Audio By Carbonatix
You can spend all day at the museum looking at art that soothes and makes you happy. When most of us want an art fix, we’re hoping for something that’s frothy and fun, but not without substance — pieces that challenge us, but don’t provoke negative feelings. Still, there’s important place for art that scares, unsettles and upsets. It’s the artist’s job to evoke a range of emotions, and Joachim West does just that with Mother Earth Is a Dirty Whore, opening at 7 p.m. Saturday at Ro2 Art Downtown (110 North Akard St.). West’s eloquent graphite renderings express thoughts and themes that he grappled with after the suicide of a close friend. The results are grotesque, brutal and occasionally shocking, yet the images don’t assault the viewer so much as elicit a dialogue about humanity and its violent tendencies. It’s a conversation that will ping back and forth in your head for a few days afterward, which speaks to West’s talent leaving an impression. The exhibit will be on view through February 1 at Ro2. See it from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Visit ro2art.com for more
Sat., Jan. 3, 7-10 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 4, 1-4 p.m.; Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Starts: Jan. 3. Continues through Feb. 1, 2015
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