Madeleine Aguilar

madeleine (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist + musician from chicago. her work is often mobile / modular / interactive and can be found in backyards, libraries, storefronts, homes, galleries & book fairs. she responds to existing environments, building structures, furniture & environments that prompt users to actively reconsider & redefine their function(s). using the archive as form, she marks time by cataloging lived spaces, collected objects, familial histories, personal relationships, natural phenomena, mundane routines, and ephemeral moments.

she is the founder of bench press, a risograph press based on friendship, play & collaboration. bench press often partners with artists who are new to the book as form, utilizing the risograph as a tool for skill sharing and cultivating new friendships. she currently runs the print lab in the school of design at the university of illinois chicago and co-teaches a summer risography & bookmaking course at ox-bow school of art & artists’ residency.