July encapsulates the birthday of the USA. July 4th we're some 240 years old. Compare that to previous empires: the Egyptian Empire, 2720 years; the Persian Empire , 398 years; the Roman Empire, 520 years and the Byzantine Empire, 1058 years. The problem, as they all found, is that as the empire expands to control territory and protect the trade routes required to exploit more natural resources, its military costs become a drain on the economy, weakening the country and ultimately leading to its downfall. For a statistics-filled book expanding on this theme in recent history, see Paul Kennedy's The Rise and Fall of Great Powers.
Me? I'm putting my bets on China.
First Thursday Art Openings July 6
This month there is a lot happening! Rather than arranging items in order of importance, I'm arranging the events in walking order, taking into account closing times. Go by foot-bike. Car parking will be impossible. Of course, most exhibitions can be seen later in the month, Tuesday through Saturday... Must see's are *
See early or catch up on later in the month:
The Laura Russo gallery shows Bouquet, by German artist Anne Siems, now Seattle based. Siems began her work using recycled materials as a canvas - old grocery bags and newspapers - laminated by wax and then painted with her own formula of wax medium. The new work references the formal compositions of 19th century studio photographs with a collage of dream elements. Somehow I'm envisioning a reference too, to the Wandervogel. Let's hope we are not headed in that direction as a country... Interestingly, Justine Kurland is fascinated by our Oregon Wandervogel, and their off-the-grid intentional communities, I wonder if she is going to the Oregon Country Fair ? Until 9 805 NW 21st Ave http://www.laurarusso.com/
City Hall presents some sort of Bike Art Show at City Hall early 5-7PM 1221 SW 4th
Froelick Gallery shows paintings by Nat Meade and photos by Robert Hollingsworth. Meade documents performance like actions, almost photographically. Hollingsworth captured scenes in the 1950's created by others or nature, terming them "plagraphy" - plagiarism/photography. That concept now is so accepted to not even require the acknowledgment of naming. Until 9 817 SW 2nd http://www.froelickgallery.com
Stumptown Coffee shows maze/ bird feet track abstract work, seemingly created from rubber stamps. It's not heartstabbing me, but it is still an interesting exploit of the rubber stamp aesthetic, sort of populist printmaking. It's by Abra Ancliffe. By the way, Cathy Joy Young, shows outsider-style work that has a luminous, almost oil pastel palette - think Jessie Reno, and of equal quality, at the Division Stumptown. Until 9:30 128 SW 3rd
Now time for a break, or a convenient meet point, over stimulating herbal liquors and the current art show at Apotheke. http://www.apotheke-nw.com
There is a show at W+K - Exploration of the Role of Failure in the Creative Process. You aren't taking enough risks if you don't fail upon occasion. Until 9 NW 13th between Everett and Davis.
Bullseye continues Anna Skibska's insane lampworked glass latices, suspended in freespace. Opening are photos fused into glass for you photographers seeking an archival process good for a few thousand years. Until 9 300 NW 13th http://www.bullseyeconnection.com
For a perspective in time, if not culture, consider a show of historical photographs of the Pearl District at 1306 NW Hoyt on the 4th floor with well earned food and drinks for your climb. Until 9 1306 NW Hoyt
Bluesky presents photographs by Julie Blackmon and Mike Smith. Blackmon's images depict childhood's life. Smith travels Southern Appalachia, capturing a world which to us looks so foreign. I wonder if a photographer from there came to Portland, what they would photograph that telegraphs our identity? Bike messengers outside Stumptown? The Zoobomb bike park? Jay's garage, with B99 biodiesel? Kids playing in the Jameson fountain in NW? Last Thursday on Alberta at the clown house? The Rose parade? Something to think about... regional caricature. Til 9:30 1231 NW Hoyt http://www.blueskygallery.org/
Photographer Grace Weston shows Private Thoughts, images of her miniature modeled worlds , painstakingly constructed and lit. Each is a metaphor in its content, and, in its process. Until 9 http://www.pushdotstudio.com/ 830 NW 14th Ave
The Elizabeth Leach Gallery shows late career artist Robert Calvo who uses maps as his base concept. Until 9 417 NW 9th http://www.elizabethleach.com
Blackfish shows recent art school graduates, so pot luck... 420 NW 9th http://www.blackfish.com
At PDX Gallery, Joe Macca shows Oxygen Paintings, minimalist abstractions inspired by the act of breathing: "I have developed a language of abstract curvilinear forms assigned soft gradations of color to describe this breathing. The forms intend to capture moments of pleasure, pain, tension, joy, rage, etc...I use a buildup of thin translucent coats of paint and exaggerated form and color to capture light within the surface, adding to that drama".
