Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Paula Palombo

1.773.742.0983

ppalombo@extensiongallery.us

EXTENSION Gallery for Architecture

1835 S. Halsted St.

www.extensiongallery.us

Extension Gallery for Architecture, located in the Chicago Arts District, at 1835 S. Halsted St., presents Point Clouds — an interactive installation and exhibition of the work of Jimenez Lai.

The exhibition opens Friday, January 9 th at 6:00 p.m. and runs through March 14 th. Extension Gallery for Architecture is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 12 pm to 5 pm and on 2nd Fridays from 6 to 10 pm.

The complexity of this project, composed within a nine-grid, lies within the intricacies of the joinery system: it is all soft / flexible. When one connection point is moved, the entire structure will deform. This allows the piece to become interactive with the visitors, as they will be able to actively change its form. The dimensions of the grid are highly suggestive of sitting, grabbing, or leaning. During the gallery off hours the installation will self-illuminate.

Jimenez Lai has lived and worked in a desert shelter at Taliesin, AZ, and resided in a shipping container at Atelier Van Lieshout on the piers of Rotterdam, NL. He has received mentions in competitions in Japan, Europe and the US. Professionally, Lai has worked for Michael Meredith, REX, OMA/Rem Koolhaas in Rotterdam and New York. In February 2006, his drawings Noah ’ s Ark, in space was featured on archinect.com and in 2007 he was the recipient of the LeFevre Fellowship. In April 2008 his project Phalanstery Module opened at Materials & Applications in Los Angeles. Jimenez Lai is currently a clinical assistant professor at University of Illinois at Chicago and working on a comic book while being involved as a participant in group-exhibitions in New York, Toronto, and Athens.

Extension Gallery is sponsored by Podmajersky, Inc. and is located in the Chicago Arts District, where it joins more than 20 other galleries in one of Chicago’s most well established art and cultural communities. Through the 50+ year commitment of the Podmajersky Family, this vibrant community hosts a series of events throughout the year which are open to the public and contribute to the depth and variety of Chicago’s cultural landscape.

For more information about Extension Gallery and the Jimenez Lai exhibition, please visit the gallery’s web site www.extensiongallery.us or contact Paula Palombo at 1.773.742.0983 or via email at ppalombo@extensiongallery.us. For more information on the Chicago Arts District, please visit www.chicagoartsdistrict.org or contact Cynthia West at cwest@chicagoartsdistrict.org