Openings & Events
The Best of Bowie The School of Rock is teaming up with RockOnArts for an art and fashion show inspired by the life and work of David Bowie, followed by a tribute concert. Hale’s Palladium, 4301 Leary Way N.W., 782-0737, halesbrewery.com. 6 p.m. Sat., Sept. 27.
Future Vistas Path With Art and Kristen Ramirez reveal a new mural created for Harborview Medical Center. View Park, Eighth Ave. between Jefferson & Alder streets, 650-0669, pathwithart.org. 11 a.m. Thurs., Sept. 25.
Janet Koplos
Art in America’s contributing editor delivers a lecture about her current book on the “aesthetics and philosophy of functional pottery based on 160 interviews with potters from across the U.S.” Pottery Northwest, 226 First Ave. N. 285-4421, potterynorthwest.org. Free 7 p.m. Fri., Sept. 26.
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LxHxW Launch Party Vignettes founder Sierra Stinson guest curates an art-object sale featuring the work of Doug Newman, Lindsey Apodaca, Lynda Sherman, and Sarah Galvin, themed around “Intimacy and Tenderness” and housed in a hand-crafted box. The release will be accompanied by a reading and a performance. Vignettes, 1617 Yale Ave., vignettes.us. 7 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 25.
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Never Finished Lilienthal|Zamora take their intricately designed, sculptural light installation work to the big atrium. They aim to create a glowing vortex that stretches from floor to ceiling. Opening reception 5-7 p.m. Fri., Sept. 25. Suyama Space, 256-0809, 2324 Second Ave., suyamaspace.org. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Ends Dec. 19.
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PDL: Real Objects Riffing on Duchamp and Warhol, this one-night exhibit takes everday objects and places them in the gallery in an attempt to reevaluate their merits as potential art objects. Vermillion, 1508 11th Ave., 709-9797, vermillionseattle.com. 5-9 p.m. Sat., Sept. 26.
Gennifer Weisenfeld The Duke professor of Japanese Art History lectures on Saito Kazo and SAAM’s ongoing Deco Japan show. Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E. Prospect St. (Volunteer Park), 654-3100, seattleartmuseum.org.
$10. 7 p.m. Fri., Sept. 26.
Ongoing
The Art of Gaman The subtitle of this group show reveals its sad starting point: Arts & Crafts From the Japanese-American Internment Camps, 1942–1946. Over 120 objects are on view, many of them humble wood carvings, furniture, even toys made from scrap items at Minidoka or Manzanar. The more polished drawings come from professional artists like Ruth Asawa, Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani, Chiura Obata, and Henry Sugimoto. Some of the more touching items—like a samurai figurine made from wood scraps, shells, and bottle caps—come from family collections, not museums; they’re precious keepsakes from a shameful historical era. As for the show’s title, gaman roughly translates as “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.” BRIAN MILLER Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way N.E., 425-519-0770, bellevuearts.org, $8-$10, Tues.-Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Through Oct. 12.
Leonard Baskin
Fierce Humanist collects multimedia work created as an ode to mankind. Davidson Galleries, 313 Occidental Ave. S., 624-7684, davidsongalleries.com. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Sept. 27.
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Evan Blackwell The local salvage artists makes hypnotic, spiraling shapes out of cut-up old picture frames, saw blades, and cheap galvanized hardware fittings. Also on view, large and colorful abstract paintings work by the veteran Serbian artist Bratsa Bonifacho. Foster/White Gallery, 220 Third Ave. S., 622-2833, fosterwhite.com. 10 a.m.-6 p.m Tues.-Sat. Ends Sept. 27.
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Chemtrails Did you know that the feds are employing airplanes to spray airborne chemicals on civilians in order to brainwash us/construct a malevolent New World Order/conceal the one and only, totally-not-dead Tupac Shakur from the public eye? Seven painters, illustrators, and photographers take on the world’s most out-there conspiracy theory in this group show, which will likely land you on a government watch list. Wikstrom Gallery, 5411 Meridian Ave. N., 633-5544, bromwikstrom.com. Noon-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Oct. 24.
