State of the Arts

9 Austin art exhibits blur the lines of reality this May

This spring’s art shows are all about the spaces in between — where memories shift, identities evolve, and everyday materials become something unexpected. Multiple artists, like Iris Kwon and Vicente Rodriguez, mine their personal and cultural histories, using visual narratives to reinterpret the past or reclaim obscured legacies.

Photo courtesy of Davis Gallery

B Shawn Cox's "Tumble" captures the moment between getting thrown from a horse and hitting the ground.

Across mediums, these shows share a preoccupation with liminal states: suspended moments or the meditative act of creation. Whether in Carmen McNall’s healing figures, Tavares Strachan’s Black Madonna sculptures, or Tenant of Culture’s repurposed textiles — each exploring how stories are carried and shared.

ICOSA

Shawn Camp and Vy Ngo: Lucitations — Now through May 10
“Lucitations” refers to a meditative state achieved in artmaking, the intuitive dialogue between artists and their creative process. Shawn Camp builds large-scale works that investigate light, space, and perception, inviting viewers to question their sense of place and time. Vy Ngo translates physical and spiritual journeys into vibrant abstract landscapes. Together, their works offer a space for reflection on memory, environment, and human connection.

Ivester Contemporary

Dana Robinson:The Middle Distance— Now through May 24
This is the first solo exhibition for Brooklyn-based artist Dana Robinson. Featuring 12 pieces, Robinson plays with the fluid boundaries between reality and imagination. The artist’s paintings combine acrylic ink and fabric, creating layered compositions that hover between clarity and abstraction. Her softened acrylics evoke watercolor-like transparency, contrasted with bursts of vibrant color and textured fabric fragments. These materials reference family photographs, digital ephemera, and personal nostalgia.

Sydney Guzman: Under the Moon’s Eye— Now through May 24
Drawing from personal encounters in nature, Guzman describes her process as a silent conversation between herself and the world. This exchange infuses the exhibition with a sense of wonder and discovery. Guzman's expressive brushwork captures fleeting moments, such as a leaping fox, a resting cat, or a coyote in motion. Her sculptural wooden panels add an extra dimension to the pieces, creating tactile illusions of fur, grass, and celestial elements that invite the viewer in.

Georgetown Art Center

Iris Kwon:Beyond Every Door: A Portal to Memories— Now through May 25
Texas-based artist Iris Kwon (Child Appetite), delves into childhood memories and identity through this exhibition. Born in California and raised across Singapore and South Korea, Kwon channels her multicultural upbringing into visual narratives that balance personal struggles and rediscovered joy. Using her artistic persona "Child Appetite," Kwon reinterprets past experiences as doors that open to new meanings over time. Her paintings blend illustrative detail with emotional depth, reconstructing scenes from childhood through a lens of introspection and healing.

Blanton Museum

Tavares Strachan: Between Me and You — Now through June 1
Strachan’s exhibit is influenced by cultural history, memory, and resilience. The artist’s work spans sculpture, installation, and research, drawing from his Bahamian heritage. Between Me and You features three sculptures from his "Black Madonna" series, made of bronze and gold leaf. These pieces convey emotional depth through precise details — expressions, clothing folds, and gestures. At the center of the installation is the "Encyclopedia of Invisibility," part of Strachan’s ongoing 3,000-page research project highlighting overlooked histories.

The Contemporary

Tenant of Culture: Host: Tenant of Culture— Now through August 3
This installation is the first U.S. museum exhibition for Tenant of Culture, the artistic practice of Amsterdam-based Hendrickje Schimmel. Originally trained in fashion design, the artist repurposes discarded garments and textiles to critique the fashion industry’s cycles of overproduction and waste. Tenant of Culture features newly commissioned and recent works that transform secondhand clothing into sculptural assemblages. The pieces are made up of deconstructed and recombined items, creating hybrid objects that appear functional yet are deliberately unwearable.

