Corbett vs. Dempsey

Six Rings

By Josh Tyson. Time Out Chicago / Issue 24 : Aug 11-17, 2005

It's fair to say that to some of Chicago's hardest-working artists who have toiled diligently in relative obscurity, Jim Dempsey and John Corbett are superheroes. Their Batcave, or what have you, is a 2,400-square-foot gallery above Dusty Groove records, where they work to bring fresh recognition to important artists whose skills and dedication may have been overlooked in the 1940s, '50s, '60s and '70s-when New York dominated the national art scene.

For "Six Rings," the pair has culled the works of six artists with distinct ties to Chicago, and more or less let the art speak for itself. Of the artists represented, the three women-Lee Godie, Macena Barton and Miyoko Ito-are no longer living, and two of the three men-Robert Amft and Morris Barazani-are septuagenarians and still working. The Amft painting on display was completed this year.

Most immediately striking are the large figure paintings by Barton. The figures hone a subtle darkness with their stern gazes, which is offset by glowing auras.

Ito is known primarily as a painter, but some of her ceramics are also being shown here-possibly for the first time. These vary from childlike sculptures, with spots where she clearly pinched the clay with her fingers, to some geometrically concise pots.

Godie is often referred to as the "bag lady artist." She sold many of her flat, colorful paintings of people's heads and hands on the steps of the Art Institute and on the streets downtown; on display are some of her early works. Barazani has turned snippets of bra ads into deceptively complex and surreal collages with slow-burning depth. The third man, Helmut Barnett, is a German-born abstract painter.

All in all, it's a fascinating exhibit, albeit a bit incongruous.