Time Out Market Chicago is filled with some of the best chefs and restaurants in the city, and throughout the month of June it’s also home to a thought-provoking exhibit from local artist Edú Newbon.
Located on the second floor of the Market, Lucid Dreaming is a collection of paintings that challenges viewers to reflect on what they actually have direct influence over. Ever since he was a child, Newbon says he’s had the ability to lucid dream. Those experiences inspired him to create pieces that depict people who are in control of their reality, as well as highlighting topics he believes we need to have more command of.
“I think the message of Lucid Dreaming is to look at your reality as if dreaming a lucid dream. Something you would love to have control over, and go about life that way,” Newbon said.
In addition to painting, Newbon—who grew up in the U.S. but moved to Nicaragua when he was 16 before recently landing in Chicago—is also a writer and an art teacher. He’s currently working on a poetry book and explains that writing helps lay the foundation for his art.
“The very first thing I do on each painting is write out the poem, and then I start painting and you can see the poems through each painting,” Newbon said.
Among the works on display at the Market is SAHD Sol, which examines the relationship between the sun and our dreams, plus how human activities have contributed to the deterioration of the solar system. Newbon uses bright, colorful palettes to deliver the melancholic messages with childlike innocence, making it easier for audiences to digest.
“Using these colors brightens up a room and makes you feel comfortable enough to stand in front of it and figure out what’s going on. So by the time you realize there’s a dark message behind it, you can palate it,” Newbon said.
Though the exhibit at the Market showcases five pieces, Newbon says the entire Lucid Dreaming collection is up to 17 paintings as of now. He started working on them in January of this year and is very satisfied with how approachable it turned out for both adults and children alike—a contrast from his other, darker works.
“I was able to create an actual happy mental space,” Newbon said, adding “I’m at my healthiest physically, mentally and spiritually, and so I was able to really sit with each individual piece and get my message across the way I wanted to.”
You can follow Newbon on Instagram through his account @edu.soyyo. Lucid Dreaming will be on display at Time Out Market Chicago through the month of June, and audiences will have the opportunity to meet Newbon at an artist’s reception on June 15 from 6-9pm.