Miniotics, Pop Gun at Weatherproof
Chicago, IL
Group, March 13 - April 13, 2025
MINIOTICS presents a synaptic mapping of Pop Gun’s art-world; Nodes of international artists are connected in a schematic display of social and institutional vectors, advancing the discourse of Network Painting, and rendering physical the resinous scaffolds of social labor.
On the surface, the exhibition will appear as 130+ MINIONS, ranging from literal yellow henchmen from the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise, to conceptual gestures. Artists from New York City to Chicago, to San Francisco, Providence, Guadalajara, Melbourne, Bogotá, Stockholm and more, speak to common experience in minionese, contextualizing the “banana” babblings of scene discourse within an absurdist world-wide scheme.
Curated by Gunner Dongieux and Trinity Bavaria
Aaron Pierce, Abby Lloyd, Allegra Harvard, Alyssa Davis, Andrea Emmerich, Andrew Basinski, Andrew Laumann, Andrew Straub, Ari Norris, Baijun Chen, Ben Foch, Benjamin Scott, Bora Akinciturk, Braden Skelton, Bradley Milligan, Brian Oakes, Cameron Spratley x Maxwell Volkman, Camila Astorquiza, Camilo Medina, Chance Lucy, Chloe Seibert, Chloe Wilcox, Chris Retsina, Christine Tien Wang, Christopher Gambino, CJ Shaw, Cole Denyer, Cole Levya, Cumwizard69420, Dahlia Bloomstone, Danny Sobor, Daphne Knouse, Darius Airo, David Colosi, Dean Millien, Delaney Rua, Diego Groisman, Drew Villanueva, Elberto Muller, Erik Foss, Francesca Facciola, Gabriel Rozzell, Gloria Sebastian Fierro Castro, Grace Bromley, Gregory Simmons II, Gunner Dongieux, Gwen Smith, Hale Jones, Harrison Wyrick, Helen Hawkins, Henry Gunderson, Hugo Zelada Romero, Jackie Klein, Jacob Ciocci, Jacob Jackmauh, Jacob Lay, Jacob Patrick Brooks, Jahi Kijo Lendor, Jake Fagundo, Jared Hoffmann, Jeff Egner, Jeremy McBrian, Jerome Wang, Joey Frank, Johnson y Jeisson, Jon Burgerman, Jonathan Dedecker, Jonathan Leib, José G. Rivera, Joshua Abelow, Joshua Boulos, Joy Lane, Juliana Vargas Zapata, Juni Mun, Justin Ortiz x Jacob Mattingly, Karla Zurita, Kati Kirsch, Kaylee Spears, Kelsa Kuchera, Kristen Landsman, Kyle Gallahger, Lauren Sullivan, Leonardo Ascencio, Liam Murray, Liza Jo Eilers, Luca Forte, Lucas Bourgine, Lucas Flanders, Madeline Bach, Madeline Leplae, Maite Iribarren Vazquéz, Marcus Wagner, Mark E. Oybeleté, Mary Amelia, Mary Sellers, Matt Voor, Max Palmer, Milly Skellington & Jin Mateo Kim, Naoki Sutter-Shudo, Nick Jorgensen, Nick Schutzenhofer, Olivia Oyamada, Parker Davis, Pastiche Lumumba, Patrick Sarmiento, Peter Carney, Peter Eide, Phillip Hinge, Rachel Yanku, Reece Francis Perkins, Richard Hull, Ruby Zarsky, Ryan Mettz, Sam Linguist, Sasha Fishman, Scott Reeder, Shelley Uckotter, Stephanie Cora Hayden, Tarik Kentouche, TD Reade, Terry Cole, Tess Manhattan, Tom Kohler, Trevor Shimizu, Trinity Bavaria, Tyler Dobson, Tyson Reeder, Violet Handforth, Visaya Hoffie, Wesley Ware, Will Kaplan, William Reed, Wyatt Davis, Xingzi Gu, Yusef Fageeh, Zach Harrington, Zander Raymond, Zola Rollins.
Press:
Landscape survey: What's on in Chicago's Outer Spaces: Miniotics at Weatherproof
Mar 22, 2025
By SUSAN GESCHEIDLE
WEATHERPROOF – Miniotics
Whatever you do between now and April 13th, visit Weatherproof to see Miniotics! It’s a wackadoodle group exhibition of roughly 140 artists. The gallery is jammed floor to ceiling (literally art is hung on the ceiling!) with Minion-inspired pieces of all sizes and mediums. It will be worth your time to check it out. I promise. A show like this strikes me as representative of Chicago’s young galleries / curatorial spaces right now–showing art by friends and peers without really giving a damn about making money, though of course they need it, and they still should be taken seriously. Young gallerists are trying fresh new things as the mood strikes, and it’s exciting to encounter.
Weatherproof is a gallery and curatorial space founded in 2022 and run by Milo Christie and Sam Dybeck. Miniotics is presented by Pop Gun, an artist-run project space in New York City and curated by the New York City duo of Gunner Dongieux and Trinity Bavaria. Dongieux is an artist and Founder and Co-Director of Pop Gun. Bavaria, also an artist, lives and works in New York City and has exhibited at Pop Gun, as well as Cleaner Gallery + Projects here in Chicago.
Dongieux and Bavaria invited artists from around the world to participate. As the curatorial statement says, it’s “a synaptic mapping of Pop Gun’s art-world.” It’s heavy on New York City and Chicago representation, understandably so. But I spied San Francisco, Los Angeles, Stockholm and beyond. The work runs the gamut from serious to cheesy, good to less good, and large to small. The artists took their Minion assignments semi-seriously and brought their A-games (or at least their B-games.) It’s a fun and dizzying experience of yellow and blue, bananas and Minion references.
It’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite piece, because they’re all so different. The three largest pieces warrant a shoutout, however. You can’t miss Tyler Dobson’s giant Minion, a Rothko-esque painting in yellow and blue. Hanging on the ceiling is, American Minion, a vinyl banner with painted Minions and flags by Trinity Bavaria. And then there’s Eve, a bright yellow sculpture of a reclining nude female by New York City artist, and Co-Director of Pop Gun, Karla Zurita. “All materials were found or bought on West Lawrence Ave,” she reveals, “It’s my love letter to Chicago.”
Other interesting pieces, in no particular order, are: CJ Shaw’s BANANA FISH, a small oil, graphite, and inkjet print on canvas. David Colosi’s, The Return, a luscious colored pencil drawing of a large group of water-Minions hard at work. Ari Norris’s tiny, understated yellow and blue outlet cover, Minion Outlet. Braden Skelton’s, The Crisis of Nihilism, a Minion cushion holding a plaster face of Nietzsche. The list of hits goes on and on. The gallery is a literal candy store of art. The range of talent is impressive, including the likes of Allegra Harvard, Reece Francis Perkins, and heavy-hitters like Richard Hull and Scott Reeder. There’s something for everyone in this show: video to sculpture to toys to mosaics, and even to…urine.
The curators say the artists ‘speak to common experience in Minionese.’ With around 140 artists exhibiting together in such a small space, that’s one loud conversation. So, pop in, and find out how Miniotics speaks to you.