The Twin Cities' 5 must-see art exhibitions this weekend

Easter weekend means lots of bunnies and Jesus' resurrection. This past week delivered us unleavened bread (matzoh), stories of the Jews escaping Egypt, and comments from White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who was factually incorrect in his statement that Hitler did not use chemical weapons during World War II -- he did, in fact, using cyanide gas in the mass murder of Jews. Spicer was attempting to compare the horrors of Syrian President Bashar Assad's chemical warfare to the Holocaust. Happy Holy Week from Hell. Did this all just pass over us? Despite the news of this week and the holiday this weekend, there is still plenty of time to go see art in and around the Twin Cities. Happy viewing! See you out there . . .

SCREENING – "Here Comes Jesus: A Video Series by Joshua McGarvey"

Soap Factory (514 Second Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414)

Saturday, April 15^th at 7:30PM

There's no better time to pause and contemplate the big J, Jesus Christ, than the night before his holy resurrection on Easter Sunday. In Joshua McGarvey's video "Here Comes Jesus," the artist considers the only son of God's various pop culture renderings, from playdoh-ified Jesus to Mel Gibson's Jesus film, contemplating the absurdity of his portrayals. After all, Jesus is the ultimate celebrity. This is the last installation of this 12-part Jesus series, which McGarvey has time-released every weekend since March 8, like an episodic art TV show.

Event Information here: http://www.soapfactory.org/exhibition/here-comes-jesus-a-video-series-by-joshua-mcgarvey

LAST WEEKEND – "Repellent Fence" by the Southwest-based artist collective Postcommodity

Runs through April 22^nd

It seems like only yesterday that then-Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump rallied his supporters around the idea of building a wall between Mexico and the U.S. and making Mexico pay for it. The idea has since made countless headlines and been parodied to death on "Saturday Night Live." Currently, the wall is facing its first lawsuit. This is the last weekend to see "Repellent Fence" (2015), a work by the art collective Postcommodity, which is based in the Southwest, and contemplates the border. In 2015, they created an installation at the U.S.-Mexico border that asked questions about both the arbitrary and sociopolitical implications of borders.

Exhibition information: http://www.bockleygallery.com/artist_postcommodity/exhibition/01.html

ONGOING – Gudrun Lock, "Objects of Study"

The White Page (3400 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis)

Gudrun Lock's exhibition "Objects of Study" purports to "making a claim for that which is relegated to the ditch." In other words, it is an argument for trash, which reminds me of this Minnesota REFUSE vanity plate that I wrote about earlier this week. Go see this show and find out what all the trash is about.

Exhibition information: http://the-white-page.org/Objects-of-Study-Gudrun-Lock

ONGOING – "Roadside Attractions: The Next 5 Exits"

Northern Clay Center (2424 Franklin Avenue East, Minneapolis, MN 55406)

Runs through April 30^th

Exhibition information: https://www.northernclaycenter.org//node/1110/

ONGOING – Alison Hiltner: "It Is Yesterday"

Minneapolis Institute of Art (2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis 55404)

runs through June 25, 2017

Allison Hiltner bills herself as something of a futuristic archaeologist of science fiction, excavating film, TV and video games in order to mine meaning out of them. Her latest finding is presented as a large-scale sculptural installation that asks viewers to consider our current sci-fi-like reality. This is a science-y show without the complicated chemistry equations, and it's even funny at times. Most exciting for visitors is the responsive environment, rather than a typical, static art-viewing experience. Go and become a part of it.