Twin Cities' 5 must-see art shows this weekend

"Mere Bellies"

Video and installation by Christopher Corey Allen

HAIR and NAILS Gallery (2222 ½ E. 35^th St., Mpls 55407)

Friday, August 18 7-10 p.m.

Gallery hours: Saturday, August 19 – Monday, August 21, 1-6 p.m. or by appointment

Mpls/Detroit-based artist Christopher Corey Allen uses the body as a way to understand personal mythology and ritual. Inspired by a wide range of subjects, from film and popular culture to mythology and anthropology, his work explores contemporary archetypes that question the gender binary. The work for this exhibition was produced during his recent time in residency at Hair and Nails.

https://hairandnailsart.com/

"I Am Somali"

Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls.

Opens Saturday, August 19^th

Minneapolis is home to one of the largest populations of Somali refugees in the United States, so it's only right that the Minneapolis Institute of Art would host this exhibition featuring Somali artists Hassan Nor, Aziz Osman and Ifrah Mansour. Their work spans various media, from drawings and paintings to video, that will be shown alongside traditional objects depicting daily life in Somali as part of a collaboration with the Somali Museum of Minnesota. The show represents different generations from the Somali diaspora: Nor and Osman were born and raised in Somalia and came to the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s after the outbreak of civil war, and are in their 80s and 60s, respectively. Mansour is in her 30s, was born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Minnesota. Runs through April 29, 2018.

Mia's hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Wed. & Sat.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thu.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun.

"We the People"

Minnesota Museum of American Art (141 E 4th St, Saint Paul, MN 55101)

August 17 – October 29, 2017

There couldn't be a better time for this large group exhibition, organized by four different curators: painter Christopher Harrison, MMAA's Johnnay Leenay, Maggie Thompson of Two Rivers Gallery, and Mary Anne Quiroz of the Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center. A wide range of artists, both local and national, explore contemporary and historical LGBTQA identities, native/indigenous identity, activism/dissent in the digital age, and many other pertinent questions. Featuring work by Marlena Myles, Holly Young, Cannupa Hanska, Ria Brodell, Nooshin Hakim Javadi, Zackary Drucker, Star Wallowing Bull, Steve Ozone, and many others.

https://mmaa.org/wethepeople/

Yeah Maybe #20 (2528 E 22^nd St, Mpls)

Saturday, August 19^th from 7 – 11 p.m.

Conversation with the artists on Sunday, August 20 at 3 p.m.

"Code/Switch" is a group exhibition featuring artists Martin Gonzalez, Christopher E. Harrison, Carolyn Hernandez, Li Kirpalani, Mary Lodu, Victoria Martinez, and Lara Mimosa Montes.

Borders: A 2017 juried exhibition of work by MCAD alumni

Opening reception: Friday, August 18 from 7 p.m. – 1 a.m.

Viewing hours: Saturday, August 19 and Sunday, August 20 from 12 – 5 p.m.