UBS 12 x 12: Derek Chan

Inspired by the spiritual and poetic nature of the indigenous people of North America, Chicago artist Derek Chan has created new paintings and works on paper based on his recent journey to the Four Corners region of Arizona and New Mexico. Responding to these sacred sites, Chan's exhibition A Way of Life opens on the evening of November 5 during First Fridays as part of the monthly UBS 12 x 12: New Artists/New Work at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, and runs through November 28, 2010.    Chan's recent pilgrimage to the Hopi mesas, Navajo territory, Black Mesa, and Canyon de Chelly led him down ancient Hopi and Navajo village roads seldom traveled by non-tribal residents. Part of the semi-autonomous indigenous tribal governments of the Navajo Nation and the Ute Mountains Ute Tribe, this region inspired Chan to create his new body of work, as he says, "to understand the optimism and unyielding ability to pursue a spiritual way of life of the indigenous people there."   Although Chan's travels were a private journey, Chan plans to interact with visitors in the gallery in performances that occur on November 6, 9, 16, and 23 from noon to 4 pm each day. The exhibition also features an artist's book that Chan produced in collaboration with Golden Age titled Cries and Whispers from the Salt Song Trail, a collection of drawings recording the sacred places and people he encountered in the Four Corners region.   Chan received his MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2007. He discusses his work in a public conversation on Tuesday, November 9, 2010, at 6 pm.

UBS 12 x 12: Derek Chan