EXPOSED DC @ TOUCHSTONE GALLERY

The 13th annual edition of this show introduces a new venue for the winners of a photography competition that was originally hosted by DCist. The show as usual offers a mix of political activism and slices of life far from the usual tourist haunts. Local photographers John Christopher Anderson, Sam Hurd, Darren Smith, Lauren Stockbower, and Jennifer Sakai will select the Best in Show. See all 43 winning photographs here.
Touchstone Gallery, Feb. 13-24. Open Wednesday-Friday 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday noon-5 p.m. Opening reception Feb. 13, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. $20-$25. Government employees can use the promo code “furlough” and show a valid federal government ID at the door for a 50 percent discount.

PERFUME AND SEDUCTION @ HILLWOOD

The iconic Chanel No. 5 may be the most recognizable shape in perfumery, but it’s not the only pinnacle in the art of scent captured in a bottle. Hillwood founder Marjorie Merriweather Post is primarily known for her collection of Russian imperial art, but she also favored 18th century French decorative arts, including exquisite examples of what the French call eau de toilette. This exhibition looks at the form and function of perfume bottles and examines the evolution of these delicate vessels. Perhaps most importantly, the show may answer the question, with a dog on the packaging, how nice can it smell?
Hillwood Museum, February 16-June 9. Open Tues-Sun 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $15.

LINDSAY HALL: LUSCIOUS AND PLUSCIOUS @ IA&A/HILLYER

From the fragrant elegance at Hillwood we repair to the plush and whimsical wonders you can find in a Dupont Circle alley. According to IA&A, Las Vegas-based artist Lindsay Hall “addresses pleasure, desire and intimacy in relation to fantasy playscapes of the body and beyond … suggestive of doughy flesh and fluffy confections”—and, for me, Lumpy Space Princess. Don’t miss this “sensuous wonderland of imaginative forms” and “juicy delicacies.”
IA&A/Hillyer, through Feb. 24. Open Tue-Fri noon-6 p.m., Sat-Mon noon-5 p.m., and by appointment. FREE.

ZILIA SÁNCHEZ: SOY ISLA (I AM AN ISLAND) @ PHILLIPS COLLECTION

The Phillips presents the first museum retrospective of this Cuban artist whose career spans almost 70 years. Born in Havana in 1926, Sánchez developed her art, which frequently references such mythological figures as Trojans, Amazonians, and Antigone, on extended visits to Europe and residences in New York and Puerto Rico, where she now lives and works. The exhibition includes more than 60 paintings, works on paper, and pieces of sculpture.
Phillips Collection, February 16 – May 19. Open Tues-Wed 10 a.m.‒5 p.m. Thurs. 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Fri-Sat 10 a.m.‒5 p.m. Sunday noon‒6:30 p.m. $12. 

ERIC CELARIER: WASTELAND @ HONFLEUR

Trash does not lie, according to D.C. native Eric Celarier, because it tells us what is ultimately important to us. Per Honfleur, this solo exhibition looks at electronic trash with “tapestries, made from expired circuit boards, [that] allow the viewer to access the aesthetics underneath the glass, plastic, and steel shells of the mundane appliances.”
Honfleur Gallery, through March 23. Open Wed-Sat noon–7 p.m. and by appointment. FREE. Artist’s talk Feb. 23, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

JASON GUBBIOTTI: THINGS ARE AS THEY SEEM @ CIVILIAN

For his latest show, an artist who Washington City Paper wrote, “has set expectations for paintings in D.C.,” continues with dense geometric works that make his process visible, warts, staples, screws, and all. The exhibition title, according to the museum, “seeks to establish a sense of discreet paranoia in order to spark a questioning of whether the viewer has completely explored the works’ full potential of meaning.” Gubbiotti, who was once based in Washington but now lives in the countryside outside Paris, writes that, “I decided to remove the how was this made question by having everything directly unfold in front of the audience, an unboxing if you will.” The exhibition features three bodies of work: a series of wall paintings, a huge wall drawing, and three-dimensional objects.
Civilian Art Projects, in residence at Studio 1469. February 16 – March 23. FREE. Opening reception Saturday, Feb. 16 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

INDELIBLE @ GALLERY O ON H

This H Street Gallery’s next two-floor installation is a group multimedia show inspired by Black History Month. Curators write that “the show seeks to focus on the cyclical nature of unresolved issues—from the legacy of slavery to modern day police overreach and violence.” Featured artists include Milton Bowens, Billy Colbert, Scott Davis, Nehemiah Dixon, Justyne Fischer, and Rodney “BUCK!” Herring.
Gallery O on H, Feb. 22-May 18. Open Tues 5-7:30 p.m., Wed-Fri noon-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. FREE. Opening reception February 22. 6 p.m.-10 p.m.

MIRA HECHT @ ADDISON/RIPLEY

According to Addison/Ripley, Hecht’s abstract paintings marry the conflicting aesthetic urges of Marcel Duchamp and Wassily Kandinsky, “the former’s art so decidedly concrete and cerebral while … the latter was intensely involved with the spiritual.” This exhibition features recent works on canvas, panel, and paper.
Addison/Ripley Fine Art, through March 2. Open Tues-Sat 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and by appointment. FREE