It’s a new year, and while there were a handful of art events last weekend, this weekend the new season really gets underway. But before we jump into all of that, a few quick notes:
– There’s been an somewhat surprising changing of the guard over at the Goss-Michael Foundation. Oliver Francis Gallery proprietor Kevin Jacobs has left his role as curator with the Design District-based art space, and DB14’s Michael Mazurek is set to take his place. Mazurek is a good fit. DB14 was one of the most impressive artist-mounted undertakings we’ve seen around here, and I was disappointed to have missed Mazurek’s latest project at Beefhaus featuring James Buss and Naotaka Hiro. The first locally based artists he’s bringing in to exhibit in Goss-Michael’s new Feature program won’t surprise you: DB14 co-collaborator Jesse Morgan Barnett and Deep Ellum Windows conspirator Jeff Gibbons.
– I was in New York over the holiday and I managed to catch one of the zestiest, most satisfying gallery shows I saw all year, Susan Te Kahurangi King‘s exhibit at Andrew Edlin. There’s a video about the show here, and you can read about it here and here. I mention it because it was curated by none other than the Dallas Art Fair‘s Chris Byrne. Byrne had a great 2014. The King show rounded out a year that also saw the release of his wild book The Magician and a successful run at the Outsider Art Fair. Given the state of general blandness of art fair zombie art and all the other things that can drive you mad about art these days, count Dallas lucky that its own art fair is run by someone with an unabashed sweet tooth. Yes, I just wrote that. It’s a new year. Might be time to lay some old grudges aside.
– And speaking of making international waves, I’m sure shapes guru Randy Guthmiller probably wants to get has his hands on Justin Adian’s new book, which came out last month by Fulton Ryder, given the artists’ strong affinity for, well, shapes. Adian is a Fort Worth native and UNT graduate who had a breakout exhibition in London’s Skarstadt this fall. Honestly, when I saw the exhibit in November, I wasn’t really blown away. His work feels like a mash-up of Jacob Kassay and Kelly Kroener, shiny, DIY pillow sculptures, dressed up in neo-pop pukishness and subtle formal contingencies. It actually feels very much in line with a lot of art by Texas artists. Maybe the outside world has a growing appetite for this stuff. Adian, after all, was named of the 15 artists to watch by Artsy. London galleries may want to book a Texas tour.
In Dallas, 2015 is about to kick-off on a really good note. Here are my five picks for the weekend:
Michael Just at Cydonia — January 9, 6-8 p.m. 167 Payne St. Dallas, TX 75207.
The young galleries third show features another emerging intenrational talent, the German-born, Goldsmith-trained Michael Just. In related news, Cydonia is hosting an art collecting 101 on January 17th at 11 a.m. More information on that here. Don’t forget to buy art people.
Dallas Medianale Opening Night: John Whitney, Lillian Schwartz, Cracked Ray Tube, and more at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary — January 9, 7:30-10 p.m. 3120 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204.
Last fall the Dallas Video Festival decided to split off the video art portion of the annual fest and promised to re-launch it as a standalone event. This weekend that kicks off with screenings, installations, and inter-media performances at the MAC; workshops at Oil and Cotton; and a Bart Weiss VJ-ed party at the Texas Theatre. For a full rundown of the chock-full schedule, go here. For a primer, check out Collette Copeland‘s interview with Jennifer Reader over on Glasstire. Work by Reader will be screened at the MAC this weekend. And keep in mind that the Medianale will continue through March, with the Charles Dee Mitchell and Danielle Avram Morgan-curated Call and Response opening next weekend at the MAC, a performance at CentralTrak on January 26, and additional screenings in February.
Lauren Woods at Zhulong Gallery — January 10, 6-9 p.m. 1302 Dragon St. Dallas, TX 75207.
Lauren Woods‘ exhibition a Zhulong closes this weekend is open until January 24. You may remember Woods’ drinking fountain project. Here she exhibits video and works on paper.
Flowers of War by Cassandra Emswiler at Erin Cluley Gallery — January 10, 6-8 p.m. 414 Fabrication St, Dallas, Texas 75212.
Following up on her impressive installation at the Dallas Contemporary, Cassandra Emswiler Burd has her first gallery solo show with yet another new Dallas gallery, Erin Cluley. The show will feature a new body of work: tables inlaid with tiles whose designs blur geometric gardens patterns and the graphic layout of military fortifications.
“Tales Neither True Nor False,” “Telephone,” and “I tried to follow Eleanor Antin. I only got halfway” at 500x Gallery — January 10, 7-10 p.m. 500 Exposition Ave. Dallas, TX 75226.
The new blood at Dallas’ oldest artist-run art space kick-off the year with a trio of shows featuring work by Sheryl Anaya, Jessica Fuentes, Laura Garcia, M. Kate Helmes, Ryan Goolsby, Timothy Harding, and a collaborative installation between Diane Durant and Devyn Gaudet.
Those are just five picks. There’s a lot more going on this weekend that is worth checking out. Here’s the full list:
FRIDAY
Michael Just at Cydonia — January 9, 6-8 p.m. 167 Payne St. Dallas, TX 75207.
New Year Celebration featuring Artist Talk & Closing Celebration at Kirk Hopper Fine Art — January 9, 6-8:30 p.m. 3008 Commerce St. Dallas, TX 75226.
DFW Art Awards 2014 at the Latino Cultural Center — January 9, 6-10 p.m. 2600 Live Oak St. Dallas, TX 75204.
Dallas Medianale Opening Night: John Whitney, Lillian Schwartz, Cracked Ray Tube, and more at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary — January 9, 7:30-10 p.m. 3120 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204.
Video Bar with Bart Weiss at the Texas Theater — January 9, 11-12:30 p.m. 231 W. Jefferson Blvd. Dallas, TX 75208.
Cracked Ray Tube Hardware Hacking/Synth Building Workshop at Oil and Cotton — January 9, 1-6 p.m. 837 W. 7th St. Dallas, TX 75208.
SATURDAY
Cracked Ray Tube Hardware Hacking/Synth Building Workshop at Oil and Cotton — January 10, 1 p.m. 837 W. 7th St. Dallas, TX 75208.
Chris Mason, Gregg Coker, and Jackson Hammack at Craighead Green — January 10, 5-8 p.m. 1011 Dragon St., Dallas, TX 75207
Dallas Medianale Day Two at the McKinney Ave. Contemporary — January 10, 4:30-8 p..m. 3120 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204.
Robert Jessup & Chris Larson at Conduit Gallery — January 10, 6-8 p.m. 1626 Hi Line Dr. Ste. C. Dallas, TX 75207.
Lauren Woods at Zhulong Gallery — January 10, 6-9 p.m. 1302 Dragon St. Dallas, TX 75207.
PRTY PPL at Circuit 12 Contemporary — January 10, 6-10 p.m. 1130 Dragon St Suite 150, Dallas, TX 75207
Flowers of War by Cassandra Emswiler at Erin Cluley Gallery — January 10, 6-8 p.m. 414 Fabrication St, Dallas, Texas 75212
“Movement, Substance, Technique,” Solo Exhibition by Jeffrey Cortland Jones at Galleri Urbane — January 10, 6-8:30 p.m. 2277 Monitor St. Dallas, TX 75207.
Telephone at 500x Gallery — January 10, 7-10 p.m. 500 Exposition Ave. Dallas, TX 75226.
