Itap still February, and the region’s art galleries and museums are already touting their spring lineups. Some exhibitions have already started and others are on the way. Much of the work looks to be very promising.
Here are six shows to put on your radar:
Joe Clower and Amber Cobb: “The Unusual Suspects,” Rule Gallery, now through March 9
Rule Gallery is a local institution in Denver and has, over decades, shown any number of regional art legends. Among them is Joe Clower, the veteran artist currently on the walls. Itap a sentimental moment: Clower died on Feb. 4 at the age of 86, leaving a large hole in the art landscape and turning this show into a tribute of sorts. The Rule press release put it best: “His paintings, sculptures and furniture brought to life both the optimism and displacement he felt through humanity’s many advancements and tribulations.” Sharing the Rule space is Amber Cobb and her small, endearing, multicolored sculptures that feel sort of like artworks and sort of like lovable pets. They are a curious joy.
Info: 303-800-6776 or rulegallery.com
“Intervals,” Robischon Gallery, now through March 9
Robischon Gallery is going big for the season, putting together an unusually large group exhibition that combines the work of 22 artists from its roster. It is a good opportunity to check out the gallery’s favorites, like Jae Ko, Barbara Takenaga, Christian Rex van Minnen and Stacey Steers. But itap also a chance to get to know the gallery itself (if you do not already) and the powerhouse that it is on the Colorado art scene. Robischon runs a tight and top-notch operation; plus, the exhibition spaces themselves are a pleasure to visit.
Info: 303-298-7788 or robischongallery.com
Hung Liu: “Control and Freedom,” Vicki Myhren Gallery, now through March 11
Hung Liu was a Chinese-born American artist who was still in the prime of her career when she died in 2021 at the age of 73. This retrospective at Vicki Myhren Gallery, covering 30 years, offers a rare chance for local audiences to view her talent. Much of Liu’s work, a combination of painting, prints and installation, is autobiographical at its core, tracing her own story of emigrating from China during the regime of Mao Zedong and relocating abroad. The objects are rich and colorful and very human. There is a helpful exhibition guide on the gallery’s website with both bio information and a key to understanding the meaning behind common symbols in Liu’s work, such as ducks, lotus flowers, crickets and rats. The gallery is on the University of Denver campus.
Info: 303-871-3716 or vicki-myhren-gallery.du.edu
Solo shows: Gala Porras-Kim, Steven J. Yazzie and Ken Gun Min, MCA Denver, March 8-May 26
The MCA Denver continues its pattern of opening multiple shows simultaneously with a trio of exhibitions featuring in-demand artists from near and far. This time around, the star attraction is Gala Porras-Kim, whose installations are often custom-made for each exhibition space. Porras-Kim works with the environment at hand, creating pieces that morph, grow and even decay during the run of the show, so this is one of those exhibitions that you want to see at both the beginning and the end. Also showing: Denver artist Steven J. Yazzie and Ken Gun Min, who some will remember from a recent turn at the K Contemporary Gallery down the street.
Info: 303-236-1836 or mcadenver.org
Fazal Sheikh: “Thirst/Exposure/In Place,” Denver Art Museum, March 10-Oct. 20
Photography exhibits often get overlooked at the Denver Art Museum, and thatap too bad. There are frequently little gems tucked away, often with a solid Colorado connection, that more people ought to see. The upcoming exhibition of work by Fazal Sheikh has that kind of lure. The show pulls together images from three projects, including a series of aerial landscape scenes the photographer created while traveling through the state’s southwest region from 2017 to 2023. They are captivating for both color and scale and for the way they document the impact of natural resource extraction and climate change on our part of the planet. DAM’s other two spring shows, “Have a Seat: Mexican Chair Design Today” (opening Feb. 18) and “Biofilia” (opening May 5) also look to be must-sees.
Info: 720-865-5000 or denverartmuseum.org
Susan Wick, “Through an Open Frame,” David B. Smith Gallery, Feb. 24-March 30
Susan Wick has been producing inventive and adventurous work for 50 years now. The artist, who splits time between Denver and San Francisco, is something of a local legend, known for creating both colorful paintings (which will be shown in the gallery’s main space) and deeply immersive exhibition spaces (she will make one for the adjacent project room). Special bonus: The gallery will host an open tour of ZWick Place, Wick’s home studio and “living art installation” in Denver, on March 9. The place is a trip.
Info: 303-893-4234 or davidbsmithgallery.com
Ray Mark Rinaldi is a Denver-based freelance writer who specializes in fine arts.
