Nick D’Alessandro, Sprocket at LVL3, Chicago

Sprocket by Nick D’Alessandro, curated by Liam Owings and Luca Lotrugio, at LVL3, Chicago, 03/08/25 – 04/27/25.

An object seeks its purpose, its place in its conceived existence. This purpose is a performance, an act, hopefully versatile and flexible, hopefully not meaningless. An unclear motive that strives for consistent justification, an impetus that is only additive, for better or for worse. If it’s unneeded, broken, unwanted, or worse: its purpose is contrived as negating value itself, it must be disposed of. Does this mean its purpose ceases to exist? Applying meaning or use can be annoying when it’s not immediate. So a copy is made, a twin with one minor adjustment. The object is made better, but it’s still thrown away when this purpose begins to cease. Where do all the old ones go? LVL3 is pleased to announce the opening of Sprocket, an exhibition featuring the work of Kai Jenrette (New York, NY) and Nick D’Alessandro (Chicago, IL). As individuals, we are shaped by the experiences that we encounter, the composition and sequencing of which are unique to us alone. Despite the solitary nature of this process, we find common ground with others on the paths we cross in life. Together, the boundaries of our identities begin to blur and through the experiences we weather together, bonds are built and community is formed. But what about our online communities that form through the shared engagement of common content? Online, we experience a greater variety of influences than we could within our geographic region. How are our identities constructed and deconstructed at the rate at which we can scroll between them? Sprocket, featuring the work of Jenrette and D’Alessandro, explores the search for identity amid collective experience. A sprocket is a vital single component in a greater set of gears.