Thuy-Van Vu’s painted subjects appear precisely, surrounded by nothing but white space. She makes them very plain to see and very mysterious at the same time, representatives of worlds that have disappeared into fog. An open book in a glass case, remnants of a house, a dresser. The latest are all based on visits to museums, where dislocation is the name of the game. In some way, the Seattle artist’s work feels like it is always about the project of things (and maybe people, too) finding a home. (G. Gibson Gallery, 300 S Washington St, ggibsongallery.com, 11 am–5 pm, free, through April 26)

Jen Graves (The Stranger’s former arts critic) mostly writes about things you approach with your eyeballs. But she’s also a history nerd interested in anything that needs more talking about, from male...