other,’ their inward dwelling and their entanglement within our lives.”
Full schedule of Coming Home exhibitions:
Macabre — Through Nov. 29, 2015
Macabre is a community-focused exhibition featuring artists Brianna Baurichter, Ryan Brady, Sarah Brennan, Kaylee Britton, Rachel Britton, Shannon Czaja, Hayley Hungerford, Cori Kromrei, Nathan Margoni, Sarah Mizer, Randall Nyhof, Matt Oberski, Nicole Rico, Deborah Rockman, Tony Shechtman, John Shaw, Tyler Space, Christopher Struck, James Tingley, Bridgette Toigo, Scott Whitworth, Amy Wilkinson, Renee Zettle-Sterling and Amanda Zylstra.
Jacob Wiseheart — Through Jan. 17, 2016
Wiseheart is a Grand Rapids-based artist whose paintings vary between “landscapes, figurative process and conceptual abstraction.”
Sandra Wilcoxon — Through Jan. 17, 2016
Wilcoxon’s Embellished Bones explores the themes of memento-mori and macabre while honoring the spirit of the animals used in her work.
Lisa Walcott — Nov. 7–Feb. 7, 2016
Walcott is a Holland-based installation artist and kinetic sculptor. Her work “utilizes themes of sculpture in motion, mechanized kinetic activation and playfulness.”
Jerry Gretzinger — Nov. 21–Feb. 28, 2016
Gretzinger’s works embody “themes of mapping and making real the imagined.” The Michigan-based artist uses a variety of mediums, including acrylic marker, colored pencil, ink and collage. His work is “dictated by the interplay between an elaborate set of rules and randomly generated instructions.”
