Whitewaller Dallas 2018: What to See

In town for the Dallas Art Fair, and wondering which exhibitions to check out? Below, we’ve put together a list of the best museum, gallery, and private collection shows you’ve got to see in Dallas right now.

DOUBLES, DOBROS, PLIEGUES, PARES, TWINS, MITADES
The Warehouse, Dallas
July 10, 2017–April 14, 2018
Using the literary device of the doppelgänger as a starting point, curator Rodrigo Moura has selected works from The Rachofsky Collection, The Rose Collection, The Collection of Marguerite Steed Hoffman, and the Dallas Museum of Art, among others, to create an exhibition that explores themes around otherness, duplication, and repetition. “DOUBLES, DOBROS, PLIEGUES, PARES, TWINS, MITADES” includes pieces by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Kris Martin, Laurie Anderson, Steve Wolfe, Janine Antoni, Ellsworth Kelly, Lygia Clark, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Marlene Dumas, and more.

Laura Owens
Dallas Museum of Art, Downtown
March 25–July 29
The L.A.-based artist Laura Owens has an innovative painting practice. She experiments with figuration and abstraction, exploring themes around pop culture, technology, and traditional painting. This acclaimed solo show, organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art and now on view at the Dallas Museum of Art, looks back on her 20-year career through more than 60 works and objects, from early pieces made in the mid-1990s to more recent installations and paintings.

First Sculpture
“Handaxe to Figure Stone”
Nasher Sculpture Center, Downtown
January 27–April 28
This groundbreaking exhibition looks at prehistoric tools and objects as early examples of craft and artistic intention. “First Sculpture: Handaxe to Figure Stone” is the result of a collaboration between artist Tony Berlant and anthropologist Dr. Thomas Wynn. Handaxes are considered the longest-used tool in human history and figure stones are naturally occurring stones that prehistoric people collected for their figurative qualities, such as faces and animal forms. The show brings together extraordinary examples of these objects, dating back as far as 2.4 million years old, showing early instances of artistry and understanding of beauty.

Eric Fischl
“If Art Could Talk”
Dallas Contemporary, Design District
April 12–August 2018
“Eric Fischl: If Art Could Talk” focuses on Fischl’s works from 1982 to the present, which feature depictions of other works of art within the painted canvas. Whether the art is depicted on a table, a wall, or in more recent works, in an art fair display, the viewer will go on an art historical journey through Fischl’s paintings from three decades. Held in the museum’s largest gallery at 12,000 square feet, this will be a monumental presentation of the artist’s oeuvre, featuring approximately 30 works.

Sara Bahbar
“Carry Me Home”
Dallas Contemporary, Design District
April 12–August 2018
“Carry me home” reflects upon the relationship between self and other as well as the sociopolitical tensions present in nationalism and their relationship to violence. Rahbar’s work ranges from photography and sculpture to mixed-media installation and always stems from her personal experiences. While her initial practice explored more autobiographical concepts of national belonging originating from her Iranian-American history, her current practice has evolved to address issues of the human condition on a broader scale.

Harry Nuriev
“6 Fears”
Dallas Contemporary, Design District
April 12–August 2018
“Fears” at Dallas Contemporary is a glimpse into the varied course of the relationships between an architect and a gallery space and between an architect and the design briefs set for him. The bespoke installation also explores Nuriev’s design process, working methods, and philosophical approach and illuminates the emotional and artistic content of his work. Offering insights into culture, society, and architecture, the project is a record of Nuriev’s developing approach and his unique position at the intersection of art and design.

In Loving Memory: 2011–Now
Beefhaus, Fair Park
April 14: 8–10 PM
Artbeef was founded in 2011 by a group of young artists with a “beef” against cultural institutions in Dallas. Two years later, they were able to create a space—lovingly called Beefhaus—to exhibit art they believed had an impact. It was a place for artists and curators to gather and show work. Over the years, though, its members have moved on, one by one. Unable to maintain the storefront, Beefhaus is hosting its own funeral, “In Loving Memory: 2011–Now.”

Roberto Benavidez
“Illuminated Piñata”
Conduit Gallery, Design District
April 7–May 12
“Illuminated Piñata” marks Roberto Benavidez’s first time showing in Dallas. The Los Angeles–based sculptor was raised in rural South Texas. On view will be a vibrant series of piñatas, created in the image of creatures from the illuminated texts of medieval psalms. Benavidez plays with themes of sexuality, art history, beauty, race, and humor—mixing religious imagery with Latin culture.

Object Lessons
Jay Defeo Works on Paper from the 1970s
Frank Elbaz, Design District
April 5–July 14
This spring, galerie frank elbaz will present the work of Jay DeFeo. Curated by Paul Galvez, the exhibition brings together the artist’s works on paper from the 1970s. The late DeFeo (1929–1989) is perhaps best known for her monumental painting The Rose (1958–66), which took her eight years to create. She was part of a community of artists, poets, and musicians in San Francisco, and worked across mediums including collage, drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, and jewelry.

Selected Works from the Goss-Michael Collection
Goss-Michael Foundation, Design District
April 13–May 31
Presenting strong, accomplished female figures in the international arts community, alongside highlighted works from the 2018 MTV RE:DEFINE Honoree, Tracey Emin, CBE, this show is in support of, and reaction to, the courageous voices uplifting the message of widespread female disparity across all industries. The video, painting, and sculptures included are by noted artists like Sarah Lucas, Sam Taylor Wood, and Cecily Brown, among others.

Adam Gordon
“The Grey Room”
April 11: 7-9PM
The Power Station, Deep Ellum
The multidisciplinary artist Adam Gordon lives and works in New York. His practice ranges from immersive installations to video, and from constructed encounters to photorealistic paintings. Using banal materials, he focuses the viewer’s attention on impressions of physicality rather than distinct forms. The effect can at times feel haunting, shadowy, and fluid, questioning our everyday existence.

Ron Mueck
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth
February 16–May 6
This exhibition marks the artist’s return to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, after his record-breaking show in 2007. This spring Mueck will present six major works made over the past ten years, including two that have never been seen before in North America. First modeled in clay and then cast in silicone, Mueck’s lifelike figures draw upon memory and reality. While his image references are of the everyday, his play with scale creates an added layer of emotional depth and dimension.

Kamrooz Aram
“Focus Series”
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth
March 31–June 17
The work of the Iranian-born, Brooklyn-based artist Kamrooz Aram challenges the narrative of art history, making the case for non-Western influences on modernism and abstraction. In an exhibition of all new work, Aram will continue to investigate the connection between the West and non-Western worlds through installation, sculpture, and painting. Of note are works like Monument for Living in Defeat (2016), which plays with the staging of sculpture, painting, and pedestals, and Ornamental Composition for Social Spaces 1 (2016), which relates pre-modern architecture to Suprematist painting.