BELLEVUE ART MUSEUM
510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, 425-454-3322
*LUMINOUS: LIGHT AS MATERIAL, MEDIUM, AND METAPHOR
Light as architectural element is one of Steven Holl’s most famous tropes, and this exhibition was assembled to examine it further. It happily includes work by some of the artists you would expect to be represented: Dan Flavin, Joseph Kosuth, Tokihiro Sato, and Iole Allesandrini. Through June 17.
HENRY ART GALLERY
15th Ave NE at NE 41st St, 543-2280
PERFORMING PHOTOGRAPHY
Selections from the Joseph and Elaine Monson Photography Collection, chosen by the collection’s curator, Michael van Horn. The idea is to demonstrate the medium’s flexibility–from documentary to staged, entirely fictitious scenarios–but the upshot is just really good work by some of the best artists around. Through June 3.
THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF JOHN GUTMANN: CULTURE SHOCK
Images from the ’30s through the ’50s selected by the photographer before his death in 1998 comprise this exhibition of American street life. Through May 27.
ALEXIS ROCKMAN: FUTURE EVOLUTION
What happens when the natural is subject to continual and careless tinkering? New York artist Rockman puts genetic engineering in the crosshairs, and his aim is dead-on. Part meticulous Audubon illustration, part horror show, these paintings show us what kinds of flora and fauna might evolve (and therefore survive) in the terribly compromised circumstances we’re creating on Earth. Through August 19.
SEATTLE ART MUSEUM
100 University St, 654-3100
SEWN
Sculpture by six local artists (Rachel Brumer, David Chatt, Alison Gates, Wendy Hanson, Sara Lanzillotta, and Keith Yurdana) who work with textiles and sewing. Through July 22.
TREASURES FROM A LOST CIVILIZATION: ANCIENT CHINESE ART FROM SICHUAN
You wonder if archaeology will someday become obsolete, that we’ll eventually run out of artifacts to find. But then there’s the discovery of a site like Sanxingdui, that 14 years ago began to give up its treasure to the eyes of the world: relics in bronze, jade, and clay from the 13th century B.C. to the third century A.D. These are wondrous, mysterious pieces–weapons, totems, vessels–the uses for which are still mostly unknown. The show is the culmination of five years’ work by Jay Xu, SAM’s Foster Foundation Curator of Chinese Art, and is the first large-scale U.S. exhibition of the archaeological finds (it goes on to the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas and the Metropolitan in New York). Through Aug 12.
SEATTLE ASIAN ART MUSEUM
1400 E Prospect St, Volunteer Park, 654-3100
*THE EMBODIED IMAGE: CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY FROM THE JOHN B. ELLIOTT COLLECTION
There really isn’t any equivalent of calligraphy in American culture–a merging of art and poetry that is highly revered in Chinese culture. Elliott’s collection, one of the best outside Asia, includes scrolls, album leaves, and other works, 70 of which are on view in this exhibition. Through May 27.
OPENING EXHIBITIONS
*DAN CLOWES, CHRIS WARE
What’s not to love about this pair of pop-culture luminaries? Between them they’ve changed the visual language of comics: Clowes (Eightball, Ghost World) with his portraits of alienated men saddled by specific sexual cravings and Ware (Jimmy Corrigan) with his tiny-framed, slow-paced stories. Knowing their work is de rigeur for anyone interested in the area that comics and art share. Opening reception Fri May 11, 6-10 pm. Roq la Rue, 2224 Second Ave, 374-8977. Through June 2.
*WENDY HANSON
A window installation by Hanson, whose work is featured in SAM’s Sewn show. Entitled Horn of Plenty–Memorial for a Weary Economy, this work uses discarded clothing and thread to meditate on things lost and changed. SAM Rental Sales Gallery, 1334 First Ave, 654-3183. Through July 15.
C. BLAKE HAYGOOD
A selection of Haygood’s signature drypoint prints of tools and machinery, impossible and also broken. Still Life in Fremont, 709 N 35th St, 547-9850. Through June 24.
CAMERON MARTIN
Martin plays with landscape painting by altering the very things that allow us to identify it. Horizons disappear, foreground and background shift, and distance is relative. The use of iridescent and industrial paints further complicates his take on a stale old genre. Opening reception Sat May 12, 6-9 pm. Howard House, 2017 Second Ave, 256-6399. Through June 9.
