Balance: Photography by Amanda Olbrys

TONIGHT is the opening reception of Balance: Photographs by Amanda Olbrys. We'll be celebrating from 6-9pm with a live set from The Blast Beats, beverages from Metropolitan Brewing, and hors d'oeuvres from saki.

Balance will highlight photographs that create a sense of balance and understanding within a moment in time. The work as a whole focuses on composition and lighting to share the relationship between the subject and its surroundings. The square format and soft focus assists in the study of design and harmony.

Please join us Friday, February 1st from 6-9pm for the opening of Balance: photographs by Amanda Olbrys. Enjoy a great night of fine art, live music from garage rockers The Blast Beats, and enjoy food and drink provided by saki. This event is FREE.

Tara Key Artwork Hits the Web

There are many projects to follow when it comes to Tara Key. As one of our first saki gallery artists, and a member of Carrot Top Records band Antietam, we pay close attention.

Pink Peaks 2011

We are thrilled that some of Tara's works have recently gone up for sale online. These are the works from the "My Other Guitar is a Paintbrush" show at One Mile Gallery in Kingston, NY. "My Other Guitar Is a Paintbrush" highlighted musicians who are also visual artists and included folks like Georgia Hubley (Yo La Tengo), Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Rachel Blumberg (The Decemberists), Sue Garner, Grasshopper (Mercury Rev), and Tara Jane O'Neil (Rodan, Retsin). Pretty rad show right there.

Take a look at Tara's pieces for sale.

Last Minute Plans: I Am Logan Square Gallery Presents New Exhibit, Memento

Chicagoist alerted us to this cool opening tonight (6-9pm) put on by our friends at I Am Logan Square. Memento is multidisciplinary collaboration between visual artist Ashley Sullivan, dance film artist Nadia Oussenko, and drop shift dance.

“Explores themes of memory distortion, perception, and recall, translated through the mediums of movement, short film vignettes, and graphic screen print design as well as painting on paper and canvas” as artistic director Andrea Cerniglia describes. Hence, this collaboration gave birth to the name of the exhibit, Memento.

The opening night of the exhibit is on Thursday, December 6th from 6pm to 9pm. Performances will take place and consist of solo and couples dances. Our gallery sponsors D’Noche and Beck’s will provide food and beer. If you haven’t tried D’Noche’s scrumptious croquetas and empanandas, this is your opportunity all while experiencing a dance performance and great ambience with fellow art lovers alike.

Pop-up performances will take place throughout the month.

Looks very cool!

Clearly Undefined: An exhibition by Kevin Coutts :: Opens Tonight

Join us tonight at 6pm for Clearly Undefined: An exhibition by Kevin Coutts
Opening Reception: Friday, November 2, 6-9pm. Free.
Live Music from: Grimble Grumble, Royal Son of a Guns, & Randall Pike

saki is thrilled to present Clearly Undefined, an exhibition by Kevin Coutts at saki. Kevin Coutts has chosen three bands to celebrate the opening: Grimble Grumble, Randall Pike, & Royal Son of a Guns.

saki is looking forward to showing the work of Kevin Coutts. Coutts’s paintings are often opposite reflections of his state of mind at the time. He seeks to separate himself from any style, medium, or market and strives for “the intangible” that is present in things of quality. Coutts's solo shows have included Cleo’s, The Ukrainian Museum of Modern Art, Lounge Ax, Discover Cafe, Northside Cafe, and Simone’s.

Please join us Friday, November 2nd from 6-9pm for the opening of Clearly Undefined: An exhibition by Kevin Coutts. Enjoy a great night of fine art, live music from Grimble Grumble, Randall Pike, & Royal Son of a Guns, drink cool beverages from Cellar Rat, and enjoy food provided by saki. This event is FREE.

saki, founded in 2010, is Logan Square’s premier boutique record store, art gallery, and performance space.

Dysgraphia: Opening Oct 6

Dysgraphia

An exhibition by Jordan Martins

Opening: Saturday, October 6 | 6-9pm

DJ set from: Nick Butcher (Sonnenzimmer, Home Tapes)

Beverages from Cellar Rat | Food provided by saki

saki is thrilled to present Dysgraphia, an exhibition by Jordan Martins at saki.

