by Emily Hall

MUSEUMS AND ART CENTERS

BELLEVUE ART MUSEUM

301 Bellevue Square, Bellevue, 425-454-3322.

GAME SHOW

BAM is on a roll for approaching art in unexpected ways. Brian Wallace's latest exhibit features games designed by artists (expect the conceptual), writers, and musicians. This is work not only to look at, but to play with. Artists-in-residence include Seattle artist Helen Lessick (who created the Collect 'em! cards for Safeco Field) and English game theorist Beryl Graham. Opens Fri Nov 19, 5:30-8 pm. Runs through Jan 30.

CENTER ON CONTEMPORARY ART

65 Cedar, 728-1980.

DUSK

Curated by Chicago artist Kim Collmer and De Kwok of Seattle's Milky World Gallery, the show focuses on the contemporary recontextualization of gothic tradition. The show is dark and photography-heavy, including documentation of the L.A. goth scene by Mike Kelly and Cameron Jaime, sci-fi manipulated photos by Veronika Bromova, and Alexander Osbourne's photos of trend-setting bands like Bauhaus. This show isn't all black makeup and gore -- there is certainly an element of humor that runs through it -- and the best works show that the most frightening situations are those which are not entirely explained. Through Dec 18.

CONSOLIDATED WORKS

410 Terry Ave N, 381-3218.

ARTIFICIAL LIFE

The visual arts component of this new multidisciplinary arts space opens with a group show exploring various definitions of the theme "Artificial Life." A large installation by Sandy Skoglund is the show's centerpiece, with hundreds of fluttering butterflies as the backdrop of a jellybean-covered scene. Other highlights include an installation of cloned cast-resin sheep by Lauren Grossman; Shawn Wolfe's simultaneously technophobic and technophilic paintings and video; and Jim Rittiman's disturbing skeletons, which he conjures by mixing pieces of real insects, reptiles, and other animals. Through Nov 28.

HENRY ART GALLERY

15th Ave NE at NE 41st St, 543-2280.

GILLES BARBIER

Clones is being presented as part of Côte Ouest, a series of exhibitions by contemporary French artists on view in venues along the West Coast this fall, and features life-like wax self-portraits capturing various aspects of Barbier's persona. There are naughty, playful clones, resourceful clones, and clones that juggle the difficult job of daily living. To sum it all up, Trans-schizophrenic Anatomy is a wax cast of his bald head, carved with a diagram of Barbier's divided consciousness. Through Jan 2.

INSIDE OUT: NEW CHINESE ART

A group exhibit exploring the avant-garde in China from the mid-'80s to the present. Showing artists from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as well as Chinese artists living abroad, Inside Out promises to be a study in the contrasts of cultural identity -- traditional and modern, public and political, national and individual. Early reports suggest that many of the Chinese artists featured here have an excellent sense of the absurd. The show is so extensive that it takes two galleries to hold it all; the other is at the Tacoma Art Museum. Thurs Nov 18 through Mar 5.

WHAT IT MEANT TO BE MODERN, SEATTLE ART AT MID-CENTURY

Over 100 works -- including sculpture, paintings, and works on paper -- exploring the art and influence of a specific group of regional artists tagged by Life magazine in 1953 as the "Mystic Painters of the Northwest," which included Guy Anderson, Kenneth Callahan, Morris Graves, and Mark Tobey. The exhibition follows the evolution of the "Northwest School" of artists from 1932 to 1962, and contextualizes their work with other national and international movements. Through Jan 23.

MUSEUM OF HISTORY & INDUSTRY

2700 24th Ave E, 324-2099.

FROM LOG CABIN TO MARINER'S STAR: QUILTS

FROM THE COLLECTIONS

Late 19th- and early 20th-century quilts from the museum's collection. Sat Nov 20 through April 2000.

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

100 University St, 654-3100.

AN AMERICAN CENTURY OF PHOTOGRAPHY:

FROM DRYPOINT TO DIGITAL

An important exhibition of works from the Hallmark Photographic Collection, examining important artists from Edward Muybridge to Aaron Siskind to Sandy Skoglund, and the advancement of photographic techniques throughout this century. Through Jan 9.

ANSELM KIEFER AND GERMANIC TRADITION

Paintings, works on paper, and sculpture bring contemporary German works into focus. Kiefer, born at the end of WWII, balances visually powerful imagery with intellectual critical analysis in highly dramatic paintings. Works by Max Beckmann, Rosemarie Trockel, and others. Through Dec 5.

