Cliff Notes
Each week, our regional Cliff Notes columnists Christine Miller, Rachel Elizabeth Jones, Samantha Hiura, and Nia-Amina Minor pick the most exciting events and exhibitions on the West Coast.
Sun You: Melodramatic Soul Crushing Saturday Morning
Ditch Projects, Eugene, Oregon
January 13, 2024 to February 11, 2024
Experiencing artwork that challenges the status quo is truly stimulating. Artists who defy established rules and narratives within the art world, forging their own definitions of value is a refreshing and needed perspective.
Melodramatic Soul Crushing Saturday Morning, a solo exhibition at Ditch Projects by Sun You, does just that and challenges the perception of artistic value through material and scale. The layout of the exhibition cultivates a level of intimacy only amplified by You’s small-scale creations—encouraging viewers to get up close and personal with the bright and texturally detailed works.
At a distance the vast negative space of the white wall gallery adds mystery and wonder to the sculptures. While the pieces are nothing short of color or light, the show itself inspired self-reflection on innate creative desires and the illusions of external worth.
Whiting Tennis: At Variance
Russo Lee Gallery, Portland, Oregon
February 1, 2024 to March 1, 2024
At Variance, Whiting Tennis’s solo exhibit at Russo Lee Gallery, lives up to its name. Centering inharmonious opposing forces through color and thematic elements, the tension between natural landscapes and digital references—abstraction vs figuration—defines the show.
Paintings like Hudson held my attention for extended amounts of time. I questioned if the work was a highly textured painting or collage, only, to my surprise, to discover that the captivating work incorporated both techniques. The deliberate play of color and shape within the same canvas adds a powerful complexity.
Another Department: Three Hundred and Sixty Five Days
One Grand Gallery, Portland, Oregon
January 8, 2024 to February 2, 2024
Three Hundred and Sixty Five Days, an exhibition of works by Another Department (Bo Matteini) is a UK-based designer and artist, at One Grand Gallery prompted my reminiscing on all my previous attempts to have a daily creative practice—all of which fizzled out after three days.
365 digital posters act as floor to ceiling wallpaper in the gallery. Matteini created one poster per day from April 1, 2022 to April 1, 2023. The repetition and consistency alone truly amazes me.
Although each poster was created once a day there’s a unique cohesion of seeing all posters displayed side by side. With a mix of motivational text, iconic celebrities, cats, and nature, I wondered which works were the result of experimentation and which act as a visual diary. Maybe all are a fusion of both.
Each poster is numbered 1 through 365 with lively titles related to the imagery. This show is like walking through the artist’s year.
Reflection: What is the longest daily practice you’ve committed to and for how long?