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Chen Shaoxiong The contemporary Chinese artist shows new video works and their source drawings in the exhibit Ink. History. Media, which is inspired by historical photos of major events from 1909-2009. Seattle Asian Art Museum, $5-$7. Weds.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Through Oct. 19.
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Sally Cleveland and Gabriel Fernandez These two artists deal in lonely landscapes and scenes of humble and forgotten places and objects. Fernandez often paints empty chairs and diner booths, like a Hopper setting emptied of people. Linda Hodges Gallery, 316 First Ave. S., 624-3034, lindahodgesgallery.com. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Sept. 27.
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City Dwellers A dozen contemporary Indian artists are represented in this show organized by SAM and originating entirely from the private local collection of Sanjay Parthasarathy (a Microsoft millionaire) and wife Malini Balakrishnan. Scenes and icons from Mumbai to New Delhi are represented via photography and sculpture, from an all-native perspective. As tourists know, India is ridiculously photogenic, from its colorful idols and deities to the slums and beggars. It all depends on what you want to see. Photographer Dhruv Malhotra, for instance, takes large color images of people sleeping in public places—some because they’re poor, others because they simply feel like taking a nap. Nandini Valli Muthiah opts for more stage-managed scenes, posing a costumed actor as the blue-skinned Hindu god Krishna in contemporary settings; in one shot I love, he sits in a hotel suite, like a tired business traveler awaiting a conference call on Skype. Sculptor Debanjan Roby even dares to appropriate the revered figure of Gandhi, rendering him in bright red fiberglass and listening to a white iPod. Apple never made such an ad, of course, but this impudent figure tweaks both India’s postcolonial history and the relentless consumerism that now links us all, from Seattle to Srinagar. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave., 654-3121, seattleartmuseum.org. $12–$19. Weds.-Sun.
Ends Feb. 15.
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Chris Crites & Samantha Scherer Crites displays his signature mugshots and crime scenes painted on brown paper bags. Scherer shows her tiny, fine-lined ink drawings in We Are OK Here, lovely and intricate works that have a hard time competing with the room. G. Gibson Gallery, 300 S. Washington St. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 587-4033, ggibsongallery.com. 11 a.m-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11.
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Deco Japan This is a somewhat unusual traveling show in that it comes from a single private collection: that of Florida’s Robert and Mary Levenson. The specificity and period (1920–1945) are also unusual. Among the roughly 200 items on view—prints, furniture, jewelry, etc.—we won’t be seeing the usual quaint cherry-blossom references to Japan’s hermetic past. By the ’20s, there was in the big cities a full awareness of Hollywood movies, European fashions, and streamlined design trends. Even if women didn’t vote, they knew about Louise Brooks and her fellow flappers. We may think that, particularly during the ’30s, the country was concerned with militarism and colonial expansion, but these objects reveal the leisure time and sometime frivolity of the period. BRIAN MILLER Seattle Asian Art Museum, ends Oct. 19.
Rein de Lege Based in Spain, the Dutch artist shows his large paintings on linen in a show called Face to Face. Hall Spassov Gallery, 319 Third Ave. S., 223-0816, hallspassov.com. Ends Sept. 30.
EAFA Volunteer Show A collection of work from people who volunteer with local arts group Evergreen Association of Fine Arts. EAFA Gallery (Seattle Design Center), 5701 Sixth Ave. S., 821-0841, eafa.org. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Ends Oct. 31.
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Justin Gibbens He creates his own zoology and natural history, some influenced by Japanese and Indian art, in the watercolors presented in Avatars and Shapeshifters. Punch Gallery, 119 Prefontaine Pl. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 621-1945, punchgallery.org. Noon-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Sept. 27.
