When we have more opportunity to interact with art on our own terms, there are more places to hide from its difficult truths, particularly viewers who have the privilege to do so.
Author Archives: Erin Langner
Erin Langner is a Seattle-based writer and arts professional. She works on exhibitions and publications at the Frye Art Museum. She has written for METROPOLIS, ARTnews, and The Stranger and is at work on her first collection of essays.
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A Poignant Tour of a Disappearing Queer Neighborhood in Portland
At the Portland Biennial, artists offer an unfiltered view of the state of Oregon at this moment. Carla Rossi’s tour of Vaseline Alley as a drag “clown” is one of the highlights.
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A New Type of Flâneur Strolls in Search of Humanity
I found myself considering a new type of flâneur while surrounded by the work of Bay Area artist Minoosh Zomorodinia.
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A Tlingit Artist’s Contemporary Take on Her Vanishing Culture
Alison Marks’s sculptures, paintings, and textiles often appear gently familiar, but then take a deeper, more troubling turn.
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A New Vancouver Triennial Contends with Making Art in a Gentrified City
The ability of the Vancouver Art Gallery to maintain its commitment to local artists will be the true test of the triennial’s success.
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At the Portland Biennial, Artists Make a Case for Living on the Outskirts
PORTLAND, Oregon — “Now, you’re dead inside,” the gallery assistant said.
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Considering What Art Can (and Can’t) Do in a Survey of Northwest Artists
TACOMA, Wash. — Your eye is desperate for a focal point when you look at Rodrigo Valenzuela’s “Goal Keeper #1” (2014).
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Confronting Homelessness Close to Home, with Help from Martha Rosler
SEATTLE — “Home Prices Bring Smiles, Tears.” “Anti-Homeless Attacks Won’t Solve Problem.” When I saw these headlines running across the Seattle Times and Seattle Weekly newspapers earlier this month, a single sentence flashed through my mind, on repeat: “Housing is a human right.”