Industry of the Ordinary 2026 Summer Residency Exhibition: World Without Promises
SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art is proud to host "World Without Promises," the culminating exhibition of the Industry of the Ordinary (IOTO) 2026 Summer Residency on Sat., August 22, 2026 from 5-8 pm. The non-performative elements of the exhibition will be on view at the gallery through Sat., August 29. An Artist Walkthrough will take place on Sat, August 29 from 5-7 pm where the artists will discuss their work and offer deeper insights into their processes and the evolution of their practice.
The theme of the exhibition "World Without Promises" asks, in a world where promises dissolve into systems and abstractions, what forms of connection might emerge when we trade guarantees for the fragile act of being present together.
Industry of the Ordinary (IOTO) is a two-person conceptual art collaborative, made up of Chicago-based artists and educators Adam Brooks and Mathew Wilson. Now in its ninth year, their summer residency program offers emerging artists a platform for critical experimentation and bold expression. The program provides artists working in performance, installation and other non-traditional mediums extensive opportunities to develop their practice through in-progress presentations, peer-led critiques, visiting artist workshops, and a formal group exhibition. Wilson is leading this summer’s residency program.
The artists participating in the residency this summer are all current or former students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). At the opening on Sat., Aug. 22 at SoNa Chicago, all 16 residents will activate the full site of the exhibition address - moving beyond the main gallery walls to engage both the building in the rear and exterior spaces. Visitors will see a mix of time-based, performative, and spatial interventions alongside two- and three-dimensional works, continuing the Residency’s longstanding commitment to diverse and experimental practices.
The participating artists this year are Pruthvish Dangat, Helen Harrison, Abby Haskins, Zeynep Karahasan, Koki Kin, Harry Yechan Lee, Anya Lomachenko, Akemi Nomo, Autumn Pease, de Pan, Olivia Sharkey, Elyxir Van Kampen, Koichi Raphael Hiraishi, David Li, Nia Diaz-Perez, and Chris Mah Stoneham-Browa.
For more information, contact: Laura Botwinick, Phone: 773-513-4436, Email: Lkbotwinick@gmail.com
Facebook & Instagram: @sonachicagoart
Industry of the Ordinary: Mathew Wilson, 312-927-8855, mathewcwilson98@yahoo.com
Instagram: @industryoftheordinary
