Gillock Gallery

Christopher Schneberger: A Case of Levitation - The Story of Frances Naylor

Opening Saturday, October 15th, 6-9pm

Having lost her legs at an early age, Frances Naylor developed a stunning, unique ability in her early teens.

Never before seen photographs show her as only her closest family knew her.

At this exhibition they will be presented in 3-D, the way they were originally intended.

Reviews

Local Press

Click here to see the review in the Pioneer Press "Diversions" section for October 13, 2005.

Seeing is Believing: Levitating with Christopher Schneberger

By Matthew Ballou

     The experience of seeing Christopher Schneberger’s new show at Gillock Gallery is powerfully profound. In stretching the envelope of the average art experience, Schneberger has created work with the power to initiate an amazingly visceral response in viewers. The works are smart, sophisticated, and touching and exhibit the artist’s tremendous facility not only with his medium, but also with his ideas.

     Mr. Schneberger’s photographs, which are often realized in stereoscopic or 3D form (as in this current show), lend themselves to a romantic, historic read. At first blush the photographs seem to reference the Spirit Photography movement of the last century (many of Schneberger’s past series have dealt with ghosts and the paranormal). Yet these works – with their documentary touch and absolutely fantastic compositional sensibility – carry far more than the aura of days gone by or metaphysical intrigue; they carry an experience in which to participate. Schneberger uses a systematic analysis of nearly every aspect of the work – story, space, presentation, costumes, and models – to create scenes of deft clarity. Fortunately, the works lack any sense of stale, mechanical preciseness because they surge with a warm, romantic – even providential – sensitivity.

     Part photographer, part storyteller, part director, part set designer, Schneberger creates narratives that function as armatures for the photographs, which themselves serve to substantiate the fantastical claims of the stories. This reflexive aspect of the work enlists the participation of viewers in the works’ completion. By their willingness to suspend disbelief and entertain the claims of the story, viewers discover the subject of the story in a way that goes beyond merely being told a tale. That so many viewers of Schneberger’s works are convinced of the verity of the accompanying story attests to the seductiveness of the images he creates. We want to believe the tale – after all, we have seen the photographs, we have been in the space.

     Of course, that’s what the artist is interested in – the fundamental play between what is seen and our assumptions about it. Perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of the works is how they compress the conceptual space between the photographs themselves and their subject matter. In this case, all of the pictured scenes took place in the Victorian era house now functioning as the Gillock Gallery. To view a photograph within the space it was created, indeed, to walk on rugs and floors, move through doors and up and down stairs, and touch objects central to the photographs is to become intimate with the artwork in a way not often afforded viewers. That intimacy is alluring because so much of the contemporary artwork we see today is heavy-handed and didactic. That is not so with Schneberger’s works; they draw one in with a gentle read that rewards extended viewing. Technically excellent, the photographs actually come alive with the sort of scrutiny necessitated by their viewing (3D glasses or stereoscopic viewers, both available in the gallery). As such, the works are far more than photographs, the show much more than a group of photos shown in concert. The images are markers of an experience, encompassing a form of theater and production that puts one in mind of film or stage direction. The show is a performative installation, made complete in the experience of its viewers. A good deal of Schneberger’s art is in manifesting an idea to the n^th degree, so much so that in the simple act of looking a viewer is

drawn into the artistic activity of that idea.

     This show is easily the most cohesive and intimate that Gillock Gallery has put on in its three and a half year history. It is certainly one of the most rewarding to view. The clean, sharp presentation and evenness of the distribution of works is pleasurable, though viewers should be sure to take in the images from four or five feet back to get the best dimensional effect from the 3D images. Once again, the warm environment of the Gillock house stands in contrast to the stark surroundings in most galleries and greatly adds to the viewing experience.

Additional Information

Christopher Schneberger is a well-known photographer and teacher in the Chicagoland area and actively shows his work nationally and internationally. He currently teaches at Columbia College in Chicago and the Evanston Art Center in Evanston. He has recently showed at Flatfile in Chicago and the Suburban Fine Arts Center in Highland Park. His work will be featured at Printworks Gallery in Chicago in 2006. See his work at www.christopherschneberger.com

Matthew Ballou is a painter and writer based in Evanston. His work can be seen currently in the Strictly Drawing show at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum in Bloomingdale, IL. In November he will be a featured guest artist for Bare Walls at Gallery 2 in Chicago. See his work at www.eikonktizo.com

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Updated: 11/21/2005