Dibs
Exhibition Text
(PDF)
ANDREW RAFACZ is thrilled to begin the new year with Dibs, a group exhibition of seventeen artists, in Galleries One & Two. The exhibition opens Friday, January 16th and continues through Saturday, February 14th, 2026. Participating artists include: Josh Dihle, Sofía Fernández Díaz, Dove Hornbuckle, Tony Lewis, Liz McCarthy, Nicholas Moenich, Jonathan Muecke, Ari Norris, Susy Oliveira, Scott Reeder, Anders Ruhwald, Deb Sokolow, Edra Soto, Jessica Stockholder, Trish Tillman, Lan Tuazon, Adrian Wong.
The dead of a Midwestern winter. The seemingly unending accumulation of lake effect snow, sub-zero temperatures bringing sheets of ice glazing the streets and sidewalks, making one’s basic movements challenging. You’ve dug out the parking spot closest to your origin of comfort and safety. You put in the hours of making this claimed space yours— courtesy and generosity be damned!
‘Dibs’ colloquially refers to the unofficial tradition of reserving a shoveled or dug out parking space by leaving objects like chairs or cones in the spot after a heavy snowfall or storm. This practice is intended to mark an individual’s hard work in digging out their vehicle and claiming the space for their return. The practice of dibs is not exclusive to Chicago, though it is a well-known and deeply ingrained tradition here. Other places that experience significant weather have their own versions of reserving space after shoveling— often using different names and various objects to claim the spot.
Dibs is a uniquely cold weather concept. It is also a conceptual summation of what it is like to endure life in a northern climate. With Dibs, we aim to playfully examine the way this time of the year affects change and evokes creativity in its impacted participants.
– curated by Jenal Dolson