Dallas Art Fair week is officially on the menu. Almost all of the city’s art institutions are serving exhibition openings, publication launches, or open hours. We’ve rounded up a few that look particularly tasty.
Power Station
Wednesday, April 3 6-10 p.m. | 3816 Commerce St.
If you’ve never made the trek to the Power Station, use this opening as your excuse. This 100 year-old converted Power and Light building just east of Deep Ellum is the city’s best kept art secret. This unofficial art fair kick off features two exhibition openings: Czech painter Vojtěch Kovařík’s Under the Weight of the World and Spanish artist Miguel Sbatida’s Future Reefs. More info.
Various Small Fires Texas
Wednesday, April 3, 5-7 p.m. | 1511 Commerce St.
After finding success in Los Angeles and Seoul, Various Small Fires opened its third location in Dallas two years ago. Since then, it’s introduced new voices to the city’s art scene. Timed to this year’s fair, the gallery presents Yeah, I Know What You Mean, a series of new paintings by LA artist Joshua Nathanson. The gallery will host an opening event Wednesday—I’m told by the Texas director will be snacks, maybe even queso. More info.
Dallas Contemporary
Wednesday, April 3 7-9 p.m. | 161 Glass St.
The city’s kunsthalle (a fancy word for a non-collecting museum) opens two exhibitions with a little party. Check out the solo exhibition Patrick Martinez: Histories, one of the biggest showings of the Los Angeles artist’s work. Expect sculptures, installations, and neon pieces. Opening concurrently is a group exhibition, Who’s Afraid of Cartoony Figuration?, which is curated by Alison M. Gingeras to work by artists that include cartoons, comics and commercial illustration. Come for the social commentary, stay for the cocktails. More info.
Dallas Art Fair
April 4 – 7 | 1807 Ross Ave.
In an official sense, this is the main event of the week, particularly if you’re looking to spend some money on art. A lot of events on this list are free, but like most art fairs, this one requires a pass. One day admission starts at $34 and goes up from there. That pass gets you access booths organized by more than 90 galleries from across the globe. Fair director Kelly Cornell says that a can’t-miss is Dublin’s Kerlin Gallery, which will feature the work of Irish artist Ailbhe Ní Bhriain. As a bonus, there will be a sculpture garden by the entrance to the fair featuring work by Karla Garcia, Sherry Owens, and more. More info.
Dallas Invitational
April 4 – 6 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Fairmont Hotel, 1717 N. Akard St.
Most major art fairs across the globe inspire satellite fairs that run concurrent and feature different galleries. As the aphorism goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Organized by James Cope, who runs And Now gallery, the Dallas Invitational launched last year with an emphasis on hand-picking a smaller number of galleries. So, swim on over to the Dallas Invitational to selections from some big name spaces including, Night Gallery, Various Small Fires, Hannah Hoffman, and more. Admission is free. More here.
Artist Gabriel Rico in conversation with Curator Jed Morse
Friday, April 5 11 a.m | Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St.
Guadalajara-based artist Gabriel Rico is in Dallas as the inaugural resident of the recently-launched Augustus Owen Foundation. The foundation is a project built by Peter Augustus Owen and Bradford Owen, with the goal of hosting events and conversations about art, economics and business, alongside an artist residency. In this conversation, Rico will discuss his sculptural practice, which explores the relationship between humans and the natural environment. More info.
Open Studio at Marcello Andres Ceramics
Friday, April 5 3-7 p.m. | 1501 Gano St. Ste. 3C
If you’ve sipped mezcal from a copita at Ruins in Deep Ellum or scraped the last bit of whipped burrata off your plate at Beverley’s, you’ve dined with Marcello Andres Ceramics. One of the most prolific ceramicists in the area will host an interactive installation featuring both his work and the work of hairdresser Gwan Chow. More info here.
LAMONTES BELLY
Friday, April 5 6 – 9 p.m. | 904 Fort Worth Ave.
The artist line-up for this group show is a veritable who’s who of Dallas art in the past few decades. It includes Frances Bagley, whose work has been important to the scene since she helped found Toxic Shock, a female art collective in the 1980s. There’s power couple Marjorie Norman Schwarz and Ludwig Schwarz, who’ve been making some of the city’s most interesting paintings and conceptual art, respectively, for decades. And that’s just to name three of the nearly two dozen artists on the flier. Don’t miss this one, but given the address, maybe don’t wear your expensive shoes to this event. More info (but not very much) here.
River Bend Riviera
Friday, April 5 6:30 – 9 p.m. | 150 Manufacturing St.
This little shindig is typically my favorite event of the week. A good number of galleries in the Design District are centered around a strip called River Bend and on this Friday night, the doors will be open, and you can wander in and out of Erin Cluley Gallery, Keijsers Koning and 12.26, to name a few. Pop over a few blocks in one direction and find Cris Worley Fine Arts and Holly Johnson; head in another direction to Galleri Urbane. More here.
Brian Fridge: View Finder
Friday, April 5, 5 – 7 p.m. | Dallas Contemporary, 161 Glass St.
Just days before the total solar eclipse, the Dallas Contemporary hosts an evening of “cocktails and celestial celebrations.” Last month, the museum debuted work by video artist Brian Fridge, commissioned by the Simons Foundation, as part of its “in the path of totality” initiative. This event will serve as the launch of the limited-edition artist publication designed by Travis LaMothe and will feature soundscapes by Denver singer-songwriter Julie Davis, better known as bluebook. More info and registration here.
Video Art Nights, presented by AURORA
Friday, April 5, 6-10 p.m. | Pegasus Plaza, 1500 Main St.
Everyone’s favorite biannual art and light festival, AURORA, curates a night of immersive video art. The event will transform a corner of downtown Dallas into the hub of vibrant music and projection. Participating artists include Zak Loyd, Kristin Lucas, and Nick Bontranger. More info here.
Nasher Prize Community Day
Saturday, April 6, 1-4 p.m. | Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St.
In her project “Carved to Flow,” this year’s Nasher Prize winner, Otobong Nkanga, explores the production of soap as a means of social engagement. As part of a community day, visitors to the Nasher can learn about soap making and learn from experts about the ecology and economy of North Texas. More info here.
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