Glasstire counts down the top five art events in Texas.
For last week’s picks, please go here.
Installation view at the MFAH: Leandro Erlich, “Bâtiment,” 2004, Nuit Blanche, Paris, France. © Leandro Erlich Studio
1. Leando Erlich: Seeing is not Believing
Museum of Fine Arts Houston
June 26 – September 5, 2022
From the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston:
“Conceptual artist Leandro Erlich constructs visual paradoxes and optical illusions that force viewers to question their own perception of reality and acknowledge the infinite possibilities of their surroundings –a staircase that misleads to go nowhere; an elevator that appears partially stuck below ground; a swimming pool that appears to reflect one group of onlookers above the water’s surface and a different group below: everyday situations that Erlich renders confounding. Beginning in June, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will present two of the artist’s most iconic installations in the exhibition Leandro Erlich: Seeing is not Believing (June 26-September 5, 2022). These immersive environments and a selection of additional works will span the career of this acclaimed Argentine artist, whose psychological subversion of the everyday seems to defy the basic laws of physics and challenge our own sense of balance, space and the absolute.”
A work by Matt Kleberg, on view in “Learning to Draw” at Barry Whistler Gallery in Dallas.
2. Learning to Draw
Barry Whistler Gallery (Dallas)
June 4 – July 23, 2022
From Barry Whistler Gallery:
“Barry Whistler Gallery is pleased to present Learning to Draw featuring over 40 artists who explore a wide range of approaches and materials in their practice of drawing. Most of us became familiar with drawing as children. Drawing is often the first step towards communication and storytelling. For artists, drawings can be the beginning of a larger idea.”
Kevin Clay, “Sleep Among the Trees,” on view at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in Beaumont.
3. Kevin Clay: Sleep Among the Trees
Art Museum of Southeast Texas (Beaumont)
May 19 – August 14, 2022
From the Art Museum of Southeast Texas:
“Kevin Clay was born and raised in Southeast Texas and attended Lamar University where he studied Communications with an emphasis in film. Although he does not have a formal Fine Arts education, he has spent time studying through various sources including books, the internet and free lectures from the MFA Boston. Clay draws inspiration from fashion, like vintage Balenciaga and Givenchy, as well as painters and other artists, particularly the works of Lucien Freud, Antonio Lopez Garcia and David Hockney. The pervasive theme is the translation of memories into drawings inspired from life’s experiences. Clay works in oil, pastels, colored pencils and graphite. He is drawn to tactile materials that show their mark making and texture.”
Day Wheeler, “Goat Woman Winks,” on view at K Space Contemporary in Corpus Christi.
4. Day Wheeler: Masking: Layers of Knowing
K Space Contemporary (Corpus Christi)
July 1 – August 26, 2022
From K Space Contemporary:
“Masking: Layers of Knowing is a solo exhibition by Day Wheeler consisting of ceramic forms, mixed media drawings, and photography. ‘The Hell with it. MASK UP’ is the last line of a piece of prose written by the artist several months before the pandemic. Other than being prophetic, the line had nothing to do with the pandemic. However, masks and masking run throughout this show in direct and indirect ways. The artist’s alter ego, goat woman, is a figure that shows up throughout the show. The concept of becoming invisible or disappearing is explored through archival prints and cyanotypes, while clay masks with associated drawings and pottery forms address the ideas of image and identity.”
Stella Alesi, “April 12th, 2022 from the Comfort series,” oil and repair tape on oil paper 22.5 x 22.5 inches
5. Stella Alesi: &
Northern-Southern (Austin)
June 25 – July 24, 2022
From Northern-Southern:
“spirit forms, continuous and ever-changing. & describes Alesi’s art and practice: flowing always to new forms and new reasons. Alesi works in a series:, each an era in a moment, marking the emotional time of the making. They seldom revisit a series. Alesi moves to the next one, and the next, and the next. And, and, and. Alesi is working now in the Comfort series. “Not comfortable like a couch, but comfort, like what you get from a good friend,” says Alesi. The forms resemble ampersands, curvy ends and stems. Alesi invited four artists to contribute—friends and those they admire from afar. All searching abstractionists, seeking to make a spirit material. Each artist balances rigor with freedom, finding the eternal in the moment of making: Momo, Michelle Marchessault, Michael Hall, and Evan Horn.”
