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VISUAL ART

Five Portland Art Shows You Can’t Miss this September

First Thursday of fall! We've got you covered with our must-see list of September shows.

By Megan Haverman September 2, 2015

Rose (John Kayser)

Through September 24, at Ampersand (ampersandgallerypdx.com) What caught our eye: the found photos of an 1960s unrealized artist. Why we’re still looking: John Kayser (1922 - 2007) was a WWII armorer and technical illustrator for an Aircraft company—he also quietly took nude photos of posed women for an artistic practice of 20 years, only now discovered for their strange and dreamy qualities.

A Trace History (Rachel Davis)

September 2 – October 17, at Charles A. Hartman Fine Art (hartmanfineart.net) What caught our eye: textured watercolors balance detail and negative space. Why we’re still looking: Each of these intricate paintings adds a layer in telling the story of China’s breakneck development, and resulting erasure of an ancient history. Davis approaches the topic from the perspective of adoptive parent to two Chinese daughters.

Why is it Colder at the Top of the Mountain if it is Closer to the Sun? (Melissa Monroe)

September 3 – 27, Roll-Up Photo Studio + Gallery (rollupspace.com) What caught our eye: jagged, scrawling line work and an autumnal color palette. Why we’re still looking: Despite having no art school background, one night in 2012 Monroe began to paint “as if someone had whispered in my ear that I should.” The result is an eerie, one-of-a-kind style that uses broken objects for inspiration.

We Were Singing (Ellen Lesperance)

September 3 – October 10, Adams and Ollman (adamsandollman.com) What caught our eye: multimedia meditations on feminist painter Sylvia Sleigh. Why we’re still looking: Lesperance recreates textiles from objects in Sleigh’s nude portraits (most often of her husband) and uses them as props in Polaroid photos of her own husband for a multigenerational feminist perspective. The show also includes paintings and graphite drawings.

Traces of the Arctic (Laura Hartman)

September 3 – 25, at Duplex (duplexgallery.com) What caught our eye: stunning embroidery of fire-engulfed oil rig disasters. Why we’re still looking: This is the most delicate depiction of the BP oil spill imaginable, using the minutiae of thread to represent the magnitude of these events. Hartman reflects upon human interaction with the environment in meditative handicraft, and we’re in awe.

And Others (Tannaz Farsi) at TBA

Bonus! PICA’s Time-Based Art Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary with a worldly lineup of performance and visual artists for 10 full days of workshops, salons, talks, and happenings making September the artsy month to beat. September 10 – 20 (Pica.org)

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When the summer heat begins to feel oppressive rather than inviting, fall becomes a chance to reset and refresh—and that goes for the Portland art scene, too. Daring to go a little darker this season, PDX galleries are flexing their muscles with textiles, nostalgia, and art that packs a punch. We’ve got you covered for First Thursday and beyond with our must-see list of September showings.

 

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First Thursday, Galleries, Arts and Culture, Art
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