THOMAS WOLFE: CALAMITY – Friday May 10th, 6-10pm

Chicago Art Department is pleased to present the work of Thomas Wolfe. Words and numbers have always been filled with mythology and superstitions, both universal and personal. In the Japanese language the word Yakudoshi refers to the years of calamity. These are the years in which people are likely to experience misfortune. For men, 42 is often considered to be a particularly bad year or Honyaku (great calamity). Thomas Wolfe explores his personal connection to Honyaku in his recent paintings.

Working within collage, Thomas’ work draws upon his career in design—cutting and pasting a narrative that reflects a fascination with typography, books and fashion. The work explores personal relationships and emotions in an effort to capture these fleeting moments. And much like memories, important details—fragments of phrases, numbers and images—mix together with insignificant minutiae in a wonderfully tangled latticework of truths,distortions and inconsequential meanders.