Mandy Greer at MoCC, photo © Kenneth Aaron, Neighborhood Notes

I've visited Mandy Greer's Dare alla Luce several times but it works best when a lot of sunlight streams in from MoCC's windows to create real shadows amongst the various painted shadowplay graphics on the walls. Overall, It's a daring if a bit redundant show of crocheted chandeliers that traffic in a biomemetic language that pays homage to the Pacific Northwest's rain forests and maybe a rococo inflected Eva Hesse meets yarn influence.


photo © Kenneth Aaron, Neighborhood

As a grouping the install creates a soft gothic reverie but some of the chandeliers are better than others. Notably the first and densest one Greer executed is better than all of the others combined, so I question the need to develop an Alessandro Magnasco-esque cathedral of phantasmagorial clutter here. I know it's a craft museum but it still looks like Greer was trying too hard to look like an artist who has been very busy. In truth Greer has been busy and if she can focus a lil harder on integrating the graphic paint and the crochet on a spatial level (rather than the "making" level) the work might evince a more confident end result. Right now it is more full than fully realized. Show ends Saturday and it really deserves a look-see or two from every artist and patron in town. Greer is a good artist who hedges too much on production.



First off, nobody fully understands Bethany Ides APPROX L show, it's a melange of digressions about the letter L. For example, people with the name Lindsay like; Lindsay Lohan and Mary Shelly's nom de plum David Lindsay and about 50 other things ranging from geography to graffiti get some short lived attention. There is even a big L made of "L"inoleum that "L"eads the viewer through the gallery. Even though this is a capricious train wreck of tangential experiences, I kind of liked it because the show creates the severe ADHD cloud that squirrels and other rodents must exist in perpetually... which is something, so we should keep a distracted eye on this young artist. Closing is tonight at Worksound @ 820 SE Alder 7:00 PM.