Lauren Grossman
Ghost Variations invokes the spectral nature of the show’s primary medium—glass. Transparent, light, and requiring breath to mold it, the material allows Grossman to draw comparisons between glass and “giving up the ghost,” he says. Platform Gallery (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 114 Third Ave. S., 323-2808, platformgallery.com. Weds.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Ends Oct. 11.
Femke Hiemstra & Casey Weldon Hiemstra paints on found objects in Warten am Waldrand. Weldon tweaks nature scenes with bright, artificial colors in Novel Relic. Roq La Rue Gallery, 532 First Ave. S., 374-8977, roqlarue.com. Ends Sept. 27.
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Inflorescence Six stylistically distinct Washington artists present work all stemming from a common theme: the world of plants. Kirkland Arts Center, 620 Market St., 822-7161, kirklandartscenter.org. 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Nov. 25.
John Kiley & Hiroshi Yamano The two artists show their separate creations in decorative glass. Traver Gallery, 110 Union St., 587-6501, travergallery.com. Ends Sept. 28.
Dianne Kornberg A survey of the work from the veteran Portland artist/academic, Then/Now is made up of photographs taken during the ’90s of animal remains she found by her house, as well as collaborative works she made with poets and writers. Prographica Gallery, 3419 Denny Way, 322-3851. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. prographicadrawings.com. Ends Oct. 11.
Max Kraushaar
OHP:T is an animated GIF study on “ladders collapsing and being forcefully deconstructed,” inspired by the artist’s stint as a contractor. The work will be dispalyed on tablet-sized screens. LxWxH, 6007 12th Ave. S., 697-5156, lengthbywidthbyheight.com. Noon-5 p.m. Sat. Ends Oct. 4.
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Irene Kubota
Finding Our Way is full of charmingly childlike paintings from the East Coast artist, raised in Seattle in the building that houses the gallery, whose work was described by The New York Times as looking like a “grown-up fairy tale.” Bryan Ohno Gallery, 521 S. Main St., 459-6857, bryanohno.com. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11.
Kathryn Lien
White Girls features lifesize photographic transfers of the artist, scuffed and sepia-toned, in an examination of the culture of the female form. Blindfold Gallery, 1718 E. Olive Way, 328-5100, blindfoldgallery.com. 1-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Oct. 4.
Paul D. McKee He presents found objects and considers notions of collecting and preservation in Collection. Method Gallery, 106 Third Ave. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), methodgallery.com. Noon-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11
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The Magician Created by Chris Byrne and designed by Scott Newton, The Magician
is an intricately printed graphic novel that incorporates the folding, push/pull interactive elements of a pop-up book. Paper Hammer published the volume, which contains a dozen handbound elements. Paper Hammer, 1400 Second Ave., 682-3820, paper-hammer.com. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Ends Sept. 30.
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Daniel Joseph Martinez
Reflections From a Damaged Life confronts social issues ranging from religion to the military-industrial complex to advertising. The show contains some large, startling photographs of a hunchback and an eerie sequence of storefronts, something like Ed Ruscha’s Every Building on the Sunset Strip, with political graffiti added for commentary. James Harris Gallery, 604 Second Ave., 903-6220, jamesharrisgallery.com, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Ends Oct. 11.
Steven Miller
Les Fleurs du Male is a photo series created as an homage to French novelist and playwright Jean Genet. Gallery4Culture, 101 Prefontaine Pl. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 296-7580, 4culture.org. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Ends Sept. 25.
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Jean-Claude Moschetti The photographer’s beautiful photographs of West African ceremonial masks and costumes are shown in Magic on Earth, which surveys the cultures of Sierra Leone, Benin, and Burkina Faso. M.I.A. Gallery, 1203 Second Ave., 467-4927, m-i-a-gallery.com. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Oct. 25.
Mughal Painting: Power and Piety Some 300 years of Indian art, from the 16th century to English colonial rule of the subcontinent, goes on display. Seattle Asian Art Museum. Ends Oct. 19.
