Dallas’ Four Must-See Art Shows

While last weekend we toasted Dragon Street’s 2013 openers, this weekend’s art events speak to Dallas’ younger, more experimental circuit hoppers. You’ll need to hit up four spots to catch the action, so start the night off early at the Power Station (3816 Commerce St.) from 5 to 7 p.m. We know very little about Two Step, aside from the announcement of its anchor artist Charles Mayton, but just hearing this painter serves as the show’s soloist is enough to ensure our attendance. He’s known to paint the process of painting — a stunningly sharp visual display reflecting the creative step-by-step. He’s got the house to himself for this one. Visit powerstationdallas.com. Next, hit up the locomotion as art display happening at The Public Trust (2919-C Commerce St.) from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Titled Sunday Peoples: A Group Exhibition for the Love of Bicycles, you’ll see kinetically driven work by gallery favorites and collaborators Matt Brinker, Connor Hill, Kyle Confehr, Brian Gibb, Taro-Kun, Gina Mayes, Favio Moreno, Mylan Nguyen, Brent Ozaeta, Brendan Polk and Emily Stoker, along with a 24-page, full-color lifestyle zine dedicated to two-wheel adoration. While the show remains stationed at The Public Trust through February 23, its message will be shared around town as three bike shops run correlating events. Keep your eyes peeled for an alley cat race, complimentary bike repair and a critical mass after-party in February. Get all of the information at trustthepublic.com. Next pop by CentralTrak (8000 Exposition Ave.) from 8 to 10 p.m. to check out the joint show Painting of All Excuses by Raul Cordero, a 2012 CentralTrak artist-in-residence, and Michel “El Pollo” Pérez. I can’t wait for this one: Both artists represented Cuba in the 2012 Havana Biennale, and now Dallas gets the privilege of hosting the pair. Cordero will show his paintings based on photographs while Pérez displays miniature models. If you miss Saturday, hit up CentralTrak’s gallery hours through March 2. There are infinite ways to explore culture through artifacts — but few are as vigorous and sparkly as you’ll see at Saturday night’s biggest art event, happening at the Dallas Contemporary (161 Glass St.). In his largest commissioned work to date, Chicago-based artist, mixed-media assembler and Doroshenko favorite DZINE flips all the switches for his new show Victory. It’s a provocative exploration into lowrider life, and you’re allowed to rifle through DZINE’s aesthetic glove box for this visual love story about Kustom Kulture. You’ll see it all: trophies, excess, decadence through flip-paint and even a few lowriders themselves. (No 26’s here, kids.) Combining a car show with a gallery opening? It’s exactly the type of mash-up that makes you adore the Dallas Contemporary. Celebrate that from 9 p.m. until midnight. Also greeting the world that evening is a secondary exhibition by six Texas artists, called Los Americanos. The group effort asks Morehshin Allahyari (Dallas), Chivas Clem (Paris), Joshua Bienko (College Station), Hillary Holsonback (Dallas), Bogdan Perzynski (Austin) and Jason Reed (New Braunfels) to share their reflections on the Lone Star State as told through cinematic metaphor. Visit dallascontemporary.org.
Sat., Jan. 19, 2013