SPACES is a 2022 exhibitor at Barely Fair during Chicago Art Week

Barely Fair is an international art fair operated by Julius Caesar. The invitational fair presents a tiny peek inside the programming of thirty contemporary art galleries, project spaces, and curatorial projects during “Art Week” in Chicago. Included spaces will exhibit works in 1:12 scale booths built to mimic the design of a standard fair.

Barely Fair will open with a vernissage on April 8th, 2022 at Color Club. The fair will run with daily hours through the weekend, and be open for weekly gallery hours and by appointment through April 24th.

We will be showing new work by Bailey Scieszka:

Commemorative Beanie Babies often followed major events of the 1990s and early 2000s. These relics of Millennial childhoods were vessels for social traumas and, coupled with nostalgic fervor, they appreciated great monetary value as a result. The Princess Bear, released in 1997, commemorated Princess Diana, whose tragic death fueled media speculation and elaborate conspiracies. The frenzy for the Princess Bear continues to this day, as fascination surrounding the Royals and Diana's relationship to them is further explored through new films and television series.

Three major conspiracy theories are commemorated for Barely Fair through bespoke “Teanie Beanie” (TM) sculptures: The Stanley Kubrick Bear, commemorating NASA's faked moon landing; The Bloody Jackie Kennedy Bear, commemorating the government plot to assassinate JFK; and the Ken Kesey Psychedelic Bear, commemorating the CIA’s Project MKUltra.

These sculptures are a lens through which we can understand commemoration of historically significant events and the conspiracies that envelop them. These theories shape many American beliefs in questionable ways; from why the Civil War was fought to more recent QAnon theories anchored in antisemitic conspiracies that trace back to the 14th century. Scieszka's work will explore how we commemorate history through popular culture, play, and collectibles.