The Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design (SOFA) Fair in Chicago is the premier gallery-presented art fair dedicated to three-dimensional art and design. SOFA Expo returns to Chicago’s Navy Pier for its 26th Edition from Thursday, October 31st through Sunday, November 3rd.
SOFA Expo at Chicago’s Navy Pier
Habatat Prime location: 1023 S. Delano Court East, Chicago, IL 60605
For the 2019 event, something different and exciting will be happening, and all are invited! Michigan’s Habatat Galleries will have a presence at the Sofa Expo at Navy Pier (Habatat Sofa Booth: A34 & A32) and also will have a separate exhibit titles “Habatat Prime” – a pop-up gallery located nearby in Chicago’s Printer’s Row neighborhood in the South Loop. (About 3 miles from Navy Pier). The gallery will have 7500 square feet of display spacing offering incredible contemporary glass. Habatat will also have a live auction of masterworks at the space as well on Friday night! The popup space will be free & open to the public during the week – from 10am til 6pm Thursday, Oct 31, 2019 to Sunday, Nov 3, 2019. The auction
WGS artists Tim Tate and Michael Janis will have work at the art fairs – both as individual artists and as collaborative artists for works that blend the artistic oeuvres.
Tim Tate has been busy for the past few months!
Tim Tate’s narrative kiln-cast glass is always incredible.
Tim has a number of works at both Navy Pier SOFA and at Habatat Prime pop-up space in Printers Row. Besides his own work, Tim has created collaborative work with artist Lucy Lyon and with WGS’ Michael Janis.
Tim and Lucy created “Neo”- a sculpture that combines Lucy Lyon’s figurative work with Tim’s evocative endless mirror sculptures – resulting in sculpture that has an exquisite haunting quality – referencing the Magic Realism artwork by George Tooker and Paul Cadmus.
Tim Tate & Lucy Lyon collaborative sculpture work “Neo” calls to mind highly detailed, realistic settings invaded by something too strange to believe – the definition of “Magic Realism”.
Michael Janis has new works in his signature “sgrafftio” (frit powder drawing) technique. His works are much more expressive and colorful – and sure to command attention at Habatat Prime.
Michael Janis, “Inner Dimensions”, kilnformed glass powder imagery; at Habatat Prime popup exhibit. Photo by Anything Photographic
Michael and Tim collaborated on a commanding artwork installation titled “All That Is Solid Melts Into Air” – a 9 foot wide by 6 foot high wall sculpture – consisting of 42 separate bas-relief plaster molds, 12 sgraffito glass powder drawings, 12 lost wax glass castings and 4 months to produce this spectacular and monumental work.
Michael Janis creates imagery from crushed glass powder in his signature “sgraffito” technique.
Tim Tate & Michael Janis, “All That Is Solid Melts Into Air”
Detail of “All That Is Solid…” showing the dimensional qualities of the narrative glass installation by Janis & Tate.
The pop-up show will also feature a special auction event – 
HABATAT’s 24th MASTERWORKS AUCTION – An auction of 42 studio glass works
November 1st, 2019 7:15 pm
Auction Preview 11:00am Thursday October 31st and Friday November 1st from 6:30 – 7:15 pm at Habatat Prime.
Hope to see you there!