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Morality Play
​September 8 - October 28, 2023

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ENGAGE Projects is excited to announce our first solo exhibition by Chris Cosnowski, Morality Play. Cosnowski takes his hard-edged hyperrealism to another level using allegory, historical reference, and mass-produced objects to question today’s guidelines for moral development. Pairing real objects together to recreate symbols of nationalist ideologies, religious influences, and social constructs, Cosnowski dismantles propaganda simply by asking questions with paint. The title Morality Play references Cosnowski’s light-hearted representations of cultural objects that elucidate just how fragile, yet persistently ubiquitous these ideas can be.
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Cosnowski’s work is made for the keen art historical eye as well as the popular culture connoisseur; his paintings are filled with metaphorical easter eggs including influence from the formal expertise of Giorgio Morandi’s ceramic vessel paintings and the allegorical mastery of Giorgio de Chirico’s work. Cosnowski utilizes gradient pastel backgrounds and shiny objects such as trophies to illustrate the glossing-over of contradictions often hidden within systems that institutionalize behavior. Adhering tightly to his style of realism, he even paints his own reflection in the sheen of plastic gold trophies and other reflective objects, ultimately reminding the viewer of the artist’s hand in the work despite its photorealistic qualities.
FULL PRESS RELEASE
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Majorette Trophy (Follow the Leader), 2022
oil on panel
48 x 30 in  121.9 x 76.2 cm
Click here to learn more about this work
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Nike in Sunlight, 2023
​oil on canvas
64 x 64 in   162.6 x 162.6 cm
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Zote, 2021
oil on aluminum
11 x 14 in  27.9 x 35.6 cm
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An Eye for an Eye, 2023
​digital photograph
8 x 12 in   20.3 x 30.5 cm
(Edition of 5)

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All Alone In The Void (Th-Th-Th-That’s All Folks), 2023
digital photograph
11 x 11 in   27.9 x 27.9 cm
(Edition of 5)

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Mandala Concerning Human Sexuality, 2023
digital photograph
9 x 9 in   22.9 x 22.9 cm
(Edition of 5)
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Spirit Pour Homme, 2023
oil on panel
31 x 50 in   78.7 x 127 cm
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Morality Soap, 2023
soap, pumice, dye, printed box
2 3/4 x 1 3/8 x 3 7/8 in
7 x 3.3 x 9.8 cm
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Gnostic Allegory, 2019
oil on panel
9 x 12 in   22.9 x 30.5 cm
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Colonial Toilette, 2021
oil on panel
17 x 29 in   43.2 x 73.7 cm
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Last Judgement Roundel (Giotto Blue), 2023
oil on panel
36 x 36 in   91.4 x 91.4 cm
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The Romance of Warfare, 2022
oil on panel
10 x 15 in   25.4 x 38.1 cm
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☀️ Gallery Summer Hours ☀️
Saturday, 12 - 4PM
​and by appointment

schedule an appointment
864 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
310-415-5516
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ENGAGE Projects is a member of the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA)
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  • ARTISTS
    • Exhibited Artists
    • Artist Talks >
      • Talks
      • Artist Videos
      • 1:1 Podcasts
  • EXHIBITIONS
    • SHOWROOM
    • initial ENGAGEMENTS
    • 2025 Exhibition Calendar
  • NEWS
  • ABOUT / CONTACT