ERIN L. SHAFKIND
Work entitled Butter & Old Fruit. Opening reception Sat May 12, 5-7 pm. Victrola Coffee and Art, 411 15th Ave E, 325-6520. Through May 31.
SAUNDRA VALENCIA, BRENDA SCALLON, ALICIA BERGER
In the front room, Valencia’s mixed media lightboxes. In the “parlour,” there’s a video installation by Scallon and Berger. Opening reception Sat May 12, 7-10 pm. Black Lab Gallery, 5208 Ballard Ave NW, 781-2392. Through June 6.
CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS
THOMAS ALBRECHT, DYLAN MOSLEY, CLAUDE ZERVAS
Abstract work, in both drawing and sculpture. King County Art Gallery, 506 Second Ave, room 200, 296-7580. Through May 31.
SAMI BEN LARBI
Participants are dressed, one at a time, in a latex suit which is then inflated, and given a pair of goggles fitted out with an LCD screen and then set loose in a room with other, similarly dressed folks to… interact. See Stranger Suggests. Sand Point Naval Station, 7400 NE Sand Point Way, Building #11. Through May 24.
PETER BILL
If you’re reading this now, you’ve missed the four-day exhibition of Bill’s video installation Magdalena‘s Window, but you can still see the paintings and digital prints it inspired. Bill’s video work uses time lapse and fish-eye lenses to slow down and distort urban landscapes, and his painting is similarly inspired. Nico Gallery, 619 Western Ave, second floor, 264-1710. Through May 28.
WELDON BUTLER
Prints and drawings from one of Seattle’s sparest geometric artists. Visual Abstractions, 1130 34th St. Through May 26.
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN
Drawings based on Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog. Glo‘s Diner, 1621 E Olive Way, 529-2735. Through June 30.
PETER de LORY
As artist-in-residence for Seattle Public Utilities, de Lory photographed many of SPU’s operations, such as water and drainage. Bank of America Gallery, 701 Fifth Ave, Third Floor, 585-3200. Through May 25.
JENNY DAVIDSON, DIANA FALCHUK
A show that addresses looking and the looked-at, with Davidson’s photographs of women’s eyes, and Falchuk’s intricate sculptures made of books, wax, and twine. Forgotten Works Gallery, 619 Western Ave, Fourth Floor, 343-7212. Through May 19.
DESTRUCTION/CONSTRUCTION
Over the course of the show’s five-week run, a scale model of First Avenue will be built in the gallery out of tiny little bricks. Li‘l Red Shack Gallery, 1028 First Ave S. Through May 12.
BEN DRURY
Album sleeves and limited-edition toys. Houston, 907 E Pike St, 860-7820. Through June 2.
BETSY EBY
New encaustic diptychs–the seam between the two pieces becomes a very physical split, a kind of lightning bolt through Eby’s abstract fields. Ballard Fetherston Gallery, 818 E Pike St, 322-9440. Through June 6.
DAVID ECKARD
Some kind of ritual happened here–but what? Eckard has created an arena with a series of conceptual question marks. Suyama Space, 2324 Second Ave, 256-0809. Through June 8.
*LEIV FAGERENG
Welcome to the Quicksand Years showcases Fagereng’s odd vision of the times–the world and our impact on it. Vital 5 Productions, 2200 Westlake Ave, 254-0475. Through June 4.
*CHRISTIAN FRENCH, MEGAN MURPHY
French has created a model for the gamble of art, with an installation made of lottery tickets. Viewers are invited to contribute to a kitty for more tickets, and the winnings will be split three ways–between the artist, gallery, and purchaser. With paintings by Murphy, in a series entitled Flesh. Eyre/Moore Gallery, 913 Western Ave, 624-5596. Through June 2.
CARLA GRAHN
Puppets and pills… made very large. Zeitgeist, 171 S Jackson St, 583-0497. Through June 6.
HEARD SAID
Artist Stuart Keeler has interviewed and recorded the stories and sounds of immigrants and turned them into a sound and sculpture installation. Jack Straw New Media Gallery, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE, 634-0919. Through May 31.
ERIC HILDEBRANDT
Colorful drawings, paintings, and installation. Velocity Art and Design, 2206 Queen Anne Ave N, #201, 781-9494. Through May 12.
IN TRANSITION
A rotating show that explores transitional spaces, with artists Mel Curtis, Michael Gesinger, Fred Lisaius, Spike Mafford, and Marsha Karr. SAM Rental Sales Gallery, 1334 First Ave, 654-3240. Through May 26.
