Art: 'Polaroid Prints', NEMAA, and 'Heavy Petting'
'Polaroid Prints'
Although Nadine Gross has been shooting exclusively on Polaroid 600 film since 2001, her work has yet to see the light of day. The 500-plus photos in Gross' collection play on color, pattern and texture, more akin to minimalist abstract art than one would expect from such a populist form of photography. "It's old-school technology, but nothing compares to the beauty and surprise of the image that instant film creates," she says. The show will be the first art opening at the new St. Paul boutique BlackBlue.
- Jahna Peloquin
NEMAA Fall Fine Arts Show
This group show showcases the best art in northeast Minneapolis. Painting, photography, mixed media and sculpture from 150 artists were selected by a jury of curators from the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Soap Factory and Fox Tax. We recommend hitting up the opening reception Friday for the chance to vote on the People's Choice award and nosh on snacks from the Red Stag Supperclub, along with open studios and opportunities to meet the artists.
View the full event listing- Jahna Peloquin
'Heavy Petting'
In homage to the 1871 Edward Lear poem "The Owl and the Pussycat," artist Rob McBroom retells the beloved nonsense fable in 12 distracting junk-drawer vignettes. A cyberpunk odyssey charged with nerd-core testosterone, McBroom's version features hideously robotic mutant animals, a military hovercraft and an exhausting deluge of kitsch pop references. The artist has stitched together hundreds of corporate logos to build everything in his scenes, which have the aggravating feel of a Highlights magazine hidden picture page. Add to that the confounding array of personal effects -- an old Nintendo cartridge, a plastic banana, a pair of boxer shorts -- and you have some seriously ambitious nonsense. We're not sure if Lear would be pleased or pissed. But the show is a rare chance to see a local eccentric do his thing.
- Gregory J. Scott