Dysgraphia is a project based on Jordan Martins’s interest in the Chicago-specific tradition of hand-painted, block-letter grocery signs which have come to be associated with Hispanic markets. By exaggerating the expressive colors and gestural rhythms of the original signs, Martins aims to build patters that simultaneously attract (fluorescent colors, bold shapes) and conceal (by undermining legibility). In this sense they are related both to natural camouflage and bright plumage used by animals to attract mates, or broader notions of visual stimuli to affect or sculpt behavior. This project began as a series of storefront installations.

Jordan Martins is a visual artist currently focused on exploring a variety of collage techniques: appropriation as a discursive act, an interweaving of disparate elements into new hybrid structures. Martins is interested in combining precise details from different visual languages into a single surface or environment in order to foment new connections between them. Jordan Martins also plays music in a number of Chicago projects: Plastic Council, Angela James, and improvisational duos & groups, as well as curating the Relax Attack Jazz Series at The Whistler and co-curating the Comfort Music Series.

Please join us Saturday, October 6th from 6-9pm for the opening of Dysgraphia: An exhibition by Jordan Martins. Enjoy a great night of fine art, a DJ set by Nick Butcher (Sonnenzimmer), drink cool beverages from Cellar Rat, and enjoy food provided by saki. This event is FREE.

RSVP on Facebook

Fug Comics :: Dysgraphia at saki

Dysgraphia: An exhibition by Jordan Martins, a set on Flickr.

Fug Comics exhibition is only up until Saturday! Not much longer to come and snag these comic-oriented prints from FugScreens!

Though it is always a bummer when stuff comes off the wall, we are so excited to put up Jordan Martins's show Dysgraphia. Above is a sneak peek of the show.

Dysgraphia: An exhibition by Jordan Martins
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 6, 6-9pm. Free.
DJ set from: Nick Butcher (Sonnenzimmer, Home Tapes)
Beverages from Cellar Rat | Food provided by saki

Dysgraphia is a project based on Jordan Martins’s interest in the Chicago-specific tradition of hand-painted, block-letter grocery signs which have come to be associated with Hispanic markets. By exaggerating the expressive colors and gestural rhythms of the original signs, Martins aims to build patters that simultaneously attract (fluorescent colors, bold shapes) and conceal (by undermining legibility). In this sense they are related both to natural camouflage and bright plumage used by animals to attract mates, or broader notions of visual stimuli to affect or sculpt behavior. This project began as a series of storefront installations.

Storm Thorgerson: Computers Have A Lot To Answer For at Public Works Gallery

Storm Thorgerson: Computers Have A Lot To Answer For

September 7-November 2

Public Works Gallery

1539 N. Damen Ave.

Chicago, IL  60622

Opening 

Friday, September 7, 2012 | 7-10pm

Make sure you set aside time to attend the opening of Computers Have A Lot To Answer For at Public Works Gallery on September 7th. Storm Thorgerson's artwork is immediately recognizable as iconic. The show is a 40-year retrospective of an artist who produced many of the defining images of music culture, including album covers for Pink Floyd (Wish You Were Here, Dark Side of the Moon, Animals), Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, Paul McCartney, and many more. Thorgerson is a strategist and production mastermind, whose intricate work he's always produced without digital technology remains unsurpassed.

Look through his vast collection of work, learn more about his intricate processes, or even ask him yourself (Storm will be in attendance). Read more about the exhibition HERE. Computers Have A Lot To Answer For will be in the Public Works Gallery from September 7 until November 2.

“Lounge Ax Retrospective” at saki Postponed

“Lounge Ax Retrospective” at saki Postponed 

CHICAGO, IL (June 22, 2012) - The extraordinary response to the news of the “Lounge Ax Retrospective” at saki has led us all to think bigger, or at least differently. After discussions with Julia Adams, Susan Miller, and Mark Greenberg, we have jointly decided to postpone this special event so that we may devote more time to planning and development. We will announce further plans once they are finalized. We apologize for any disappointment or inconvenience that this delay may cause and look forward to putting on a really kick ass gallery show in the future.

saki, founded in 2010, is Logan Square’s premier boutique record store, art gallery, and performance space.