Mexic-Arte Museum

Vicente Rodriguez: Beyond the Shape: El Arte de Chente Rodriguez— Now through August 3
This retrospective showcases the work of Vicente "Chente" Rodriguez. After studying at the University of Texas at Austin, Rodriguez developed his signature geometric style, merging bold color, form, and cultural identity. Though his paintings remained largely unseen for years, Beyond the Shape reintroduces them within contemporary art and Chicano/a/x aesthetics.

Dimmitt Contemporary

Carmen McNall: Remedies— May 3 through 30
McNall’s process combines painting and wood-carving, resulting in richly textured surfaces with bold colors and rhythmic patterns. Through faceless figures draped in long, patterned dresses, McNall portrays the body as its own kind of container. These figures—often shown with only hands visible — hold flowers, herbs, or sacred objects, embodying roles as caregivers and vessels of ancient knowledge.

Davis Gallery

B Shawn Cox:Tumble : A Western Benediction— May 10 through June 14
An Austin-based artist, B Shawn Cox’s work blends pop art aesthetics with Western iconography through paintings and drawings featuring bold, vibrant colors. This exhibition presents new works, showing the suspended moment between being thrown from a horse and hitting the ground. These ballpoint pen drawings depict cowboys mid-air — falling, floating, or soaring — all clad in classic denim, button-ups, and hats. The result is a body of work that balances humor, nostalgia, and playful irony.

The Future for Future Front

Austin creative collective pushes past funding loss with summer events

Photo courtesy of Future Front Texas

Future Front Texas has a full summer ahead of it.

Local creative organization Future Front Texas (FFTX) — which offers workshops, professional development, and platforms for women and LGBTQ+ artists — has shared its full summer of programming, including premier annual event, the Front Festival.

This is a big year for FFTX, not just because it's the organization's 10th anniversary, but al because it recently lost $65,000 in federal funding due to national rollbacks and bans on DEI-related projects. FFTX has not announced any changes as a result of the funding loss, but encourages small businesses and artists to keep showing up to events and becoming members to continually support the organization's work.

Although it comes last in the season, the Front Festival is the main event this summer, with four nights of fun from August 28-31. The festival sets up music, film, and art events, plus some pool parties, in venues around Austin. So far, all that's available is a save-the-date notice, but a lineup is right around the corner. The deadline for applications to participate is June 30. The lineup for 2024 included musicians Promqueen and P!nkstar, visual artists HardShapes and the Early Era Collective, death-curious film After We’re Gone, and more.

Early-bird presale passes ($10-50) are available at thefrontfest.com. According to a press release, the festival and its partnerships distribute an average of more than $25,000 to emerging creatives annually.

The announcement includes information on five other events between now and the festival:

June 26: Small monthly Swim Sessions start at the Line Hotel, with women and queer DJs playing poolside. $10, last Thursday of every month.
June 28: FFTX plans workshops, 30-plus pop-up shops gather for a market, and attendees bring blankets for the Pride Picnic at Pease Park. Free, open to all ages.
July 17-19: Chef Deepa Shridhar prepares a multi-course South Indian-Texan menu for Y’all Dinner at the Future Front House. Food will be accompanied by natural wine tastings and a martini menu. This fundraiser supports the evening’s talent and FFTX's free arts and culture programs. Starting at $161.90 including fees.
July 26: FFTX joins Hot Summer Nights, a donation-based music festival at the Red River Cultural District, for a night market.
July, various dates: FFTX presents Community Clubs at The Future Front House. Weekly creative sessions and clubs tackle topics like quilting, gardening, zines, a Shabbat supper club, and more.

Finally, Future Front has started its annual open call for artists, running through June 30. Works may be featured in future programs and an FFTX artist residency.

Memberships and event tickets aren't the only thing keeping the organization afloat. FFTX's corporate sponsors include Tito’s Handmade Vodka, the Line Austin, the Contemporary Austin, Texas Commission on the Ats, the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division, Pease Park, Red River Cultural District, and Topo Chico.

“The independent artists, musicians and filmmakers that join us at The Front Festival are unmatched,” said Future Front executive director Jane Hervey in the release. “Every summer, without fail, I’m reminded that the community will always keep local art and creativity alive and well. We’re proud to be a part of this one.”

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