*BILL JACOBSON, DOUG KEYES
Jacobson uses the out-of-focus photograph to redefine seeing. From Keyes, more of his very cool book pictures–every page photographed and superimposed into one very condensed, but somehow ethereal image. G. Gibson Gallery, 122 S Jackson, Suite 200, 587-4033. Through June 2.
JESUS SAYS BUY MORE FOLK ART
It’s not just an excellent exhibition title; it’s jazzy folk art from New Orleans. The artists are Sainte-James Boudrot, Charles Gillam, Reginald Mitchell, and “Big Al” Taplet. Garde Rail Gallery, 4750 35th Ave S, 760-3720. Through May 26.
DAVID C. KANE, GLENN RUDOLPH
Kane‘s Book of Physiognomy is a series of 192 small monoprint portraits created, according to the artist, in an improvisational mood. From Rudolph, the landscapes and lifestyles of rural Washington State. Esther Claypool Gallery, 617 Western Ave, 264-1586. Through June 2.
I.H. KUNIYUKI
Silver-print images from Kuniyuki’s performance work. Mary Vitold Gallery, 110 S Washington St, 624-9336. Through June 2.
MARGIE LIVINGSTON
Abstract work based on the observation of a thicket of trees and vines. SOIL Artist Cooperative, 1205 E Pike, 264-8061. Through May 27.
JOHANNA NITZKE MARQUIS, MAYME KRATZ
Collages from Nitzke; cast resin sculpture from Kratz. Elliott Brown Gallery, 215 Westlake Ave N, 340-8000. Through May 26.
RON McCOMB
Paintings and drawings from the artist whose very varied career includes all those photographs for the rolfing book–you know. This show has the excellent title of The blind homunculus gravitates toward form. Little Theatre, 608 19th Ave E, 275-3055. Through May 20.
NATURAL CONFORMITY
This collaborative installation–the work of Kelly Wilbur, Momcilo Bozic, and Nguyen Anna Ford–features stacks of old televisions showing multiple points of view, part pre-recorded, part passers-by. 911 Media Arts Center, 117 Yale Ave N, 682-6552. Through May 20.
NORTHWEST WOOD
More work in wood, from 16 artists including Amy Died, Joe Max Emminger, and Dan Webb. Gallery at Madison Audio, 909 Western Ave, 292-9262. Through May 28.
NIKI POLYOCAN
New photography in a series entitled Los Ninos de Sayulita. Rose Club Café, 3601 McClellan St, 725-3654. Through May 31.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Graffiti and large work by Romson Bustillo, Meghan Trainor, Brady Trainor, Nhon Nguyen, and Jite Agbro. Secluded Alley Works, 113 12th Ave, 839-0880. Through May 24.
LAURIE REID
The faintest of marks–watercolor with only a trace of pigment–takes the act of painting down to pure gesture. James Harris Gallery, 309A Third Ave S, 903-6220. Through June 9.
TANYA ROESIJADI, RANDY WOOD
Purrponius is the name of Roesijadi’s emissary (through painting) into this strange world. He’s part cat, part lizard, with a fuzzy demeanor and a forked tongue. Wood’s installation uses work based on his comic book series Kitties!!! Do you sense a theme here? Pound Gallery, 1216 10th Ave, 323-0557. Through May 27.
*AMY RUEFFERT
Luminous vessels are just the beginning in a show called Beyond Tupperware. Rueffert has created a kind of domestic fantasy based on the colors of a set of Tupperware spoons; her vision is generous enough to include a bunny with switchable tails, little sweaters for the bottles, and a patio chair upholstered in stripes from the same palette. Bubba-Mavis Gallery, 1158 Eastlake Ave E, 405-3223. Through May 31.
*KARA WALKER
It doesn’t come much more discomfiting than this. Walker’s silhouettes show us slave narratives that are (somehow) both horrific and whimsical. Are these stories repressed by history? A personal expression of Walker’s experience as a black woman? Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave S, 624-0770. Through June 2.
JOSEPH WARTES
Subconsciously Trashed features assemblage–in the tradition of Cornell and Rauschenberg–made of found stuff, the dirty and cast-off reimagined into art. Nation, 1921 Fifth Ave, 374-9492. Through May 27.
WENDY WILSON, RENAIT STEPHENS
Photographic images on paper and fabric; the artists use 19th-century techniques to look backward whence we came. Pitcairn Scott Gallery of Design, 2207 Second Ave, 448-5380. Through May 25.