96 gillespie is pleased to introduce Jon Hall, Ben Jenkins & Sam Prekop

On display are Jon Hall’s black and white landscapes and abstracts, hand-printed and toned in his Somerset darkroom. His images are tangible close-ups of rock formations and shorelines – converging elements of light, form and texture into organic abstractions and intrinsically beautiful landscapes.

Sam Prekop’s photographic reportage – an anecdotal documentary of his life as front-man of Chicago’s The Sea & Cake - is a restrained, understated reflection on the world around him. Reminiscent of Wim Wenders and unfalteringly even, his images are an extraordinary exercise in non-confrontational, non-judgemental storytelling. Accompanying his photos are a sampling of his geometric urban paintings. A long time Chicago resident, his paintings reflect a lyrical cityscape.

Ben Jenkins’ fastidiously layered oil paintings deliver simple iconography, rendered into exquisite Gothic gestures. His technique repeats a positive/negative/positive application of paint, the individual paintings repeatedly tackle themes and symbols – with varying outcomes. All are a testament to his remarkable dedication as a painter, following months, or years, of single-minded experimentation and effort.

opens thursday . aug 30 . 2007 . 7-9 pm

show runs aug 31 - sep 23 . 2007
gallery hours tu - su . 2 - 6 pm