Iarca Gallery — Attraction in Chicago

I cannot fully express how awful of an experience it was to stop by this gallery. My group saw the (admittedly wonderful) art through the window and the "open" sign, and decided to pop in. We were greeted by the artist, which at first felt like a great honor. We complimented the art and commented on some of the works, but were met with a strange degree of religious interrogation. The artist began berating the 2 women in my group (But not me, the 1 man) as to if they believed in god and why it was so horrific that they didn't/were unsure. We are from the south, so a level of preaching in public spaces isn't unknown to us, but this was an awkwardly hostile level. The artist began commenting on how one of our members would feel so differently "when she became a mother" (not a welcome assertion at all) and how hateful we would be to our hypothetical children if they treated us "the way we treat god". This was coupled with some unwarranted "compliments" of "god's gift of beauty" to the women. We tried to make multiple polite excuses to leave the conversation topic but the artist would not let up. As we left the gallery he continued to yell towards us that we obviously had not read the bible (again, all southerners raised in catholic/protestant homes) and that we better go read it again or face "eternal abandonment".

Even if one is religiously practicing, this type of experience should be a warning of the temperment and disdain the artist has for his fellow man. Especially when they enter his space trying to appreciate the artistic works he has produced....

This was by far the worst gallery experience I’ve ever had. If 0 stars was an option, that’s the rating I’d have given. As soon as my group walked in, we were immediately discriminated against. We were yelled at as we were putting our phones away to come in. We were barely in the door, standing trying to admire the art and were told that this is not art for instagram and that we need to just look or leave. I told him that no one was using their phone and that we are all artists ourselves. He said we aren’t artists (because he “could tell” - what?) and if so, we don’t deserve to be because of our behavior. We don’t deserve to be artists? Really? Who gives him the right to determine what we deserve? Mind you, our “behavior” was standing in front of a freaking painting (that we were actually enjoying). Funny enough, the young man who came in shortly after us left as well because he heard how the owner was talking to us. The young man also told us that the owner actually came to him and said he could come back and look at his work before he walked out. Considering our entire group was composed of young women, it seems this was a blatant instance of age or gender discrimination, if not both. Artists like this owner perpetuate and reinforce women being stifled in the world of artistry. If you care anything about equity and fairness, please consider passing...

While my husband and I were staying in Chicago for New Year’s 2019 (entering 2020), we walked by Iarca’s gallery the first evening. We both commented on how much we liked the ‘feel’ of it from the exterior. We walked by again the next day and decided to stop in. The space is so inviting and we loved not only the work, but the experiential component of seeing canvas on the floor with a variety of paints ‘in action’. We started looking at the art and then Iarca came out. What a warm and engaged individual! We found a unique and beautiful piece ...one which has found her place in our home. From the magic of finding this piece - to Iarca’s personable nature and approach - to him running out for a bottle of wine to celebrate our purchase - to us hanging ‘her’ in our home in Indy, all is good. We...