Art exhibit, like Whatcom's new museum, breaks boundaries

The stunning new Lightcatcher building allows the Whatcom Museum to expand its commitment to the exhibition of art, and its first major exhibition is about breaking boundaries.

A major show of contemporary art, "Out of Bounds: Art from the Collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky," inaugurates this new addition. The Zirinskys, whose home is Boise, Idaho, began collecting while still in graduate school more than 30 years ago.

Their collection includes contemporary artists from all over the world, especially those whose work draws together aspects from various cultures and time periods. "Out of Bounds" features more than 80 pieces representing all media.

"I selected these works to provide a survey of the latest developments in contemporary art," says curator Barbara Matilsky. She notes these international artists are all, in some way, breaking boundaries, often experimenting with older forms and providing new approaches to them.

Many of the artists live and work away from the traditional centers of art and have moved from one country to another.

Long-Bin Chen's "Damoh," a faux-stone head of the Indian monk who introduced Zen Buddhism to China, is made from telephone books, one representing each borough in New York City.

There's a Chuck Close self-portrait that doesn't look like an enlarged Polaroid print, but it is. The photo is covered in paper pulp. It hangs next to a massive image of a female head by Till Freiwald that looks like a photo but is actually a watercolor.

Hung Liu's vibrant painting, "September," of a crane colliding with a woman in traditional Chinese wedding headdress, is a hauntingly beautiful reference to Sept. 11.

The strong interest in the environment that the museum, the city of Bellingham and the community share is reflected in Seattle artist John Grade's site-specific installation "Bloom: The Elephant Bed."

Suspended from the 26-foot ceiling are 10 large-scale sculptures based on the forms of microscopic marine plants that bloom for miles under the ocean surface, influencing climate both positively and negatively.

During the five months of their display, the pieces will gradually descend, some of them into a pool of black water where the ink will transform the surfaces as it is absorbed. The sculptural forms harmlessly dissolve as they submerge.

This ever-changing scene reflects the natural world outside the museum.

Nancy Worssam: nworssam@earthlink.net