Visual Arts
Festival offers a smorgasbord for the eyes

By Sheila Farr
Seattle Times art critic

"Car," by McCoy, is part of "Bumberbiennale 2004: Consumables."

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At the top of this year's list is "Photography Past/Forward: Aperture at 50" 163 images of love, death, illness, ecstasy and magic that are guaranteed to both disturb and enlighten.

The show opened in 2002 at 50 different locations around New York City as a celebration of Aperture magazine's 50th anniversary. It has been traveling around the country as a single exhibition since early last year. Founded in 1952 by Ansel Adams, "Aperture" has continually published many of the top names in photography.

I gravitated to sterling shots by artist/photographers Man Ray, Salvador Dali, Horst P. Horst and Andy Warhol and cringed at shocking images of a slaughterhouse and Agent Orange-caused birth defects — part of the United States' legacy in Vietnam. You can get lost in the sweet nostalgia of Cornell Capa's 1960 "JFK and Jackie," captured in innocent happiness amidst a New York throng and mesmerized by the perfection of Robert Capa's scary and sensual "Carnival." Parents will want to preview this and other Bumbershoot exhibitions before bringing in the kids. Expect some nudity and sexual imagery.

Bumbershoot exhibit reviews Bumbershoot Visual Art Exhibitions: "Photography Past/Forward: Aperture at 50," Rainier Room; "Bumberbiennale 2004: Consumables," Lopez Room; Jodi Rockwell "A Landscape of Absorbing and Dissolving," Orcas Room; Cut Kulture United's "Beyond Fresh," Olympic Room; "Presence: An Exhibition of Moving Image Installations" noon- 8 p.m. today-Monday, Seattle Center (206-628-0888 or www.bumbershoot.org).

For a look at the latest in Northwest art, check out "Bumberbiennale 2004: Consumables" the 11th Bumbershoot exhibition selected by Matthew Kangas, an independent curator and free-lance reviewer for The Seattle Times. Kangas, with help from Christine Charters, pulled together a nicely balanced show that looks at the way commercialism and consumption shape our lives and get reflected in painting, photography, sculpture, and even (mockingly) in artist-made jewelry. Kangas chose about a fourth of the work in the show through an open call for artists — "It's my pseudo-democratic gesture," he says — and selected the rest from artists and private collections.

With the work grouped according to themes (food, clothing, sex, real estate, etc.), work in strange media jumps out and relatively unknown artists shine.

A good portion of the sculpture is idea-driven. Diem Chau's smart "More for Less" seems to take on the issue of overcrowded schools and the fertility-drug epidemic that prompts so many multiple births. Her institutional-looking school-desk sculpture is molded with adjoined chairs for three small students behind a single desk. I also liked the chic appeal of Adriana Grant's minimalist wall relief, a stark geometry constructed of sugar cubes and tapioca pearls, and Jean Hicks' retro wall telephone and looped cord, all hand-felted in white wool.

	SANDY SKOGLUND AND APERTURE FOUNDATION "The Wedding," 1994, by Sandy Skoglund, is part of "Photography Past/Forward: Aperture at 50."

With more than 80 pieces in the show, a few by world-famous artists, there's far too much good stuff to mention here, but you may want to cover the kids' eyes for David Gilhooly's naughty 1978 ceramic "Wedding Cake" decorated with oversexed frogs cavorting in a spring mating ritual that's reminiscent of the patterns on ancient Greek pottery.

No problem with taking the kids into Jodi Rockwell's walk-in installation "A Landscape of Absorbing and Dissolving," a visceral, cavelike structure that leads to an interior chamber where a 100-gallon sphere of beet-red frozen liquid hangs from the ceiling, slowly melting into a moonscape of salt. In fact, they will love it. It's an otherworldly place, all fluffy white, that feels like walking inside someone's body and where it's OK, for once, to just let something melt and make a mess.

Street art and graffiti moves indoors with the odd blend of social commentary, unfettered expression and commercialism contained in Seattle collective Cut Kulture United's show "Beyond Fresh." And for those who like to participate and figure things out, the show to see is "Presence," a series of art installations curated by Juniper Shuey, who will also be performing over the weekend. Using videos, LCD screens, sensors and other gadgets, the artworks and the viewers can interact in an experiential show mixing science, psychology and art.

Sheila Farr: sfarr@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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