Vesna Jovanovic | Topsy-Turvy

Topsy-Turvy is new body of work from Vesna Jovanovic in response to stories of French medieval marketplace carnivals, where an emphasis on the human body and grotesque bodily humor—in contrast to the mind, or soul—brought laughter, understanding, and a sense of connection among people who otherwise seemed to have nothing in common. By randomly pouring ink on Yupo (a brand of synthetic paper) and then intervening with markers and paint, Jovanovic takes us on a fleshy journey into a world of reversal rituals, street performances, butt plugs, sparklers, and candy.

Vesna Jovanovic is a Chicago-based artist whose work focuses on how we experience and interpret the world through our bodies, and how society shapes these experiences. Having worked in various disciplines over the course of her career, including ceramics and photography, she is best known for her works on paper that feature poured ink combined with careful rendering. Jovanovic is a recipient of an Individual Artist Program grant from the City of Chicago and numerous residency fellowships, including The Studios at MASS MoCA, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, VCCA France, Ucross Foundation, Santa Fe Art Institute, and a long-term studio residency at the International Museum of Surgical Science. Her artwork has been exhibited at The Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago), The Delaware Contemporary (Wilmington), Spartanburg Art Museum, CoCA (Seattle), OSU Urban Art Space (Columbus), Metro Gallery at Reno City Hall, Haggerty Gallery at University of Dallas (Irving), and the International Museum of Surgical Science (Chicago) among many other venues, and is included in permanent collections at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, International Museum of Surgical Science, and the Koehnline Museum of Art.

Final Friday and Opening Reception: May 30, 6-9 pm

Final Friday: June 27, 6-9 pm

Final Friday: July 25, 6-9 pm