At the Hop: A Virtual Gallery Spotlight on Julius Caesar
In response to temporary business closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak, DFA presents “At the Hop,” a series highlighting local art galleries we miss hopping to. Our aim is to keep a spotlight on our community and stay engaged with one another. Each feature includes an overview of the gallery’s current show and some remote insights from the gallerists. Answers may be lightly edited for length and clarity.
Featuring: Julius Caesar
Location: East Garfield Park, Chicago, IL
Julius Caesar is an artist-run gallery space in East Garfield Park. The space is operated by an ever-changing group of Chicago-based artists. The gallery scheduled to exhibit work by Kirsten Stoltmann and Jennifer Sullivan inside the physical space last month. In light of public gathering restrictions over the Covid-19 outbreak, Julius Caesar has postponed the physical show to a later date. In the meantime, they are presenting video works by Stoltmann and Sullivan on their website.
We talked with co-director Kate Sierzputowski to learn a bit more about the gallery. Kate, could you tell us about the space, how the team collaborates, and how long you have been part of the directing committee?
I have been a part of Julius Caesar for nearly five years, most currently alongside co-directors Josh Dihle, Tony Lewis, and Roland Miller. The four of us take turns curating and directing exhibitions, although we have no method to our calendar—we simply choose artists and shows as inspiration and studio visits strike. Mostly our programming is based on trust. If we are really invested in an artist's practice, we like to extend full creative control of our space. This has lead to literal walls being torn down in our 2014 exhibition with Every House has a Door titled "Caesar's Bridge," or a dark and waxy troll lair created by Molly Colleen O'Connell for her 2018 exhibition "Why Do Spider's Drink From My Mouth While I'm Sleeping?"
This past year the four of us produced the miniature international art fair Barely Fair, which we hope to have a second iteration of this fall. The tiny fair hosted 24 galleries both locally and from as far away as Malta. Each was given a 1:20 scale booth to fill with a solo or group presentation. Since we don't often collaborate on the conceptual side of our programming, this was a nice way to get our minds all back on the same page.
How is Julius Caesar keeping connected with the art community during this time of physical distancing?
For the last month we have been having Zoom meetings + studio visits with our upcoming artists to try and determine the best way to highlight their work outside of a physical exhibition. Roland Miller used the opportunity to create the online-only video exhibition "Without Loneliness" with artists Kirsten Stoltmann and Jennifer Sullivan. We were supposed to open their two-person exhibition at our space in late March, and are still hoping to push the physical exhibition back until this summer.
We wanted to make sure to give any artists we had planned exhibitions with an additional way to show their work digitally, rather than simply putting their work online and cancelling their show. We like the idea of their CV listing two back-to-back Julius Caesar exhibitions, and are eager to prioritize artists we have already made a firm commitment to.
We are working with Yae Jee Min and Ricardo Partida to create an Instagram-based exhibition launching on May 1st. We commissioned the two artists to create an Instagram filter that will incorporate elements from each of their practices. For the exhibition we are also participating in a week-long Slack-based interview with the two artists and each member of Julius Caesar. We are hoping to play with the limits of time—to allow for the interview to meld into our lives as we each exist separately in quarantine. We view the piece as a look into the lives of all parties involved, rather than just a one-sided investigation.
What are some of your favorite local restaurants or coffee shops?
I live right on the edge of Ukrainian Village and the Kinzie Corridor, so I used to often walk to Chicago Ave. for coffee at Star Lounge. Now the trek specifically for coffee is never, and food less often. Right before quarantine Lao Peng You opened, which serves delicious dumplings and green onion bing bread. They have carry-out, which I am super thankful for. I also love stopping by All Together Now for their walk-up window service where they serve natural wine, cheese boards, and Castelvetrano olives.
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