- courtesy the artist
“Mutual Regard,” a new exhibit of work by French photographer Jean-Luc Mylayne that opens Friday at the Art Institute and the Arts Club of Chicago, is the result of a series of collaborations: between Mylayne and his life and work partner, Mylène Mylayne; between the Art Institute and the Arts Club, which are cosponsoring the exhibit; and between Mylayne and the birds that have been his primary subjects for the past 40 years.
This will be the first major exhibit of Mylayne’s work in the United States, and the Arts Club and the Art Institute will both have photos on display. There will also be a pavilion/chapel in the Lurie Garden at Millennium Park featuring, on the ceiling, one dramatic photo by Mylayne: a shot of a sparrow from below, a vantage point next to impossible to achieve. (“It’s almost supernatural” Mileaf says. “Birds see something approaching from below as a predator.”) Throughout the summer, the pavilion will host a series of lectures, tours, and birding expeditions. Says Mileaf, “There are a lot of ways this can be experienced.”
