For this edition of Weekend Picks, get a sneak peek into an intriguing new pop-up exhibition of visually rich and subversive posters by Polish artists, artist Teo Nguyen is also showing his paintings this week as part of a TaikoArts Midwest fundraiser, and the Fotomatter Arts Collective hosts their first Book Fair. Read on to find out about Cantus bringing back their popular “Covers” show at the Luminary Arts Center, Guided By Voices hitting the Fine Line, and Davina and the Vagabonds performing at the Ordway.
Greenpoint History
A treasure trove of Polish posters that have been sitting in their tubes, unopened, for over 30 years are getting their chance to shine when Brian and Teresa McMahon open a pop-up gallery in the Vandalia building this weekend.
I spoke with the McMahon’s about how the exhibit came to be here.
The Polish poster exhibition opens Saturday, June 1 at 12:00 p.m., with a reception at 4 p.m., beginning with a brief program. The opening event will also have live music. The exhibit runs through June, with gallery hours 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (free). More information here.
Teo Nguyen and TaikoArts Midwest
Vietnamese-American artist Teo Nguyen is teaming up with TaikoArts Midwest for an evening of visual art, performance and cuisine, all benefitting the nonprofits arts organization using taiko drumming as a tool for community building.
When I first encountered Nguyen’s bleak Midwestern landscapes, they reminded me a bit of Andrew Wyeth, evoking a sense of loneliness in their expansive oeuvre. In 2022, Nguyen’s exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, “Việt Nam Peace Project,” poignantly meditated on the resilience of Vietnamese people in the wake of the Vietnam-American war. Besides his photorealistic paintings, Nguyen also has a body of work that delves into a more abstract expression. Funds raised at the event will go toward TaikoArts Midwest’s programming and their new home in North End, St. Paul.
Saturday, June 1 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., L’Usine gallery (free). More information here.
Cantus: COVERS LIKE IT’S 1999
The music of Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, Cher and other pop icons get an a cappella treatment with Cantus’ annual “Covers” concert, with a focus on music made at the eve of the millennium. Re-live La Vida Loca, the music of the Backstreet Boys, and more with this nostalgic dance back through time, when MTV still played music videos and the potentiality of a Y2K disaster loomed in the future.
Saturday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, June 2 at 3 p.m., through Sunday, June 9 at Luminary Arts Center, ($5-$36). More information here.
Guided by Voices: Nowhere to Go but Up Tour
Somewhere between pop and punk, Guided by Voices’ blink and you’ll miss it catchy tune aesthetic exists with a devoted following. Over 40 years after first forming, the band has disbanded and regrouped with different lineups numerous times, but through it all, they’re still kicking out new music and put on great live shows. They’ll be playing with the Madison-based indie rock band Disq.
Friday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fine Line ($35, $75 balcony). More information here.
Davina and the Vagabonds
Sweep into summer with the joyful danceability of Davina and The Vagabonds, one of this year’s headliners of the Flint Hills Family Festival at the Ordway. Catch the infectious sassiness of Davina Sowers’s voice, matched with Becca Lozier’s bright trumpet and Connor McRae Hammergren’s percussion. The jazzy, bluesy group will be releasing a new album, called “Shoot for the Moon,” on the day of the show, and you’re invited to celebrate. It’s a mix of new tunes and covers by the likes of John Prine, Los Lobos and Louis Jordan.
Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m. at the Ordway ($23 to $50). More information here.
Fotomatter Arts Collective Book Fair
Alerting zine enthusiasts: A new artist collective called FotoMatter brings together creatives working in photography, installation, book arts and time-based media. This weekend, the group will be hosting its first book fair, with a mix of offerings like Laura Migliorino’s “The Tretter Project: Queer History” zine and Melissa Borman’s lovingly photographed portraits of bird figurines in the book “Birds,” designed by Justin D. Allen with a humorous text by Andy Sturdevant. Borman has another zine as well, “[Re]collections & Earthly Artifacts,” also designed by D. Allen, with an essay by Sheila Dickinson.
At the fair, you’ll find Priscilla Briggs’ “Impossible Is Nothing: China’s Theater of Consumerism,” and various other zines and publications, plus more from Leslie Grant, Peter Happel Christian, Brett Kallusky, Nik Nerburn , Areca Roe, Sarah Sampedro, David Schalliol, Paul Shambroom, Shannon Taggert, and Xavier Tavera. Saturday,
June 1 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at Q2 Gallery, Q.arma Building (free). More information here.
Sheila Regan
Sheila Regan is a Twin Cities-based arts journalist. She writes MinnPost’s twice-weekly Artscape column. She can be reached at [email protected].