Jacolby Satterwhite’s First Major Survey to Open at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s SAIC Galleries

CHICAGO, Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — This fall, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s SAIC Galleries will exhibit the first major survey of seminal contemporary artist Jacolby Satterwhite. The exhibition, Jacolby Satterwhite: Spirits Roaming on the Earth, maps a holistic view of the artist’s multidisciplinary and visionary practice, bringing together a wide range of works from the past 13 years. It will run from September 11 to December 2.

Satterwhite is best known for his fantastical, layered, and exuberant world building realized through video, performance, 3D animation, virtual reality, painting, sculpture, prints, and music. Drawing on a lexicon that is informed by mythology, video gaming, and dance, as well as his own queer, Black perspective, he interweaves art historical motifs with contemporary visual culture to create Afrofuturistic universes that serve as escapist spaces of freedom, desire, power, and inclusivity.

“SAIC is committed to supporting visionary, provocative, and multidisciplinary artists in our academic curriculum as well as our public programming,” said Director of Exhibitions Staci Boris. “This fall, SAIC Galleries is proud to present the work of Jacolby Satterwhite, whose videos, paintings, and sculptures explore identity, memory, and desire; challenge traditional narratives and boundaries; and offer a vision of the world that is expansive, experimental, and inclusive.”

The exhibition, curated by SAIC alum Elizabeth Chodos (Dual MA 2008), first premiered at the Miller Institute for Contemporary Art at Carnegie Mellon University in 2021. Since then, it has also traveled to the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. This iteration at SAIC Galleries will feature several pieces by Satterwhite not included in the previous exhibitions.

Chodos will be giving a public tour of the exhibition on opening day, September 11, at 11:15 a.m. The opening reception will take place on September 11 from 5:00–7:00 p.m. On November 14 at 6:00 p.m. Satterwhite will be in conversation with Jada-Amina (BFA 2018) as part of the Visiting Artists Program and Conversations at the Edge at the Art Institute of Chicago’s Fullerton Hall.

“Jacolby Satterwhite has a singular ability to masterfully synthesize personal, theoretical, and pop-cultural influences across a wide range of materials and genres with unmatched skill and dexterity, affirming his position as one of the preeminent makers and thinkers of our time,” said Chodos.

Satterwhite’s work has been presented internationally in numerous exhibitions and festivals, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the New Museum in New York, and is included in the collections of the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. He has collaborated with several musicians, including Solange Knowles, The 1975, and Perfume Genius. In 2016, he was awarded the United States Artist Francie Bishop Good & David Horvitz Fellowship. He is represented by Mitchell-Innes & Nash in New York.

SAIC Galleries is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. A state-issued ID is required for entry. Visit saic.edu/exhibitions/saic-galleries to learn more.

This exhibition features contemporary art with adult content and is intended for mature audiences.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago
For more than 155 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers, and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program ranked number two in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries, and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world, and adults, teens, and kids in our Continuing Studies classes have the opportunity to explore their creative sides, build portfolios, and advance their skills. Notable alumni and faculty include Georgia O’Keeffe, Nick Cave, David Sedaris, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Cynthia Rowley, Michelle Grabner, Richard Hunt, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Jeff Koons.

Contact: Nayada Cowherd
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 312-291-1099

SOURCE School of the Art Institute (SAIC)