Image courtesy Contemporary Wing.

>> Javanshir Ilchi’s paintings explore the duality of her cultural identity as an Iranian-American. Her new works reflect her ongoing interest in the fusion of visual codes of Western abstraction and traditional Persian Art, with an emphasis on the “Tazhib,” the Persian tradition of illumination of the spoken word. See HEDIEH JAVANSHIR ILCHI: I’M COMING HOME at Contemporary Wing‘s permanent new home this Saturday. Opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

>> Featuring video work by local, national, and international artists, the Experimental Media Video Screenings include works that use video as a medium to explore our contemporary landscape of data flow, perception, and exchange between systems, whether human, gestural, cultural, chemical, political, or virtual. In conjunction with Washington Project for the Arts, screen the videos at Artisphere, where one will be awarded the 2012 Kraft Prize for New Media, a $750 cash prize. Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

>> At Carroll Square Gallery, artists Mariah Anne Johnson and John Watson apply installations in response to the gallery’s architecture and environment. Johnson’s folded fabrics grow in undulating forms along the wall. Watson’s construction builds from the floor into a complex labyrinth of reclaimed wood. See how they both interact with the space and each other at the opening receptin for Space is the Place, Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.

>> INDUSTRY Gallery opens SPUN, an installation by Mathias Bengtsson, this Saturday. Meet the designer at the opening night reception and enjoy Danish beer and spirits at 5 p.m., followed by opening remarks by Ambassador of Denmark to the United States The Honorable Peter Taksoe-Jensen, at 6 p.m.

>> Just in time for Mother’s Day, Conversations with my Mother opens at The Art League this Thursday. Created from “the debris of life,” artist Elissa Farrow-Savos creates narrative, found object sculptures channeling themes and emotions familiar to women. Farrow-Savos presents this collection of sculptures as interpretations of advice, adages, and sayings passed down from her own mother. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

>> Celebrate SONG 1 with the Hirshhorn at A Happening on Friday. Start the afternoon with a symposium on Art in the Expanded Field featuring Doug Aitken from 12 to 4 p.m. (free). Then continue the celebration into the evening when the recorded soundtrack of SONG 1 will be switched off and instead the 360 degree projection will be coupled with an ongoing series of live performances. 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. $25 in advance.

>> This weekend, the National Gallery of Art welcomes filmmaker Ernie Gehr to present highlights of his work in American Originals Now: Ernie Gehr. Saturday at 2:30 p.m., Gehr presents the program Perspectives on the Street, a selection of three short films (shown in conjunction with the photography exhibition I Spy: Photography and the Theater of the Street, 1938-2010) including his well-known Side/Walk/Shuttle. Sunday at 4:30 p.m., Gehr presents Visiting Video Shadows, highlighting his more recent work in digital formats.

>> The Capitol Hill Art League presents its third annual metro D.C. open juried exhibit It’s a Wonderful World? The juror for the exhibit is F. Lennox Campello, D.C. area art critic, award winning artist and past DCist contributor. Opening reception Saturday from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Art Notes

• The continuing professional development speaker series at Hamiltonian Gallery this Friday at 6:30 p.m. with Business Practices for Artists: how to make an artist’s life work. RSVP to jackie [@] hamiltoniangallery.com.
• The Torpedo Factory celebrates Mother’s Day with an Annual Spring Open House. Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
• High Plains opens at Evolve. Featuring quilts, oils, pastel, pencil and acrylic works by Berdena Whisman. Opening Thursday from 5 to 9:30 p.m.
• Washington Printmakers Gallery opens A Thing or Two Recent Work by Ellen Verdon Winkler this Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.
• The National Gallery of Art will host a Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) panel discussion on Architecture and Art: Creating Community at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The panel will discuss how architecture and art bring people together in public spaces.