The PDX window project presents sculptural work by Molly Torgeson: GENERATE: "a series that renders movement, transformation and growth. This installation signifies multiplicity, which is produced and launched into the atmosphere" in steel. Until 8. 925 NW Flanders Street http://www.pdxcontemporaryart.com *
Portland artist James Bolton, now half through his painting MFA at LA's Claremont, shows new paintings with a sort of fern leaf or random hatch motif, brushed and sprayed. Boulton showed large colorful abstract paintings in a previous PAM Biennial. Some of that that work seemed to reference sushi, an apt metaphor for tasty work you crave, but which requires an educated palette. He has simplified his gestural elements, and his colors too, while maintaining great strength in both. The work is titled Traffication: "The title of this exhibition comes from an invented word to describe the concurrent events that disaffect drivers from the immediate task of driving; the ones that end up changing the flow of traffic and consequently the urban architecture of time." Until 8 925 NW Flanders Street http://www.pulliamdeffenbaugh.com *
Vino Paradiso shows post ironic cartoonish scenes characters in life by Lucia Johnson. Sort of rotoscoped snapshots. Until 10 417 NW 10th http://vinoparadiso.com/art_gallery/art_gallery_july06.html
Ogle shows installations and constructions by Valentina Graziano. This gallery has established a niche showing large installations, often of organic materials, that are too large or uneconomic for other galleries. The work often taps into our Northwest instance of arte povera. Until 8:30 310 NW Broadway http://www.ogleinc.com
I love this.! A toy with a life story. So I'll just reprint it! :
"In 1955 SUG was born in a remote part of Iceland. He weighed in at a 40lbs and was an astounding 43" long. Today, the real SUG is all of 7'7" and weighs 655lbs. He continues to base his operations out of a remote location in the moonlike landscape of northern Iceland. (I guess sort of a Icelandic yeti... -R)
SUG's mission is simple: to assist the people of the world who are in desperate need of help. He has no affiliation with any one government and is not concerned with the politics of his actions, but rather views his role in global terms. His privately funded aid expeditions take him into the most dangerous areas of the world usually bringing him into war-torn regions, toxic atmospheres or other inhospitable conditions. Years of exposure to these extreme environments has taken a toll on his massive body. SUG's abnormally small noggin is a result of wearing early handmade protective suits that did not give him proper protection. As a result, his head shrank and prolonged exposure rendered his face featureless. After he realized what was occurring, modifications were made to the next generation of suits to eliminate these issues and the shrinking has stopped. His atrophied right arm is a result of a small tear in the third generation suit resulting in the brief exposure of his naked arm to a highly toxic environment while working in a subterranean location in Oklahoma. The arm was reduced in size almost immediately and is, for the most part, unusable. His current suit is the ninth iteration and appears to be nearly flawless. SUG1s bag contains 4 vials of undefined liquids. They have reportedly been gathered over the years from native medicine men, scientists and his own research. The four liquids can be mixed together in various amounts and combinations to formulate a "silver bullet" serum to cure any ailment currently known to man. SUG continues to develop more advanced serums and equipment and he continues to accept missions that put him in harms way for the good of the World."
This show is of SUG figures, produced by Portland's Derek Welch and Jason Bacon's UNKL www.unklbrand.com. Tonight, a large group of great artists present their interpretation of SUG. Artists SUGin' include: Derek Welch, Jason Bacon, Rob Mars, KOZIK, NYC Lase, Maol, Super 7, Jeremyville, Tristan Eaton, Mr. Jago, Miq, Kow Yokoyama, Ren Sakurai, Saiman Chow, Martin Ontiveros, Bwana Spoons, Corey Smith, Brian Elliot, Ryan Bubnis, Akira Wakui, Shin Tanaka, Charlie Kraft, Jesse Rend, APAK, Akira Wakui Ippei Gyoubu, Madoka, Kinoshita, Cicci, Kubota Mari, MAD BARBARIANS, BARON UEDA, PCP, Nekoshowgun and Zanpon. This will be good.
In other news, SF's Upper Playground http://www.upperplayground.com, somewhat a Just Be Design copycat, is moving to the old Fashion Incubator space across the street.
Until 10 107 NW 5th http://www.justbedesign.com/JBD03/main.html *
The Portland Art Center opens a new sound art show The Lineage of Harmonic Sensation by Adam Bailey and new work by Sarah Gunderson, the invitation has a pleasingly blurred photo of the Oaks Park roller rink. Other exhibitions continue. until 10 32NW 5th http://www.portlandart.org
Next door Backspace presents a great show. James Newell shows sculptural wall boxes themed on maps and landscape. Newell's previous show there included commemorative plates themed on America's own chemical WMD's. Kim Hamblin shows graphic representations made of thin sheets of vinyl strategically tacked. Michelle shows photo-like paintings of dark industrial landscapes. Dan Ness, who also has a show at the Goodfoot shows his paintings drawn from found graphics and photos. Until midnight 115 NW 5th http://www.backspacegallery
Then head back up toward the Everett Lofts, always recommended...
I think Rake is doing a good job. So I'm reprinting this excellent press release. I have not seen the show, so I don't know how it compares to the quality of the writing, but Rake has created a great network, so I say yea!
"Michael Endo is an international artist who has a rich, yet youthful, career. His works in oil posses the meticulous patience of the Italian Renaissance, with an edgy interplay of the abstract mood evoking atmospheric movement. He approaches his subjects as an investigator. Every painting is an attempt to better understand who we are as individuals, who we are as a community, a civilization, and ultimately, as a species. Who are we when we're not trying to be anything? What do our surroundings reveal about our personalities? This investigation has led him to the spaces that we create around and between ourselves and each other. Zeno's dichotomy paradox tells us that in order to travel from one point to another we must first reach the halfway point. Every distance can be halved, meaning that no matter what the measured distance is between himself and any other person, the space separating us is infinite.
How do we bridge the infinite divide?
Through Lines of Communication"
Until 10 325 NW. 6th Ave. Http://www.rakeart.org
Now to decompress...
Valentines shows Art is People Too: Jack Bouba, Liz Goltz, Lauren Hobsen and Rikki Rothenberg. Valentines is a good place to recap the night's art events over food and a drink, they have music too by Sustentacula. For some thoughts on their location's awesomeness... Until late 232 SW Ankeny
Save your energy, Friday's are events are equally packed...
