MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) is debuting a new exhibition, “UNREAL,” on view from November 6, 2026 through February 7, 2027.

LCA’s curator, Whitney Bradshaw, brings together five Midwestern artists in “UNREAL” who employ illusion, hyperrealism, trompe l’oeil (French for “to deceive the eye”), humor, art historical references and extraordinary craftsmanship to examine the unstable boundary between what we see and what we believe. Their works invite us to look more closely, not only at the art objects before us, but at the assumptions, desires, fears and systems that shape our understanding of reality.

Exhibiting artists include Anthony Adcock, Cindy Bernhard, Chris Cosnowski, Renee McGinnis and Ari Norris.

Anthony Adcock transforms the humble materials and visual language of labor through painstaking trompe l’oeil painting and sculpture, drawing on his experience as an ironworker to make artworks that can be mistaken for discarded pieces of wood from a construction site. Ari Norris similarly turns everyday objects into visual provocations, convincingly transforming materials to create moments of spectacle and playful deception.

Chris Cosnowski creates impeccable hyperrealistic still life paintings of mass-produced trophies, toys and other trinkets that cleverly confront hierarchies of capitalism, celebrity, success and toxic masculinity. Cindy Bernhard conjures mystical interiors and still life scenes illuminated by otherworldly light with ornate mirrors acting like portals to connect us with the unknown, the cosmic or the divine. Renee McGinnis turns toward the natural world, painting lush biosystems alongside frozen landscapes, turbulent skies, shipwrecks and other symbols of capitalism and industry.

In “UNREAL,” the fabricated can become revelatory, the impossible can feel familiar and the seemingly ordinary can become monumental. These artists use illusion not as an escape from reality, but as a way of examining its contradictions and connections to truth, power, labor, spirituality, fragile ecosystems and much more. Their works ask us to pause before what seems convincing and look again.

Free, public events taking place during the run of “UNREAL” include:

  • Opening Reception: Friday, Nov. 6 • 5-8 p.m.
  • Curator Gallery Talk: Saturday, Nov. 21 • 11:30 a.m.
  • Family Day: Saturday, Jan. 30 • 1-3 p.m. (All times are Central)

Free gallery tours are available for groups and organizations. To schedule a docent-led tour, contact Janet Bloch, LCA’s executive director, at jbloch@lubeznikcenter.org. To schedule a children’s tour, contact Nelsy Marcano at nmarcano@lubeznikcenter.org.

For more information about “UNREAL,” please contact Jessie Sexton, LCA’s marketing director at 219-874-4900 or jsexton@LubeznikCenter.org.