Exhibitions

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      Austin Openings

      Francisco Matto: The Modern and the Mythic

      The Blanton Museum
      Opens June 21, 2009

      The Blanton continues to lead the charge on Latin American art with the first comprehensive exhibition in the United States of the work of Francisco Matto, a student of the legendary Joaquín Torres-Garcia. And they've got a cool little interactive feature about the artist and the exhibition on the web. (The soundtrack is only slightly annoying.)

      New American Talent: 24

      Arthouse
      Opening June 20, 2009

      The New York Times has listed this year's juror, Hamza Walker, as one of the most "discerning and influential" curators of our time. As always with juried shows, the exhibition should be a mishmash of the outstanding and the okay. But definitely don't miss what Walker has to say about it; in conjunction with the exhibition, he'll give a public lecture on Saturday, June 20, at 3pm.

      Cruz Ortiz: Ice Cold

      Art Palace Gallery
      Opening Reception June 27, 8-10pm

      “I could have been a honky-tonk singer,” says Cruz Oritz. At Art Palace, Oritz continues to work through his alien alter-ego, Spaztek, who will give a performance at 8:15pm on opening night. Hope for some foot-stamping honky-tonk.

      I am not so different

      Art Palace Gallery
      Opening Reception June 27, 8-10pm

      Right now in Austin, a serious group of young photographers is gaining steam. If you haven't felt the heat yet, this is your chance to get in on it. Curator Rachel Cook draws together photographs by five artists from close to home and far afield—Duncan Ganley, Anna Krachey, Jessica Mallios, Adam Schreiber, Erin Shirreff and Augusta Wood.

      Jen Frost Smith

      Co-Lab
      Opening Reception June 20, 6-10pm

      Before we loose this young artist to Maryland Institute College of Art (where she'll be working on her MFA in Photographic and Electronic Media), check out her post-apocalyptic landscape (echoing the rave-and-ritual aesthetic of other Austin artists like Lizzy Wetzel and Totally Wreck) at Co-Lab.

      Jim Drain

      The Blanton Museum, WorkSpace
      Opening July 3

      Two weeks ago, Okay Mountain hosted Jim Drain's crazy Pig Pen Party (everyone dressed as pigs and drank a lot), where the artist filmed footage for his upcoming installation in the Blanton's WorkSpace Gallery. Oink oink.

      Colby Bird: Cold End

      Okay Mountain
      Opening Reception July 11, 7-10pm

      From the press release: Colby Bird's Cold End will focus on the theme of “honest work” through the use of photography, sculpture, and painting. Bird had created works that directly reference the artist’s studio practice and the “artist’s gesture” as a method of situating oneself on the continuum of global commerce and class. Modes of commerce and their role in the defining of social strata are prominent themes in Bird’s work, from street level drug trafficking to middle class manual labor to fine-art dealing.

      Mark-Making: Dots, Lines, and Curves

      Lora Reynolds Gallery
      Opening July 11, 2009

      This group show includes works by Noriko Ambe, Benjamin Butler, Graham Dolphin, Tara Donovan, Teresita Fernández, Dan Fischer, Ceal Floyer, Ewan Gibbs, Joseph Grigley, Mitzi Pederson, Ed Ruscha, Cordy Ryman, Fred Sandback, Kate Shepherd, Tony Smith, Jim Torok, Terry Winters and Daniel Zeller.

      Austin on View

      Esther Pearl Watson

      Domy Books
      Through July 23, 2009

      Watson's intimate paintings, framed by her grandfather's framer in reclaimed barn wood, are the stuff of fairytales. The Chronicle published a lovely preview of the exhibition, and you can look forward to a review of it in the next issue of ...might be good, too.

      Austin Closings

      Practice, Practice, Practice

      Lora Reynolds Gallery
      Closing June 27, 2009

      You'll cry if you miss this show, so don't. Reviewed by Dan Boehl in Issue #123.

      The Hot Slump

      Okay Mountain
      Closing July 1

      Personally I (Claire) found the dick jokes a little dumb. But everyone else seemed to think they were funny. See for yourself.