Andy Nasisse Meant to mimic petroglyphs from long past, the ceramics in Shadowland use unique surface treatments to conjure up images that were hiding beneath the material’s outer layer. Pottery Northwest, 226 First Ave. N., 285-4421, potterynorthwest.org. 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Tues.-Fri. Ends Sept. 26
Jeff Olson & Sara Everett They show new work. Core Gallery, 117 Prefontaine Pl. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 467-4444, coregallery.org. Ends Sept. 30.
Kim Osgood
Small Pleasures collects the Portland artist’s monotypes and acrylic paintings inspired by the changing seasons. Lisa Harris Gallery, 1922 Pike Place, lisaharrisgallery.com. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon-Sat. Ends Sept. 29.
Kate Petty, Richard Rogers, And David Robertson A collection of encaustic paintings, abstract work, and textural oil paintings. True Love Art Gallery, 1525 Summit Ave., 227-3572, trueloveart.com. Noon-8 p.m. Mon.-Sun. Ends Oct. 5.
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Michelle Smith-Lewis and Sarah B. Smith
My Kingdom honors the coming of autumn with tintypes and ambrotypes, plus photographs of local flora, fauna, and underbrush. Ghost Gallery, 504 E. Denny Way, ghostgalleryart.com. 11 a.m.-7p.m. Mon.-Sun. Ends Oct. 6.
Tamara Stephas Influenced by the Hudson River School, her paintings explore the effect of humanity on the surrounding environment. University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Ave. N.E., 370-1066, stephas.com, Ends Oct. 17.
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Sonya Stockton In The Revolt, she draws abstract forms layered with cook books, wall paper, encyclopedias, and other found iterms. The intricate calligraphy cutouts almost suggest advent calendars, packed with hidden meaning. Gallery 110, 110 Third Ave. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 624-9336, gallery110.com. Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Ends Sept. 27.
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Skyspace James Turrell’ Skyspace stands on two concrete pillars in the Henry’s erstwhile sculpture courtyard. On the exterior, thousands of LED fixtures under the structure’s frosted glass skin create slowly shifting colors, making the pavilion a spectacular piece of public art every night. Inside, the ellipse of sky seen through the chamber’s ceiling suddenly appears to be very, very close, a thin membrane bulging into the room. Wispy bits of cirrus clouds passing by appear to be features on the slowly rotating surface of a luminous, egg-shaped blue planet suspended just overhead. Emerging from the Skyspace, I find the night wind and the light in the clouds come to me through freshly awakened senses. A dreamy, happy feeling follows me home like the moon outside my car window. DAVID STOESZ Henry Art Gallery
SuttonBeresCuller
You knew it was wrong … but you did it anyway is the local prank-happy art trio’s first big gallery show, featuring a bronze banana, scratched-up mirrors, and a giant pile of flickering lamps. (Ouch! My eyes!) Better are their small drawings of wall outlets and computer jacks, full of electrical mystery. Also on view: etchings by Martin Puryear. Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave. S., 624-4031, gregkucera.com, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Nov. 1.
Trialogue This collaboration between Julia Freeman, Caroline Kapp, and Ellen Ziegler is based around a sort of game in which the trio built work around a single word, passing the piece on to the next person as they went along.
Soil Gallery, 112 Third Ave. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 264-8061, soilart.org, 12-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. Ends Sept. 27.
Z.Z. Wei
Horizons shows the artist’s love for the Northwest with a series of sweeping, brushed paintings depicting the Puget Sound Region. Patricia Rovzar Gallery, 1225 Second Ave., 223-0273, rovzargallery.com, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun. Ends Sept. 30.
The World Is Flat A group photography show features snapshots local artists have taken during their various globetrotting travels and adventures, sometimes presented in zine form. Flatcolor Gallery, 77 S. Main St., 390-6537, flatcolor.com. Noon-6 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Ends Sept. 27.