SEATTLE ASIAN ART MUSEUM

1400 E Prospect St, Volunteer Park, 654-3100.

EXPLORE KOREA: A VISIT TO GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE

A presentation of a traditional Korean home, where visitors can explore both interior and exterior spaces hands-on. Through March 2000.

MODERN MASTERS OF KYOTO

Works by late 19th- and early 20th-century artists from Kyoto round out the programming for SAAM's "Year of Japan." This collection is owned by Northwest residents Griffith and Patricia Way, and contains more than 80 examples of Kyoto-school nihonga -- modern Japanese paintings executed in traditional media formats. Through Feb 13.

WORLDS OF FANTASY: CHINESE SHADOW PUPPETS

Volunteer Park hosts more than 70 puppets from the 19th century. The majority of the exhibited works come from the collection of Theodore Bodde, who purchased the extraordinary objects while in Beijing in the 1930s. Chinese textiles with related themes will accompany. Through April 2.

WING LUKE ASIAN MUSEUM

407 Seventh Ave S, 623-5124.

A DIFFERENT BATTLE

An exhibit that explores the stories of Asian Pacific American veterans who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Grenada Invasion, and the Persian Gulf War. The stories are conveyed through written text, audio, and video components that are divided into two sections -- how the military and combat shaped the lives of these veterans, and how it has affected the lives of individuals, families, and communities of future generations. Through April 9.

WRIGHT EXHIBITION SPACE

407 Dexter Ave N, 264-8200.

THE WRIGHT COLLECTION

Virginia and Bagley Wright have rehung their foundation's exhibit space, devoting one gallery entirely to their great ollection of '60s and '70s color field paintings, and introducing a large David Salle oil and the John Baldessari piece Two Onlookers and Tragedy to the mix. Other highlights of their collection include a Robert Longo, Eric Fischl, a huge Warhol Rorschach, and Jules Olitski's Thigh Smoke. Open-ended run.

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

JIMMY ANDERSON

A collection of stark black-and-white photos of Alcatraz Island. Art Not Terminal, 2045 Westlake Ave, 233-0680. Through Dec 2.

ART ABOUT MUSIC

Artwork with music as subject matter, featuring Weldon Butler, Joe Max Emminger, Mary Flynn-Gillies, Gene Gentry McMahon, Linda Okazaki, Lois Silver, and Chuck Smart. SAM Rental/Sales Gallery, 1334 First Ave, Suite 140, 654-3183. Through Nov 27.

ARTHUR AUBRY/JOHNINE MAJCHROWICZ

Aubry's Post is an austere collection of black-and-white photos documenting Hanford. Majchrowicz presents eerie transparent drawings on panels of plants and flowers. Esther Claypool Gallery, 617 Western Ave, 264-1586. Through Nov 27.

*DRAWING SPACE

A show exploring works with strong linear elements, featuring Laurie Chambers, Victoria Haven, Robert Jones, Robert Yoder, and D. E. May, curated by Beth Sellars. Haven's ceiling-high sculpture -- "drawn" with rubber bands stretched around nails -- is the show's stunning centerpiece. George Suyama Space, 2324 Second Ave, 256-0809. Though Jan 7.

DIPTYCH: MILLENNIUM PROJECTS

Works in a variety of media, exploring the broad concept of what has changed in the last 1,000 years. LEAD Gallery, 1022 First Ave, 623-6240. Through Nov 26.

*MICHELLE FIERRO/PATRICK HOLDERFIELD

The first Northwest solo show for Los Angeles artist Fierro. Her abstract works on paper and canvas are delicate little messes: Tiny globs of acrylic and oil paint, smeary pencil lines, and little pieces of lint combine in what the artist calls "vacant substance." The back hallway at James Harris has become a project room, and this month Holderfield continues his series of sculptures utilizing polyurethane foam and found objects. James Harris Gallery, 309A Third Ave S, 903-6220. Through Dec 18.

*KAREN GANZ

Ganz has a new gallery. In her first showing, she continues her use of comic figures reminiscent of cartoon characters from the 1940s. Life isn't easy in her works, and these characters are often depicted with the weight of the world on their shoulders. Her bold use of colors, combined with thick paint and bold ink defining the figures, gives Ganz's work a pop quality -- with a touch of grit. Grover Thurston Gallery, 309 Occidental Ave S, 223-0816. Through Nov 27.

