Synth City Opens at Fifteen Windows Gallery
The children of St Louis grow up with the unique architecture of the city as an ever-present presence in their lives. For some, it becomes like a comforting part of the family, the vaguely decadent and dilapidated auntie or uncle always around in the background, full of stories to tell of nights gone by. For prolific St Louis polymath Stan Chisholm, aka 18andCounting, it’s the inspiration for Synth City, his first solo art show since 2015, currently running at Fifteen Windows Gallery (3155 Cherokee St).
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of St. Louis’s architectural diversity and prowess subconsciously fueling our creative confidence and drive to be seen as individually unique,” says Chisholm. “There’s also the idea of not knowing the musical history within each individual building throughout the city.”
An imaginative fusion of recognizable structures and the modular instruments used in his musical explorations, the paintings in the show pulse with the vibrant rhythms of STL that connect us all, channeled through the beats in Chisholm’s soul. “There’s a lot of thoughts I’ve collected over the years about the electronic scene, and the architectural grime and magic here,” he says.
Photos from the show opening at Fifteen Windows Gallery on Cherokee St. by Erik Carlson
“I work in a lot of different styles from project to project so sometimes it’s tough to choose which to go with,” Chisholm muses. “I figured if I’m returning to the intensity of producing a solo show, then I want it to be something that I’m already hypnotized by.”
Building from its successful opening on April 18th, Synth City continues through May 16th. Regular hours are 12pm-4pm Thursday through Saturday, and on May 7th the gallery is celebrating Cherokee First Thursday with later hours from 5pm-8pm and music by Sounds Like Noise.
Those interested will get a chance to interact with the always-active Chisholm and his evolving ideas at the gallery for an Artist Talk on May 9th at 2pm. “I’ll continue to explore all this with future works, and will open up the conversation at the Artist Talk.”
Find more about the Fifteen Windows Gallery at https://www.instagram.com/fifteenwindowsgallery/ . Attempt to keep up with the 18andCounting world as he keeps it moving at https://www.instagram.com/18andcounting/ for music and https://www.instagram.com/eighteenandcounting/ for visual arts.
