Dear Friends,

SoNa Chicago is proud to announce the representation of Jack Poker. Jack came to our attention when we were planning the group collage show with Tony Fitzpatrick, which is scheduled for next Spring. Tony suggested Jack as one of the artists for the show. We went to see Jack’s work and were blown away by the quality and quantity of unseen work in his home studio, and we immediately invited him to be in the group show as well as to have a solo show at the gallery.

Of Jack’s work, Tony said, “For my money he is the most underrated and little-known artist in Chicago. For all of the attention being paid to collage as well as combinations of painting and drawing and collage, Jack has flown under the radar, bringing his own sensibility to ideas of landscape, map-making place, and poetry… He is only like himself.”

Several pieces of Jack’s work will be on view in the Gallery Annex beginning Oct 17, 2025. His solo show will be Feb 19-March 21, 2026, and the group collage show will be April 8 - May 30, 2026. Jack’s work is currently available on the SoNa Chicago website.

We look forward to seeing you at the gallery!

Laura Botwinick & Molly O’Donnell

Image: Jack Poker, SUM #2
Mixed media on canvas: acrylic, house paint, Manila envelops, newsprint, textbook paper, and vinyl letters & numbers, 2024, 36” H x 48” W

Jack Poker

Jack is a Chicago-based artist whose paintings and sculptures are tied to his experience in architectural reclamation, and his interest in history and the impact of change on communities. His current series of paintings depicts what happens to city blocks, suburban neighborhoods, and commercial sites during periods of transformation, specifically when those changes involve abandoned or demolished buildings. His work is the result of what has been removed from those structures, as well as what remains through objects found, observed, or inspired by these sites.

His sculptures feature remnants of the past such as erector sets and other objects from an earlier era. His Majorette series depicts another part of the American experience.

Before moving to Chicago in 1995, New Mexican-born Jack Poker spent his youth in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. He studied history and anthropology at the University of Missouri-Columbia before moving to Seattle, Washington, where he divided his time between work and art. He lived in Alaska briefly, where he worked on a fishing boat in the Bering Sea. He participated in group shows in and around Chicago until 2004 but continued to paint and sculpt full-time, selling his work to private collectors. In 2011, he was forced to take a hiatus from painting after his studio, along with his belongings, were destroyed in a flood.
  

Image: Jack Poker, Market Forces, from the Majorette Series, Mixed media on canvas: acrylic, textbook paper, vinyl tape/numbers, and paper roll caps, 2025, 36” x 36”

Small Works

We also are pleased to have several small pieces of 8” x 8” that are part of the Plats and Remnants series. They will be on view and are also available on the SoNa Chicago website.

Image: Jack Poker, Plat 73, Mixed media on wood panel: acrylic, manilla envelope, vinyl numbers, and textbook paper, 2025, 8”x 8”

Contact Us

Inquiries are welcome by calling Laura at 773.513.4436, or emailing Lkbotwinick@gmail.com.