KATHRYN GLOWEN/JUAN ALONSO

Architecture of Language by Glowen consists of two- and three-dimensional works comparing and contrasting the structure of language and the building of physical structures. New paintings of exotic flower forms by Alonso. Francine Seders Gallery, 6701 Greenwood Ave N, 782-0355. Through Nov 28.

GAYLEN HANSEN

Big, rich, thick narrative paintings by a Northwest master. Linda Hodges Gallery, 410 Occidental Ave S, 624-3034. Through Nov 27.

WILLIAM HERBERHOLZ

In his show Prints/Porno, Herberholz mixes subject matter from Tijuana Bibles, beefcake photography, and George Grosz in a stew of high and low references. Two Bells Tavern, 2313 Fourth Ave, 441-3050. Through Dec 1.

JAR-JAR

Everyone hated that stupid Jar-Jar from the last Star Wars movie, and here's a whole show devoted to him. See how Spencer Moody, Jesse Paul Miller, Diona Mavis, Christine Taylor, and others have celebrated this most despised character. Milky World Gallery, 111 Battery, 374-0933. Through Nov 30.

JAMES JAXXA

The name of the show is Spectacle, and the work plays on both meanings of the word, both narrative and bold. Jaxxa overlaps fluid drawing, bold colors, and random shapes; the canvases are easy on the eyes, and meaning is tantalizingly out of reach. Robbie Mildred Gallery, 307 E Pike St, 903-1246. Through Dec 7.

KAWS

For the past five years, the bulbous skull and crossbones tag of Northwest graffiti artist KAWS has been seen on bus shelters, phone booths, and the sides of buildings. This tag has become a part of our urban landscape. KAWS has another side -- his fine art is shown in galleries in New York, Japan, and Seattle. ARO.space, 925 E Pike St, 320-0424. Through Dec 11.

*MATTHEW LANDKAMMER

An exhibit of a new group of canvases utilizing alkyd mediums and strips of tissue paper. Landkammer's delicate, linear works are graceful and inventive. The edges of the works curve toward the wall, and are painted a rich color that glows off the wall, creating a kind of aura for each work. Oculus Gallery, 163 S Jackson. Through Nov 27.

*SIMON LARBALESTIER

88299 is the first U.S. retrospective exhibition of this British photographer known for his Pixies CD cover art. This is a multimedia exhibition full of photographs from the last 12 years, a CD-ROM portfolio, and two websites. It is a unique opportunity to trace Larbalestier's work from lush, atmospheric narratives to his recent lonely, minimal landscapes. Houston, 907 E Pike St, 860-7820. Through Nov 28.

LUX AQUA PURA

A unique month-long video installation by Marianna Haniger, sponsored by 911 Media Arts Center, in the water tower at Volunteer Park. Viewers encounter a digital waterfall, projected downward from the trusses onto the double stairway that winds around the center core to the top. Volunteer Park Water Tower, daily from noon to 6 pm. Through Nov 22.

BEN MAHMOUD

Very skillfully rendered surreal paintings that present still life elements as if they were being carefully collected and archived. The text within the composition either supports or confounds the relationship between the objects. Ballard Fetherston Gallery, 818 E Pike St, 322-9440. Through Dec 22.

*MARK TAKAMICHI MILLER

Four large acid-colored abstract paintings. Takamichi is a great painter, and these psychedelic works explode with force and ooze with energy. A perfect combination of sexy and tacky. Howard House, 2017 Second Ave, 256-6399. Through Nov 27.

PETER MILLETT/WILLIAM WEGMAN

Millett's new body of elegant geometric sculptures are made from cleanly cut cross-sections of steel pipe. Also included in the exhibition are wood sculptures painted or stained in earthy muted tones. When he's not in the studio shooting his dogs, Wegman likes to draw and paint on photographic prints. This is the second showing of his altered works at Kucera. Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave S, 624-0770. Through Dec 15.

KIM NEWALL

Green Blood is an exhibition of new paintings and carved sculptural constructions exploring the central images of body and tree, in a hybrid universe of plant and animal, memory, dream, and personal narrative. Seattle Pacific University Art Gallery, 3 West Cremona, 281-2205. Through Dec 3.

NIAGARA

This Detroit artist and pop diva plays with gender roles in her new work, where girls are hard-core and guys whimper. ROQ la Rue, 2224 Second Ave, 374-8977. Through Dec 4.

MIKE NIPPER