FLATFILEphotographyGALLERY will open the second show in its new space at 118 North Peoria with a reception on Friday, June 21 from 6 to 9 pm. The show, which will run through Saturday, July 19, will feature the black and white photographs of gallery artists Joe Gallo and Lydia Panas. There will be a Meet the Artists Evening on Friday, July 12 from 6 to 8 pm at which many of the show's artists will be present to discuss their work.

Joe Gallo, a Chicago native and one of FLATFILE's most prolific artists, explores the phenomenon of religious zeal in his body of work regarding feast days and religious festivals. An Italian American, Joe has grown up with many of the rituals and rites that Roman Catholicism, in particular, claims as its own. His candid scenes from the neighborhoods of our city speak poignantly of a people with a firm hold on the thread of tradition.

Gallery artist Lydia Panas, conversely, looks inward to examine her own devotion to the prosaic details of her own life, and the roles she concurrently plays; those of woman, wife and mother. Panas portrays these various roles through the use of symbolic substances - hair represents womanhood, lint from the dryer denotes her motherhood, and baking chocolate is a bittersweet symbol of the role of a wife.

In the project room, there will be an installation by gallery artist Michael Trainer, incorporating shrines, altars, and photographic projections from his personal forays into cultures in which devotion is not only a way of life, but is often life itself.

In Gallery II, gallery and guest artists will show work related to the theme of devotion, including three digital "angel" pieces by Jorge Manghi, a guest artist from Argentina who has shown extensively in Argentina, Madrid, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Chicago and Vienna. Guest artist Doug Travis returns with more of his beautiful book art.

Devotion will also mark the debut of new FLATFILE artists Clair Wolf Krantz and John McDermott. Also showing work in Devotion are newcomer Christopher Schneberger and long time gallery artist Stacey Grieff among others.