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Contact: Patrick Monaghan, saki | Phone: 773.486.1400 | Email: patrick@sakistore.net

For more information on saki, please visit sakistore.net

Lounge Ax at saki

We got a little excited...actually a whole lot excited, and we posted a few things before we'd worked out quite enough of the details. Fear not, loyal denizens. This stands to be our biggest exhibition yet, and we want to get it just right for all of you. We are working on those details even as you sleep and will post more RSN.

PS: Does anybody know where the missing animal is?

The Sun Will Rise With Me: An Exhibition by Shawn Stucky

The Sun Will Rise With Me: An Exhibition by Shawn Stucky, a set on Flickr.

The Sun Will Rise With Me: An Exhibition by Shawn Stucky at saki

Saturday, June 2, 6-9pm

Taste whiskey and spirits from KOVAL Distillery, enjoy cool beverages from Cellar Rat, and food provided by saki.

This event is FREE. 

Shawn Stucky began his early work by taking the intangible passions and feelings that people share in music and translating them into physical form. This has progressed to reproducing what he calls his “silent film animations” that appear in his head on the verge of sleep. When looking for new sources of inspiration, Stucky later found it in the most personal of places. It was quietly lurking in that mysterious space between waking-life and dreams, hidden in plain sight. In these “silent film animations,” he sees films vividly playing in stop-motion. The imagery ranges from children on swing sets to odd-looking elderly men spinning chairs above their heads. Through these waking dreams, Stucky consciously collects the imagery to reproduce in his art.

Stucky was born red/green colorblind and moved from McPherson, Kansas to Chicago in 2002. He created his first screen print in 2006 and identifies that moment as the first time he was able to put his artistic visions onto paper. His process is based on simultaneously engaging his conscious and unconscious mind to express an intense emotion or complex thought based on personal experience. He utilizes the challenge of being red/green colorblind in his work by relying on value more than color.

Shawn Stucky has shown his work nationally and internationally in New York, London, Pescara, Italy, the recording studio of Sigur Rós in Mosfellsbær Iceland, Keflavík, Iceland, and Chicago.

RSVP on Facebook!

saki Gallery June Opening: Shawn Stucky

The Sun Will Rise With Me: An Exhibition by Shawn Stucky, a set on Flickr.

The Sun Will Rise With Me: An Exhibition by Shawn Stucky

Opening Reception Saturday, June 2nd, 6-9pm at saki. Free.

Hors d'oeuvres provided by saki 

Whiskey & Spirits tasting from Koval Distillery 

Beverages from Cellar Rat

Shawn Stucky began his early work by taking the intangible passions and feelings that people share in music and translating them into physical form. This has progressed to reproducing what he calls his “silent film animations” that appear in his head on the verge of sleep. When looking for new sources of inspiration, Stucky later found it in the most personal of places. It was quietly lurking in that mysterious space between waking-life and dreams, hidden in plain sight. In these “silent film animations,” he sees films vividly playing in stop-motion. The imagery ranges from children on swing sets to odd-looking elderly men spinning chairs above their heads. Through these waking dreams, Stucky consciously collects the imagery to reproduce in his art.

Stucky was born red/green colorblind and moved from McPherson, Kansas to Chicago in 2002. He created his first screen print in 2006 and identifies that moment as the first time he was able to put his artistic visions onto paper. His process is based on simultaneously engaging his conscious and unconscious mind to express an intense emotion or complex thought based on personal experience. He utilizes the challenge of being red/green
colorblind in his work by relying on value more than color.

Shawn Stucky has shown his work nationally and internationally in New York, London, Pescara, Italy, the recording studio of Sigur Rós in Mosfellsbær Iceland, Keflavík, Iceland, and Chicago.

Please join us Saturday, June 2nd from 6 - 9pm for the opening of The Sun Will Rise With Me: An Exhibition by Shawn Stucky. Enjoy a tasting table of whiskey and spirits from Koval Distillery, cool beverages from Cellar Rat, and food provided by saki. This event is FREE.

RSVP on Facebook

Sonnenzimmer Presents: Free Jazz Bit Maps Vol. 1

Sonnenzimmer Presents: Free Jazz Bit Maps Vol. 1, a set on Flickr.

