the drawing center

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Queer Zines From the Pre-MySpace Era and More Art Shows This Week

(image via Derek Eller Gallery / Facebook)

White Lies
Opening Thursday, October 11 at Derek Eller Gallery, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through November 11.

For better or for worse, we can all agree something there’s no shortage of in today’s world is information. From partisan pundits to much-maligned “fake news” to legitimate educational content, it’s hard to tune it all out completely, even if you try. This is evident in the work of painter Despina Stokou. What initially looks like colorful abstract work is revealed to be artistic, chaotic renderings of words: Twitter posts, political commentary, hashtags, and the multifaceted feelings of people living in America today. But of course, some of these painted-on phrases have become hard to understand, quite literally erased by broad strokes of white. Sound familiar? More →

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Art This Week: Edible Drawings, Fuzzy Dudes, and More

(image courtesy of Cooler Gallery)

Origins
Opening Tuesday, April 3 at Cooler Gallery, 7 pm to 10 pm. On view through May 19.

What is a Fuzzy Dude? I have some theories, but so does artist and director John McLaughlin, whose solo show Origins will give you a thorough introduction to these wacky creatures that have sprung from his brain. Appropriately, Fuzzy Dudes are beings covered in a stringy, colorful fur that recalls silly string, shaggy dogs, household mops, or something else entirely. They come from a “space-like” dystopian world, or so I’m told, but you can see them come to life on Earth by way of sculpture, video, and more. Watching these curious creatures feels almost like a psychedelic experience, as their multicolored, textured bodies run, jump, and sway. Their actions are humanlike, but their appearance is a lot more interesting. Why not take a break from the dreaded news cycle for an evening and go meet some otherworldly beings? More →