Concepts at Work: Nina Katchadourian at the Blanton Museum of Art
Nina Katchadourian has a mindfulness or awareness that might make a Buddhist blush.
Visual Art
Nothing’s Regular: Stanley Whitney at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
In the current FOCUS series of exhibitions at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, abstract paintings by the African American painter Stanley Whitney are on view through April 2. This solo show is his first in Texas.
Dropout By Dropping In: The Co-work Space for Potential Dropouts at Pollock Gallery
The Co-Work Space for Potential Dropouts, which will occupy SMU’s Pollock Gallery through March 11, is a project by the artist Avi Varma and curated by Pollock Curatorial Fellow Sofia Bastidas.
Irreversible Congas: MFAH’s Adiós Utopia Looks at Cuban Art Since 1950
Late modern and contemporary Cuban art has gotten increased international exposure in recent years thanks to improved relations between the United States and Cuba, laying the groundwork for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s unprecedented exhibition Adiós Utopia: Dreams and Deceptions in Cuban Art Since 1950.
Differences Intertwined: Teresa Margolles at UTEP Rubin Center for Visual Arts
How might artists use their work to create connections across difference in these difficult times? Two shows currently exhibited at the Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at the University of Texas El Paso provide partial responses to this difficult question.
SHOW UP: Roberto Munguia
A few days after Christmas, Roberto Munguia died. Twice.
Collecting Histories: Dogon at the Menil
The complex history behind American and European interest in present-day Mali informs a new exhibition at The Menil Collection, Feb. 3-July 9, curated by Paul Davis.
Motion Redux: Tad Beck at FotoFest’s International Discoveries VI
When Vinod Hopson of FotoFest suggested that I check out the work of Tad Beck, I figured dance was involved. And indeed, Beck's work with renowned downtown dancemakers is compelling on several levels, from the detailed process to the end image, which involves re-photography and some actual dancing.
Called to Archive: Studio One in Houston
Share an article, pin an image, save a post, link a story. The immediacy of social media and digital visual culture is astonishing. And yet, with all of its accessibility, its staying power is questionable. With so many artists relying on social media to maintain a significant, up-to-date digital presence, is it possible to preserve the knowledge and contributions of living artists?
Redefining Modern: McNay Director Rich Aste on Breaking Down Walls——Literally and Figuratively
Before joining San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum as its third director in September, Rich Aste was finishing work on the exhibition French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950, which turned out to be his swansong as the Brooklyn Museum's managing curator, arts of the Americas and Europe, and curator of European art. French Moderns travels to the McNay from March 1 to June 7. Devon Britt-Darby sat down with Aste to discuss his plans for Texas's oldest modern art museum.
Music and Printmaking Merge in Son Jarocho Style: Alec Dempster at MECA
In the front hallway of the 6th Ward’s MECA building, you can scan a QR code and hear the creaky strains of an old violin from the Veracruz region of Mexico. Another digital scan of a jumbled-looking square produces a complex tapestry of rapidly overlapping strings known as El Siquisiri. The style of music is known as Son Jarocho, and it is a blend of “musical and dance tradition from the Sotavento, the southern regions of Mexico’s Veracruz state.”
Leaving a Mark: PrintAustin Deconstructs Diverse Art Form in 4th Citywide Festival
Austin is a capital of printmaking with many different components. Using several venues to host a deluge of events, PrintAustin ties all the components together. The month-long festival from Jan. 13-Feb. 18 at venues including Gallery Shoal Creek, FlatBed Press, and La Pena Gallery, draws a diverse crowd of art snobs, artists, hipsters, and novices. It’s printmaking on a huge scale.