Selin Balci, The World, 2010, Hamiltonian Gallery, Video Still, petri dishes, growth medium, microbial growth
>> Hamiltonian Gallery presents the work of two Hamiltonian Fellows in a duo-show, Bound, opening on Saturday. Examining the limits of their medium, Katherine Mann and Selin Balci create vivid abstractions depicting growth within the confines of their materials. Mann’s oversized works on paper are jam-packed with sequins, paint and ink, reflecting high-decorated elements found in systems of nature, and lead to a study of the sometimes conflicting intersection between growth and overabundance. Balci’s laboratory-like approach creates more controlled micro-environments that incorporate biological materials derived from traditional laboratory processes, such as a bacterial culture in a petri dish, to convey a network of biological exchanges very similar to the boundaries of our own social systems. Opening reception Saturday, from 7 to 9 p.m. Mark your calendars for an artist talk on Thursday, January 27 at 7 p.m. Free.
>> The Driskell Center on the University of Maryland’s College Park campus opens Double Exposure: African Americans Before and Behind the Camera on Wednesday with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The collection of 90 vintage photographs studies the past and present in African American photography by bringing together works from the 19th and 20th centuries from artists who explored race through the medium. Free.
>> Our friends at Long View Gallery are hosting a reception on Thursday for the opening of their lastest exhibit, Ernesto Santalla – Symmetries. Relive the snowpocalypse of 2010 with this collection of photographs from Santalla’s collage series documenting last year’s record-breaking snowfall. His process of repeating and mirrowing images resulted in a keleidoscope-like view of our city beneath a frigid white blanket. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free, but please RSVP.
>> Stop by Washington Studio School on Friday night for faculty member Tania Karpowitz’s Paintings. Focusing on character study, Karpowitz combines color, light and other elements to generate dramatic tension and provoke provocative questions about the subject of the work. Opening reception 6 to 8 p.m. Free.
