M U S I N G S FROM THE FUTURE

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When
Jan. 11–Feb. 25, 2023
Days Vary, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Free
Where
1881 NW Vaughn St
Portland, OR 97209

The following description was submitted by the event organizer.

PDX CONTEMPORARY ART is pleased to present M U S I N G S FROM THE FUTURE, an exhibition of new work by Tad Savinar. The exhibition will mark Savinar’s fiftieth year of working in the studio. 

With wry wit, the ever-careful observer Tad Savinar “reports” on the present culture, projecting into his view of the not-so-distant futures. With democracy tied up in knots, active viruses invading lives and climate taking on new behaviors, there has been plenty of grist for the artist to chew on.

The works in the show have resolved themselves in numerous media, including cast bronze, digital prints on paper, and printed silk, among others. Alongside the exhibition, the artist has produced an illustrated brochure detailing the show with an essay by curator and arts writer Linda Tesner who says of the artist,  “I have been following Savinar’s work for the past three decades. One curious aspect of Savinar’s studio practice is that he has an uncanny way of anticipating the future. His work has a prescience that is simultaneously funny and sobering—worth paying attention to.”

Tad Savinar has worked as a visual artist, urban planner, playwright, and director. Born in Portland, Oregon, Savinar has been an active member of the state’s cultural community for the past 50 years. His artistic practice focuses on the relationship between the individual and notions of officialdom— governmental, religious, or parental. His work offers lessons in national pride, economics, and civics. For Savinar, language often functions best as an image, where it can slip from spoken to seen, toying with the senses and complicating the everyday.