This Weekend: saki Opening, Grass Widow, "Visions in the Dark" Closing Reception, Do-Division Festival

June 2nd is going to be a busy day. There is so much great stuff going on!

We're very excited here at saki about our opening "The Sun Will Rise With Me: An Exhibition by Shawn Stucky" that will be complete with free whiskey and spirits tasting for those of age from KOVAL Distillery! The opening is from 6-9pm, and will feature a DJ set by our very own DJ Karl Meier! definitely do not miss it!

Do-Division Festival is today through Sunday with amazing music from folks like Le Butcherettes, Soft Pack, Murder By Death, White Mystery, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, The Antlers, Black Belles, Besnard Lakes, and on and on and on.

Grass Widow puts on a late show at Beat Kitchen - hopefully playing some tracks off of their awesome new album Internal Logic!! Stream Internal Logic on Stereogum. I'll definitely be running from the saki opening to the Grass Widow show, hopefully recreating the magical snuggie moment to your right.

Finally, I'd love to highlight the closing reception of David Simpson's (aka Dabu) show "Visions in the Dark" at Calles y Sueños (1900 South Carpenter Street, Chicago). David Simpson holds a special place in our heart because he had the very first art on saki's wall and we continue to love and support him! The show highlights the imagination, experimentation, determination, and creations of three different artists with three different visual impairments. David Simpson is a whimsically surreal painter. The space, Calles y Sueños, is also a very valuable institution. In their words about this show, "[Calles y Sueños] has always explored the dilemmas associated with discrimination related to the inequalities of race, nationality, citizenship, and sexuality. With this show, Calles y Sueños will explore another frontier: breaking down social taboos, oppressive misconceptions, and narrow-minded expectations of what people with disabilities can or cannot do. This show concentrates on the special ability of these artists to create and contribute in their personal lives, their community, and the world. Our ability to create is the way we share our inner vision."

Hope to see you at ALL of these things, but especially Shawn's opening!

Enter the Magical World of David Simpson, aka Dabu, at saki

Opening Friday July 2. 6-8pm

Hors d'oeuvres provided by Guerilla Smiles catering and 
cool beverages provided by Cellar Rat.

Chicago, IL  June 24, 2010 — saki, the new record store, art gallery and performance space in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, is thrilled to present an expansive exhibition by noted Evanston artist David Simpson, aka Dabu. His multitude of fanciful, eclectic and whimsical pieces will appear for four weeks, from the opening on July 2^nd to July 31^st. Dabu employs a range of media from pencil drawings, to acrylic and watercolors, with all shapes, sizes and styles represented in this show. His signature use of vibrant colors and enchanting detail recall a sense of childlike wonder mingled with a professional essence that breathes pure talent. The elaborate, almost supernatural, scenes which Dabu creates allow the imagination to roam unfettered in a land that feels both fantastical and familiar, surreal and archetypal.

“...work that has a whimsy and style reminiscent of Marc Chagall.”—Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun Times