Take a look at the collaborative images from Sonnenzimmer that will be adorning saki's walls starting tomorrow. Come celebrate Free Jazz Bitmaps exhibit and record release show this Friday, May 4th at saki. RSVP on Facebook. Details after the jump!

Sonnenzimmer In-Progress Prints

Here's a sneak peek at some in-progress prints from our pals at Sonnenzimmer. Their work will be up at saki for the month of May. Their show is an amazing combination of screen printing, music, collaboration and will be a really special opening. Read more about their collaboration and process after the jump. and RSVP on Facebook!

More Ryan Duggan prints!

Good news, you guys! Ryan just dropped off some extra copies of a few of his prints for us to sell! We're no longer sold out of "R.I.P. Hair Jordan" or "RIP Punk Clown" & we've got a few extra copies of some other good ones like "Last Mopery Show!" We also added one piece that I don't have a title for, so I'll just call it "Brick Cop Car," because it's a cop car with a brick flying towards it.

You've got until the end of the month to come check them out, but some of these are going to sell out fast, so don't be lazy if you have your eye on one!

Here are a few of our favorites, but you should check out all of Ryan Duggan's work!

This weekend @ saki!

Friday night, 7-10pm

Opening Reception of Time To Make The Doughnuts: The Gigposters of Ryan Duggan!

We've got a wall full of awesome prints by Ryan Duggan, as well as snacks from the Pepperoni King, Dill Pickle Co-Op, Cellar Rat, The Burlington & of course donuts, courtesy of saki! Come on out, buy some prints, eat, drink, be radical!

Heavy Times' Matt Hord is DJing & it just so happens that Heavy Times are playing at The Burlington later that night. Since our buds at The Burlington are being so nice and providing us with some booze, we strongly recommend you join us at the show afterwards. Let's call it the after party...



Saturday, 4pm

Epitonic saki Sessions with Maps & Atlases & Carbon Tigers!

Oh, so psyched for this one! Our good friends Carbon Tigers kick it off at 4pm with Maps & Atlases to follow! Both bands are being recorded for our Epitonic saki Sessions series & will be available for FREE download from Epitonic!

Did you know that Ryan Duggan designed Maps & Atlases' new album cover for "Beware & Be Grateful?' Pretty cool, right? Since it's only fitting, we're going to offer a special deal on Maps & Atlases releases when you buy a Ryan Duggan printl. Just buy any of Ryan's prints (including his many Maps & Atlases show posters on display) and all Maps & Atlases releases are 15%!

*** Also, just a heads up, we will be opening at the normal time on Sunday, but we'll play it by ear, and we may close a little early. Stay tuned to the blog, facebook & twitter for updates! ***

Tim Kerr in his studio

Taken by his friend Elliot.

BLOOD: New Works On Paper by Chris & Andy Hefner opens this Saturday!

BLOOD: New Works On Paper by Chris Hefner & Andy Hefner

Opening Reception Saturday, March 3rd, 7-10pm at saki

Hors d'oeuvres provided by Finch's Beer Co., Cellar Rat & saki

The show will run from March 1-March 31st.

Filmmaking, drawing, multimedia installation, screen printing, tattooing, playing musical saw, DJing on gramophones--Chris
& Andy Hefner have tackled many artistic mediums. For this exhibition, the brothers have produced work that has shifted
mediums during their artistic development.

Chris Hefner has spent the past nine years living and working in Chicago in various artistic capacities. Chris completed and
premiered his first feature-length film, The Pink Hotel, in 2010 and is now in production on his follow-up feature, The Poisoner.

Inspired by turn of the century and early American (Western) styles of tattooing, Andy Hefner was compelled to pursue his own work. His technique reflects a trade that has been passed from generation to generation, and he works to uphold that integrity.

Please join us Saturday, March 3rd from 7-10pm to see the exhibition, hear the artists take turns spinning their favorite records & partake in some snacks and drinks from saki, Cellar Rat & Finch's Beer Co. This event is FREE & open to the public.

We will also have limited edition saki t-shirts, designed by Chris Hefner available on Saturday for $10! As with all our saki shirts, when you wear it to shop at saki, your purchase is 5% off.

See you Saturday!