Art

Michael Hensley Backfish Gallery 224-2634 Through Dec 1 Michael Hensley’s raw, aggressive marks, childlike shapes, palette, and use of handwritten text combine to form what can be viewed as a fairly unoriginal homage to the late American painter, Jean-Michel Basquiat. But to dismiss his work as mere reproductions would be a mistake for Hensley’s canvases […]

Steve Schapiro S.K. Josefsberg Studio 403 NW 11th, 241-9112 Through Nov 24 Photographer Steve Schapiro began his career in 1960 with the documentary projects, Arkansas Migrant Workers, and Narcotics Addiction in East Harlem. Since that time, he has shadowed and recorded the lives of various people, both those famous and those otherwise ignored. The selection […]

European Masterpieces: Six Centuries of Paintings Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park, 226-2811 Through Jan 6 Exposing the breadth of change that occurred within the art world between the 14th and 20th centuries is certainly a daunting task. Yet, with all their might, the Portland Art Museum presents European Masterpieces: Six Centuries of Paintings from […]

Riding 1st Class on the Titanic Nathan Lyons Blue Sky Gallery Through Oct 27 Riding 1st Class on the Titanic reveals photographer Nathan Lyons’ capacity as a backseat political commentator. Lyons’ series of black and white images are snapshots of an anonymous urban landscape; each act as an intriguing tidbit of a larger puzzle. They […]

Proofing Sessions Rae Mahaffey Bullseye Connection Gallery, 227-0222 Through Nov 17 Portland painter Rae Mahaffey is known for compositions rich in layers of pattern and color. Her canvases are uniquely abstract and become nearly psychedelic. This year, Mahaffey has enjoyed an increased presence in the Portland scene–largely due to her inclusion in the 2001 Oregon […]

Xu Bing Portland Institute of Contemporary Art 219 NW 12th #100, 242-1419 Through Oct 20 Within the sea of print exhibits in Portland this month, there are some showings that dig deeper into the intellect than others. A prime example: a series of prints and books by the Chinese-born, Brooklyn-based artist Xu Bing, on view […]

Hidden Voice Naomi Kasumi Portland Building Lobby Through Oct 5 In an artist’s book installation titled Hidden Voice, Japanese-born artist Naomi Kasumi brings her personal demons into a public arena. The installation, housed in the lobby of the Portland Building, hinges on a particularly traumatic experience; Kasumi boldly confesses that a few years ago she […]

Jim Adams Berbati’s Pan, 248-4579 Through Sept 30 Using graphite, Jim Adams delicately articulates a collection of surrealist caricatures on paper, which resemble super bizarre storybook images. Grotesquely manipulated figures and animals are frozen in mysterious interaction, and their setting is riddled with monumental vegetables, teapots, architecture, mountains, and other random objects. Swaths of thread-like […]

Gallery Bink 1416 E Burnside 233-8866 Medusa Tattoo 420 SW Washington, Suite 202 228-1008 The term “lowbrow art” refers to art based in such counter-cultural phenomena as comics, rock and roll, underground and independent pop culture. I hate the term–it makes underground art sound like it’s less important than the truly enlightened “highbrow” art that’s […]

1476 NE Alberta, 284-8800 Through Sept 22 The Talisman Gallery, a 15-member cooperative, recently relocated to an Alberta Street venue. The group’s second exhibit in the burgeoning neighborhood offers viewers a range of artistic impulses by showcasing work of a handful of the cooperative’s members: a hodge-podge of collage, painting, and photography. While some of […]

Webpicks Please note that the sites mentioned here are not meant to create intellectual fervor. They are one-hit wonders that simply activate the five-year-old boy in all of us. Also, be warned that if one cannot distinguish between reality and animation, avoid these sites and seek counseling. Joecartoon.com is a flash animation site exploring a […]

McCracken & Bitterman Savage Gallery, 416 NW 10th 223-2868 Through Sept 8 On my way to Savage Gallery, I witnessed a nasty bicycle crash. A rider and bike collapsed in a dramatic heap, after an ugly encounter with a pothole. Though it only lasted a few seconds, the event was recorded in my mind in […]