Weird Space
For those who want to literally be one with the art, Daniel Funkhouser’s installation makes that possible. Funkhouser lined walls inside a shipping container gallery in Roosevelt Row with floor-to-ceiling curves, transforming them with changing infusions of light that beckon viewers inside for a creative embrace.

Antiquarian
Zachary Valent used concrete, a combination of selenite and grown crystals, and pigment to create this sculpture, which was exhibited at Step Gallery. It’s intended as both self-portrait and personification of time, and expresses what the artist deems his own internal struggles with the limitations of time. Inspired by sculptor Auguste Rodin, Valent conveys a shift from thinking with the mind to thinking with technology.

PTSD I, II, III
Oregon artist Rick Bartow died in 2016, but more than 100 of his works, including these 2008 acrylic on canvas paintings, are featured in the “Things You Know But Cannot Explain” exhibition at the Heard Museum. These pieces reflect his experience as a veteran, including struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. Other works in the exhibition span many years of his work, including the latter period of his life, when he was recovering from multiple strokes.

Stock Split
This sculpture, recently featured in Elliott Kayser’s exhibition at Step Gallery, depicts the vulnerability of both a domesticated, branded mother and its calf. The golden calf references both monetary gain and false idols, serving as a cautionary tale against putting too much faith in things of one’s own making, and highlighting the perils of valuing resources only for their efficiency and economy.

Alternative Facts
Irony abounds in this Mylar and wood piece featured in “The Politics of Place” exhibition at Eye Lounge. By writing the content of Donald Trump's tweets onto simple strips of Mylar, Christina You-sun Park plays with themes that have been problematic for Trump’s presidency, including transparency, literacy, truthfulness, and record-keeping. Even as Trump seeks to eliminate arts funding, Park is one of many artists using creative means to critique his actions.