Mush, Mush, the Sloping Midnight Line, what an image. It is an image from Norway. Portland artist Carson Ellis has made paintings inspired by a series of historical novels set in the Middle Ages, tracing the arc from birth to death of Kristin Lavransdattar. For this work, the writer, Sigrid Undset, was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. Ellis' work taps eco-mysticism, adding characters to her magical landscape. Midori Hirose contributes complementary work, always a treat. At Nationale www.nationale.us 811 E Burnside Map 6PM-8
The Portland Museum of Modern Art opens a show Azawad Libre! New Media and Imagined Geographies in the Sahel. Portland field sound explorer Chris Kirkley has traveled Azawad collecting music from mobile phones. Along the way he also gathered photographs from phones, from Facebook and stills from viral videos. The visual work is built upon compositing, digital collage, with a North African face, as is the music. Music is traded by phone. And the feature phones have cameras and compositing apps which Northern Africans use to mod their photos. It's newsworthy as well, Azawad is an area spanning Northern Mali in Africa envisioned as a Tuareg homeland. Currently the area is occupied by a mix of fighters and has ceded from Mali. Foreign fighters, arms from the Libyan revolution and fundamentalists are involved, tempting a regional war in the Spring. Unfortunately too, some of the Islamists have banned music. But there is no denying the sense of identity and regional pride expressed by young people in this art show. Stay tuned for history... At the Portland Museum of Modern Art inside Mississippi Records www.portlandmuseumofmodernart.com 5202 N Albina 8PM Free
Place continues Mall of America: A Toll Free Audio Exhibition by Elizabeth Lamb and opens Open Circles by Horatio Law, Crime Against Nature by Gwenn Seemel and Cocoon Orchard by Erin Grant Robinson. All at Place, placepdx.tumblr.com a gallery on the 3rd floor of the Pioneer Place Mall along with the People's art of Portland and the Woolley Gallery. If the mall appears closed, enter the film theater building adjacent, travel through the tunnel to the Place mall, and take the elevator to the 3rd floor, sometimes the bridge on the 3rd floor is open too. 700 SW Fifth. 5PM-8 Free 5PM-9
FalseFront has Conjurer, by Daniel J Glendening. At False Front Studio www.falsefrontstudio.com 4518 NE 32nd Map 7PM-10 Free
