Press Release:
Exhibit Announcement: "Wunderkammer" – A Series of Paintings by Renee Robbins
Location: Epiphany Center for the Arts | July 11 – August 29, 2025
Opening Reception Friday July 11 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. RSVP here
Super Star, 20” x 27” framed, gouache and watercolor, acrylic & colored pencil on paper.
Renowned artist Renee Robbins presents Wunderkammer, a captivating series of paintings that explore the awe-inspiring connections between the natural world, the cosmos, and our imaginations. Drawing inspiration from both the subatomic and the astronomical, Robbins invites viewers on a journey into a universe of discovery, where the boundaries between the real and the imagined blur.
Wunderkammer, meaning "cabinet of curiosities," features a collection of works that evoke wonder and fascination, much like the eclectic curiosities of an early naturalist’s cabinet. Through a range of vivid imagery—spanning from hybrid flora and fauna to celestial bodies and deep-sea creatures—Robbins creates a luminous, abstract world filled with organic forms, dots, circles, and hieroglyphic-like marks. Her works span a diverse range of subjects, including cells, flowering botanicals, aquatic species, and constellations. All of these subjects are woven together in a dynamic circular format which echoes the shape of a cell, planet, or target.
Each painting in the Wunderkammer series offers a fresh perspective on the complexity and beauty of the natural world, while leaving space for personal interpretation and reflection. Robbins combines the tangible with the imagined, expanding our awareness of nature's wonders and encouraging a sense of magic that resides both in the observable and in the realm of the fantastical.
The exhibition promises to be a thought-provoking exploration of the unseen connections that bind humanity, nature, and the cosmos, offering visitors an opportunity to reflect on the diverse forms and mysteries that shape our universe.
Join us for the opening of Wunderkammer, and prepare to experience the world through a new, enchanted lens.
ABOUT
Renee Robbins is a Chicago-based visual artist known for her otherworldly creations that fuse the natural and the fantastical. Robbins has made a significant mark in the public art sphere, receiving high-profile commissions from organizations such as the Chicago Public Art Group, the Wabash Arts Corridor, and Illinois' Art-In-Architecture program. Her work has been featured in numerous prestigious exhibitions, including at the Lois Lambert Gallery in Santa Monica, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, and the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art in Midland, MI. Her unique artistic vision has captured the attention of both local and national media, with features in PBS WTTW Chicago Tonight, Chicago Gallery News, Chicago Magazine, Inside/Within, and a celebrated audio interview on Ahtcast. In an intriguing twist, the forms in Robbins' paintings were even classified by a diatom taxonomist for an artist feature on the US Diatoms database at the University of Colorado, further blurring the line between art and science. Robbins' dedication to her craft has earned her recognition in the form of multiple honors, including three grants from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. Having received her MFA from Michigan State University, Robbins is currently celebrating 18 years of creating and thriving as an artist in Chicago, where her work continues to evolve, inspiring curiosity and wonder in all who encounter it.
For more information and to RSVP to the opening reception
Golden Hour TH – SA, 5-8 pm
Check Epiphany's home page, which has the Golden Hour calendar. The Sacristy Gallery will always be open for Golden Hour, unless the date is blacked out on the calendar, which means there's a private event happening
Gallery visiting hours by appointment:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday – 10:00 am-4:00 pm
To schedule an appointment contact: art@epiphanychi.com
Epiphany Center for the Arts
201 S Ashland, Chicago, IL 60607