Now Playing

"the Lightning's Bride" (detail) by Elliott Hundley

Galleries à Gogo!

by Rachel Watkins | Modern Luxury Dallas magazine | January 23, 2012

The local gallery scene takes off in the new year with this lineup of look-at-me engagements.

Embrace the unknown with “Eat Your Art Out,” the Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas’ secret dinner on Jan. 28 (maybe at an artist’s studio, a collector’s home or another arts-centric locale!). The meal is followed by the perfect finishing touch of dessert and entertainment by Watson Electric at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary, where the gallery is currently exhibiting three new shows featuring an aerial landscape-inspired installation by Eric Eley, Walter Nelson’s photographs and mixed-media works by Marilyn Jolly, Melba Northum and Susan Sitzes, through Feb. 18. Proceeds benefit the CADD Scholarship Fund and Educational Programs. caddallas.net >>> Urban art legend and DJ Shepard Fairey (he of the iconic “Hope” portrait of President Barack Obama) invades the Dallas Contemporary with his dynamic tunes and statement-making street art in tow for the aptly named Phenomenon on Feb. 4, a vibrant commencement to Fairey’s exhibit there. Co-chaired by Bradley Agather, Hannah Hoffman and Meghan Looney, the event also ushers in a hip strip of food trucks for sustenance and a one-of-a-kind, pop-up shop with Fairey’s prints, posters and other paraphernalia that cross the realms of fine, commercial and political art. 161 Glass St., 214.821.2522, dallascontemporary.org >>> With 11 works investigating Euripides’ classic Greek tragedy, Elliott Hundley: The Bacchae explores notions of pleasure, grief and guilt at the Nasher Sculpture Center (Jan. 28-April 22). Los Angeles-based, Hundley is known for his epic, theatrical gallery environments, created from organic and found materials, paint and photographs. 2001 Flora St., 214.242.5100, nashersculpturecenter.org >>> Artist Darryl Lauster’s video, sculpture and printmaking works based on America’s most important movements, from westward expansion to 9/11, converge in the sprawling exhibit, Of Thee I Sing, at Barry Whistler Gallery. 2909-B Canton St., 214.939.0242, barrywhistlergallery.com >>> Joseph Havel, he of a rather massive (and interesting!) work consisting of woven shirt labels and straight pins, displays new drawings, sculptures and a major site-specific installation at Talley Dunn Gallery in the solo show, Plus or Minus, through Feb. 25. 5020 Tracy St., 214.521.9898, talleydunn.com >>> Be enlightened by Robert Deyber’s most recent original paintings and lithographs, as Martin Lawrence Galleries unveils multiple new works by the artist during his “Hare He Comes Again” tour stop on Feb. 10 (6PM-8PM). Deyber’s artwork is a mix of reality and fantasy—and full of surprises. Every canvas revels in the artist’s sense of humor; each painting a visual rendering of a clever turn on a common phrase. Often dubbed a ‘visual raconteur,’ Deyber is indeed a storyteller with a paintbrush, inspired by the Surrealist movement and greats such as René Magritte and Salvador Dalí, as well as Pop Art. Ten percent of proceeds from sales at this event will benefit DIFFA Dallas. RSVP to 972.716.5335 or dallas@martinlawrence.com. Galleria Dallas, Saks Fifth Avenue, 13550 Dallas Parkway, martinlawrence.com