HILTON ASMUS CONTEMPORARY IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE ANI AFSHAR PARTICIPATES IN A GROUP EXHIBITION AT HOKIN PROJECT GALLERY, COLUMBIA COLLEGE

HILTON ASMUS CONTEMPORARY IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE ANI AFSHAR PARTICIPATES IN A GROUP EXHIBITION AT HOKIN PROJECT GALLERY, COLUMBIA COLLEGE 623 SOUTH WABASH AVENUE, first floor FEBRUARY 13, 5:30 - 8:30 pm ____________________________________________ ANI AFSHAR IN  CHICAGO SUN-TIMES SUNDAY SPLASH SECTION!             Some of our favorite homes in Chicago share a particular verve. It's a certain way artwork is enthusiastically tossed up on walls salon-style. High art - modernism, imagist works - gracefully mixes with the low: hand-painted barbershop signs, Popsicle-stick lamps, fantastical outsider-art scenes. We asked three art experts how to duplicate this easy-to-spot, hard-to-replicate collecting style. If all else fails, our curated selection of picks gives you a peek at each expert's offerings.    Mixing high/low  Expert: Ani Afshar Originally hailing from Turkey, Afshar moved to Chicago in the 1970s, when her then-husband studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The creative couple became enmeshed with the city's vital imagist art scene, buying significant paintings and hanging them among an assortment of objects and Middle Eastern folk art. Around this time, Afshar dove headfirst into her weaving practice, which later evolved into jewelry - wearable pieces elevated by complex textile techniques. She sold them at Neiman Marcus, Harrods and other high-end shops, and continues to sell work out of her Logan Square showroom studio and website.       Collecting tips: Look for beauty everywhere.  Afshar - who's lived in Istanbul, Iran and Switzerland - believes beautiful things can be found in any culture or place. "When I'm bored, I go to Crate and Barrel with $20 and a smile on my face." In her own textiles, she integrates items she's gathered: molted feathers from a friend's pet bird, metallic chocolate wrappers or leaves from a visit to the landmark Farnsworth House's wooded estate.    Don't pay much attention to the market.  "Go with your heart," Afshar says. "When we started collecting imagists, we weren't thinking of value. It felt like the right fit."  Don't over think placement.  When we ask Afshar how she decides to hang artwork in her own home, she shrugs. "When there's an empty space on the wall." THE WEAVINGS OF ANI AFSHAR WILL BE ON EXHIBIT AT COLUMBIA COLLEGE JANUARY 27 - MARCH 7 #fineartmagazine