Tuesday, March 28, 2006

gum

Monday, March 27, 2006

i forgot...

the title is, "at rest, 2001-2008"

Sunday, March 26, 2006

new piece...

Thursday, March 23, 2006

mca press release is out for upcoming show...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2006

Media Contacts:
Erin Baldwin 312.397.3828 ebaldwin@mcachicago.org
Karla Loring 312.397.3834 kloring@mcachicago.org
Irène Hodes 312.397.3832 ihodes@mcachicago.org
Images: www.mcachicago.org/media

APRIL 12 X 12 FEATURES JASON LAZARUS
CELEBRITY FIRST FRIDAYS

Gold lockets, skinny dipping, and writing with sparklers are the subjects of Jason Lazarus’s unique self-portraits at April’s 12 x 12: New Artists/New Work exhibition that opens at First Fridays on April 7, 2006, at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago. Lazarus’s photographs are part of his ongoing series, Self-Portrait as an Artist, which uses considerable wit in looking at the often ambiguous identity of a contemporary artist and his role in society. Lazarus came to the contemporary art world after an education and career in business, intending for his “conceptual portraits” to simultaneously confirm and disrupt our expectations of artists. He also examines other aspects of his life, including the fact that he has arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a rare condition of the musculoskeletal system. His exhibition runs in conjunction with the MCA programming for the city-wide Bodies of Work: The Chicago Festival of Disability Arts and Culture in April.

Lazarus’s work explores the world of contemporary art with a playful irreverence. Self-Portrait as an Artist as Someone Special (pictured) focuses on a humorous and intimate close-up of Lazarus’s chest with a gold locket purchased at Wal-Mart. In Self-Portrait as an Artist Burning Down the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL, a masked Lazarus pours what appears to be gasoline on the front steps of the museum. Self-Portrait as an Artist Making Something Contemporary shows the word “contemporary” spelled out with the lights from a sparkler created during a long exposure. In addition to his self portraits, Lazarus also presents photographs of intimate historical moments which intend to seduce the viewer into learning more.

Lazarus received his B.S. in marketing from DePaul University, and his M.F.A. in photography from Columbia College, Chicago. He currently teaches photography at Columbia College, Robert Morris College, and at Chicago’s Marwen Foundation. He leads a tour of his exhibition on Tuesday, April 11, at 6:30 pm with a sign language interpreter and descriptive narrator. A second tour precedes the Universal Design panel on Tuesday, April 25, at 5 pm. This also is accompanied by a sign language interpreter and descriptive narrator.

April First Fridays is all about celebrity glamour as the MCA celebrates the recent opening of ANDY WARHOL/SUPERNOVA: Stars, Death, and Disasters 1962-1964. Guests are invited to take photos in one of the photo booths, sip an Absolut Absolut Star Cosmo, and meet new friends at the popular iMac G5 digital dating bar. Live music is provided by One Hit Wonder band. There is an after-party at Le Passage (937 N. Rush).

First Fridays tickets, which includes museum admission and complimentary Wolfgang Puck hors d’oeuvres, are available the evening of the event for $14 ($7 for MCA members). Advance tickets are $10 ($7 MCA members) available through the MCA Box Office at 312.397.4010 or www.ticketweb.com. Doors are open from 6 - 10 pm. A cash bar is open until 9:30 pm. Guests must be 21 or older to enter.

if you're out on friday...


i have one big photograph at open end (2000 w fulton) for a show called:
mad bad and street legal, 6-10pm

at heaven there is a great fundraiser/lottery drawing event tonight to benefit lumpen. i donated a photograph from the snapshot series.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

coming up...exhibition at the Chicago MCA!




Jason Lazarus

April 8
- 30



Jason Lazarus uses photography to create what he calls “conceptual self-portraits” that explore contemporary art practice and what it means to be an artist. His ongoing series Self-Portraits as an Artist examines his perspective as someone arriving to the contemporary art world after a career in business, as well as other aspects of his life, including the fact he has arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. The public and even artists gravitate toward differing and often caricatured views of the role of the artist in society -- from seducer, savant, and rebel to art historian, pundit, cultural critic, and prophet. Lazarus thus intends his witty images to confirm and disrupt our expectations of artists. Jason Lazarus is featured in the MCA’s 12 x 12: New Artists/New Work series during April 2006, coinciding with the city-wide focus on disabilities and the arts.

The artist will lead a tour of this exhibition on Tuesday, April 11 at 6:30 pm.
IMAGE: Jason Lazarus Self-Portrait as an Artist (as someone special), 2005 Ink-jet print 16 x 23 in. Courtesy the artist and Bucket Rider, Chicago.

WHAT WAS OPRAH'S MAJOR?

the pic above is my momentary pride and joy, read below:

Press Release:
Jason Lazarus
March 17th-March 24th
Gallery 400 UIC
Temporary Allegiance: WHAT WAS OPRAH'S MAJOR?
contact: jason lazarus at 312.953.2885

Beginning Friday, March 17th at noon and running through March 24th, Chicago-based artist Jason Lazarus will be participating in Phillip von Zweck's Temporary Allegiance project by flying a 4x6' white flag that reads, "what was oprah's major?" over the Gallery 400 front plaza. This flag is from a project titled, "msn hotmail headlines" that embarks on a mission to introduce these headlines unprefaced to a public audience through flags, billboards, etc.

"...Usually five words or less, the headlines vary between interrogative invitations and imperative declarations. Separated from their original source and presented to a public audience unprefaced, the text playfully reveals cultural obsessions and anxieties that seem strangely familiar..."


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msn hotmail headlines project statement:
This series features a collection of news headlines encountered during the utterly quotidian act of checking email. Usually five words or less, the headlines vary between interrogative and imperative declarations. Separated from their original source and presented to a public audience unprefaced, the text playfully reveals cultural obsessions and anxieties that seem strangely familiar.

A few examples:
What was Oprah’s Major?
Compare Hummer, Humvee
Are the Elderly Spoiled?
Tivo Users Now Uneasy
Curb Emotional Spending

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Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Saturday, March 11, 2006

northwestern law school prom 2006

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

wendell phillips academy, chicago, il

Monday, March 06, 2006

croatians!

Saturday, March 04, 2006

by the kankakee river...

kankakee, il

project space


a new venue, i am excited. this blog will be an ongoing personal snapshot digest--i recently watched a nan goldin video where she stated (in response to being labelled just a snapshot photographer): (sic) 'snapshots are the only kind of photography borne completely out of love'. i bought a pocket digital camera and initially felt like it was wasted money. a few months later i have hundreds of images that mean something to me and occassionally offer me ideas for art with a capital A. in the end, i am excited about the notion of 'pocket photography' because it keeps me involved in the artistic process constantly, and i am building a foundation of images that offer hints of things to come. my gallery (bucket rider gallery--chicago) is unleashing "bucket rider editions," a multiples line, and soon and i'll be selling these 8x10s pretty cheaply through this if you see anything you like. in the end some of these end up becoming art commodities anyways, but their financial/conceptual modesty keeps them approachable and i am enamored with this idea. i will try to post thoughts every so often and images even more often so come visit me soon. j www.jasonlazarus.com

hmmm. how do i add an image to this? ok, got it!