Twin Cities' 5 must-see art shows this weekend

Above: "Keepers of the Sacred Hunt" by Denton Fast Whirlwind. Image by MIKE WOLFORTH

OPENING

Horse Nation of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ

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

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.

Exhibition runs through through Feb. 3.

Free.

This exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art discusses how the horse has shaped the cultural history and spiritual belief system of the Dakota, Nakota and Lakota people, collectively known as the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). Organized by the Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School, Keith BraveHeart and featured artists, it features paintings, textiles, film and beadwork by contemporary American Indian artists. Twin Cities galleries All My Relations and Two Rivers Gallery also have exhibitions focused on "Horse Nation." More info: new.artsmia.org or 888-642-2787.)

OPENING

"Reckoning"

Rosalux Gallery

Opening reception: Sat., June 9, 7-10 p.m.

Gallery hours: Sat. & Sun., 12-4 p.m.

If Judgment Day were to ever come, it might look something like the terror evoked by artist Rebecca Krinke's installation of fire-y doom. In her solo exhibition, she creates a single, set-like structure of a bed frame flanked on either side by grim black feathers, and a window peering out onto fire outside. Are we headed to hell, or are we already there? Exhibition ends July 1.

Above: Nicolas Africano, "The Garbo Figures: Leaning Against Cube" (2018). Photo credit: Melanie Hunter

ONGOING

"Themes and Variations: The Garbo Figures"

When: Noon-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. Ends July 21.

Where: Weinstein Hammons Gallery, 908 W. 46th St., Mpls.

Info: weinsteinhammons.com

It's unusual for reclusive artist Nicolas Africano to be so chatty, but last Friday morning, before the opening of his first solo exhibition in 13 years, he was in a social mood. Clad in loose-fitting black linen, the soft-spoken 69-year-old artist was ready for his closeup. His wife and frequent muse, Rebecca, and three sons all were on their way to the Twin Cities to see his series of glass sculptures, based on Cecil Beaton's photographs of Greta Garbo as Pierrot the clown, a comically tragic character from Italian commedia dell'arte. The eight sculptures, ranging from 2 to 4 feet tall, made their presence known inside the gray-walled Weinstein Hammons Gallery. A back room was filled with six drawings and sketches that Africano used to create the Garbo series. Read the full story here: http://www.startribune.com/greta-garbo-inspires-a-rare-minneapolis-exhibit-by-international-artist-nicolas-africano/484862631/

Above: Work by Casey Gray in the Porch Gallery's "Art Fair." Provided by Porch Gallery

ONGOING

"Art Fair"

Porch Gallery, 3306 Park Av. S., Mpls.

Gallery is open when the lights are on: 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Tue.-Sat.

Ends July 14.

In this tongue-in-cheek exhibition, Porch Gallery challenges the ways that art fairs have changed art production and installation, and driven the commodification of art. Artists from New York, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Boston, Greece, Chicago, Madison, Wis., Boston and Philadelphia, working in painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics and installation, were each asked to create a presentation at 1:12 scale that would fit within the constraints of this tiny gallery visible only from the front porch of a Minneapolis home. Seeing all these installations together will make viewers realize the blandness of this box life. Art may never be free from the market, but the marketing of it changes its presence significantly, and not for the better. Read more: http://www.startribune.com/this-art-fair-is-visible-only-on-the-front-porch-of-a-minneapolis-home/484185931/

Above: Objects in "Power and Beauty" show at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Photo credit: BRUCE SILCOX

CLOSING

"Power and Beauty in China's Last Dynasty"

Minneapolis Institute of Art, Target Gallery

Closing this weekend, June 10

$20, tickets available here: https://ticket.artsmia.org/

You enter through darkness. The room is pitch-black, except for a single light on a single vase. For five minutes you and a small group of other visitors will sit in the dark, as if waiting for a play to begin. You're either consumed by your thoughts or trying to rid yourself of them. Maybe you will meditate. Maybe you don't know how to meditate. Maybe you will sit on the rough wooden bench and wish you knew how to meditate. Or you can just stand in the dark for five minutes and decide not to care.

Whatever you do, you won't have long to revel in "Darkness," the first of 10 mini-installations/theatrical experiences that make up "Power and Beauty in China's Last Dynasty," on view at the Minneapolis Institute of Art through May 27. This is the kind of show that, like improv, is best experienced live and in the moment. Read more here: http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-institute-of-art-s-new-exhibit-is-part-theater-experience/473405693/

ART FAIR BONUS:

Excelsior Art on the Lake

37 Water St., Excelsior, Minnesota

Sat., June 9, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sun., June 10, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Looking to get out of the Twin Cities for a moment and hang out by a different lake? Look no further than the annual Excelsior Art Fair, chock full of artists selling their goods. More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/180484112687414