Portland Center Stage | Page 56

FIND YOUR ART VISUAL ARTS In March and April, our visual arts picks highlight art with message and a mission, plus some ongoing can’t-miss shows that opened in earlier months. If you’ve been meaning to see them, go! If you’ve caught them already, you’ll appreciate why they made our list. BY GRAHAM BELL. ITALIAN STYLE Simonetta, evening gown of embroidered silk. Published in Harper’s Bazaar, October 1952. Photograph by Genevieve Naylor. Genevieve Naylor/ courtesy Staley-Wise Gallery, New York. REINVENTING DOCUMENTARY: THE ART OF ALLAN SEKULA SUSAN SEUBERT: THE FALLACY OF HINDSIGHT RONNA AND ERIC HOFFMAN GALLERY LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE 0615 SW PALATINE HILL ROAD This retrospective of the late Sekula’s work lays bare the artist’s continuous exploration of the documentary mode and its marriage to the written word. An acclaimed multidisciplinary artist and CalArts professor, Sekula investigated economic systems and the reach of capitalism in our ever-expanding world and brought new harmony to the use of text and image in conceptual work. In his project Dear Bill Gates (1999), he penned an open letter to Gates about his purchase of a Winslow Homer painting and captured a series of photographs from the water of Gates’ home, crossing the line from economist to provocateur. FROELICK GALLERY 714 NW DAVIS ST. Susan Seubert’s photographic process is masterful and meticulously detailed. She employs legacy techniques to produce prints full of nostalgia and history, treading the line between photojournalism and fine art. From simple objects carefully composed, she evokes notions of memory and value. Her new pieces tackle these ideas in a larger spectrum by focusing on the intimate scenes of reminiscence and reflection. [JAN. 22-MARCH 15] SUSAN SEUBERT From the series 100 Memories, 2015, digital pigment print on tissue paper, encaustic medium, claybord, 5×5 inches 32 ARTSLANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE MARCH | APRIL [MARCH 19-MAY 2] CRIS BRUCH Ghost #4, 2012. Paper; 19×17½×23 inches. ITALIAN STYLE: FASHION SINCE 1945 PORTLAND ART MUSEUM 1219 SW PARK AVE. Giving nods to the influence of American movie stars like Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor, this major exhibition charts the march of Italian fashion in the international realm from World War II until the present. The timeline of more than 100 ensembles and accouterments traces Italy’s influence on world fashion for the past 60-plus years. The Portland Art Museum is the only West Coast stop for this traveling exhibition that includes work by Gucci, Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana, among others. [THROUGH MAY 3]