Voices from the Center Exhibition at threewalls Gallery Features Eastern European Artists

The exhibition Voices from the Center opened at threewalls gallery in Chicago on October 28, 2011, running through December 10. This presentation marks the project's first United States iteration, gathering works by artist and curator Janeil Engelstad alongside artists Grafixpol from Poland, Oto Hudec from Slovakia and Portugal, Magda Stanová from Slovakia, Miklós Surányi from Hungary, Matej Vakula from Slovakia, and Tehnica Schweiz from Hungary. Their pieces respond to a series of interviews Engelstad began in 2006 with individuals living in Eastern Europe about life during and after communism. The multi-tiered project also includes an interactive web platform at www.voicesfromthecenter.net and public events. A related podcast was recorded on October 30, 2011, featuring an interview conducted by Susan Snodgrass with Engelstad and most of the exhibiting artists, excluding Gergely László and Péter Rákos of Tehnica Schweiz and Kasia Worpus-Wronska of Grafixpol. The artists' works impart their own reflections on communism's imprint in their respective countries. Adam Garcia provided assistance with audio files for the podcast.