Through Oct. 13
Mark McKnight:Turn Into
Even with no bodies in sight, Mark McKnight’s monochrome prints reveal a dedication to corporealness. Two evocative craters soak up shadows; rock formations swirl to suggest folds of skin. Meanwhile, McKnight, who’s showing for the first time in Seattle, obscures the topography of the male bodies in his photos, keeping them just out of reach. It’s one of the intriguing ways in which the LA-based artist “queers” the tradition of black-and-white photography—“straight photography,” as he calls it—and its preoccupation with white, lithe, feminine beauty ideals.
James Harris Gallery
Through Oct. 13
Paul Berger: Multiplex
Rather than stating that Paul Berger has been a photographer for more than three decades, it’s more accurate to say that he’s been working with the medium since 1965. His conceptual work, which includes text and deals with the nature of photography, narration and digital manipulation, is included in the world’s most prestigious collections. The Seattle-based artist also famously cofounded the photography program at the University of Washington’s School of Art. Now Berger gets a local survey of his influential career in book and exhibition form.
G. Gibson Gallery
Through Oct. 23
Sculpture: Marie Watt
“Blankets are a part of how we are received into the world and also how we depart this world,” says Portland-based artist Marie Watt, whose wall hangings of discarded wool blankets are often patchworked together by a group during public sewing circles. As a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, she references the use of blankets in some indigenous communities as gifts to mark the witnessing of important life events. In new sculptural work, Watts reflects on the she-wolf and our relationship with the natural world.
Greg Kucera Gallery
Through Jan. 6, 2019
Group Therapy
If there ever were a time for a group therapy session for the city, it is now. The Frye presents Seattle the opportunity by becoming a months-long free “clinic” in which an intriguing group show of participatory projects and major installations by international artists will engage visitors in healing and self-care. From diagnosing our common illnesses such as racism and sexism to healing through sensory experiences, padded room-video environments (Liz Magic Laser) or tarot readings (Cindy Mochizuki), this show promises to be transformative.
Frye Art Museum
Oct. 4–Oct. 28
Preston Singletary
2018 is Preston Singletary’s year. The Tlingit artist showed his deep-red crystal sculpture “Killer Whale Totem” at Seattle Art Fair and a sculpture of his was included in a Florida exhibition co-organized with the Smithsonian. This fall, Singletary’s work shines in two concurrent solo shows. At Tacoma’s Museum of Glass, Singletary honors the story of Raven with glass sculptures amid recordings of Tlingit storytellers. He gets a chance to show the breadth of his work with blown glass, bronze, jewelry and prints at Stonington Gallery.
Stonington Gallery, Seattle; Museum of Glass, Tacoma
Oct. 4–Oct. 25
Haein Kang: Illusion
In the installation “Wind from Nowhere,” a machine moves slabs of paper rhythmically and stubbornly back and forth. Artist Haein Kang wanted to mechanically recreate the rustling of leaves. A South-Korea born Ph.D. student at DXArts, the center for digital arts and experimental media at the University of Washington, Kang makes “machines which are useless but working for beauty.” At 4Culture, the rhythm will be created by visitors’ minds. Literally: The multimedia installation will measure brainwaves, which trigger a video projection and percussion instruments to play a rhythmical sound.
