The Ferguson Art Gallery at Concordia University Chicago presents “Shadow, Fires and Thresholds: Imaginary Landscapes by Lelde Kalmite” from Jan. 9 to Feb. 19. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Lelde Kalmite has exhibited her work throughout the Midwest and in Latvia since earning an MFA from the University of Chicago. She currently serves as curator at the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago, and is the founding director and board president of the Global Society for Latvian Art, a nonprofit dedicated to studying and preserving 20th-century Latvian diaspora artworks. Kalmite’s imaginary landscapes may be interpreted in a number of ways. “Some include references to recognizable subjects such as smoke, water, fire, stars, clouds. While none of them include human subjects, they do depict results of human action, such as oil fires in the desert, forest fires, fires on the water resulting from oil drilling accidents,” said Kalmite. “Some of these paintings are almost purely abstract, but convey emotional states derived from their tonality and composition. The palette is quite dark, with vivid contrasts in red/orange, the colors of fire.”
A reception will be held in the gallery on Sunday, Jan. 22, from 2-4 p.m., with an artist’s talk at 3 p.m.
The Ferguson Art Gallery is located in Kretzmann Hall at Concordia University Chicago, 7400 Augusta St., River Forest, IL. The gallery is directed by BettyAnn Mocek, professor of art at CUC and prominent Chicago artist, educator and arts advocate. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit CUChicago.edu/experience/arts/visual-arts/ferguson-gallery or call 708-209-3013.
