Noise O' RAMA
Single-channel video artist and musician Aida Ruilova uses rhythm to create suspense and unease in her short videos. That, combined with her subject matter — people in distress, childlike voices, rickety railings — make them feel like horror movies, with something shocking about to happen any minute. There's a similar suspense and expectation in the sounds of Aaron Dilloway, the Oberlin-based former mainstay of the noise-rock combo Wolf-Eyes. Performing solo with circuit-bent keyboards and mercilessly spliced 8-track tapes, he sculpts the sound of prolonged agony and plays it loud. Cleveland noise improv artist Bob Drake (aka Flux Monkey) builds a similar horror-show uncertainty by manipulating the switches, dials, and other controls on his mostly homemade electronic and electro-acoustic instruments. All that makes both of them fitting complements to Ruilova's exhibit, The Singles: 1999-Now, which continues through August 15 at MOCA (8501 Carnegie, mocacleveland.org). Hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday and until 8 p.m. Wednesdays. Regular admission is free for members and $4 for the rest of us. Dilloway and Drake perform in what MOCA calls "Noise O'Rama" from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, August 4. The performance is free for everyone. — Michael GillOn view now at area galleries and museums:
Akron Art Museum: Andrew Moore-Detroit Disassembled: Moore has put together a collection of photos that capture the decline of this once-great industrial giant, showing the vast empty space that once used to be populated areas. Moore's exhibit debuts in Akron before moving on to tour nationally. Through October 10 at the Akron Art Museum, One South High Street in Akron. Call 330-376-9185. The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. Thursday.
ArtsCollinwood Gallery: Primal Cuts: Cleveland Institute of Art student Katy Richards paints meat: The kind you find in grocery stores and the kind of sweaty flesh you might find in a proverbial meat market. Through August 13 at 15605 Waterloo Rd. Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 216-692-9500 or visit artscollinwood.org.
Artseen Gallery:
Lunar Paraphrase: The Terrain of Intimacy: For more than two decades, painter Douglas Max Utter's work has been pulled in several directions. This career retrospective includes 18 mostly large paintings. Through September 19 at 5591 Liberty Ave., Vermilion. Open from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Call 440-963-0611 or visit theartseengallery.com.
Asterisk Gallery: 19 Invitational: As usual, Asterisk owner Dana Depew has gathered a crew of 19 artists about as diverse as a shotgun blast, from veterans Patricia Zinsmeister Parker and Mindy Tousley to up-and-comers Natalie Capannelli and Brandon Juhasz. Through August 7 at 2393 Professor St. in Tremont. Hours are 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, or by appointment. Admission is free. Call 330-304-8528 or visit asteriskgallery.com.
Brandt Gallery: Edward Shahala: Shalala creates temporary installations featuring canvas thread, which he uses to draw abstract lines in landscapes.The work exists for only a couple of hours, during which Shalala documents the process, then cleans up after himself. What viewers actually see are photographs, which include the abstractions he made. Through August 7 at 1028 Kenilworth Ave. in Tremont. Noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays or by appointment. Admission is free. Call 216-621-1610 or visit brandtgallery.org.
Cleveland Artists Foundation: The Kokoon Arts Club: Cleveland Revels! The Kokoon Art Club was founded in Cleveland in 1911, and to fund their activities, the group would throw an annual bal masque that brought out thousands of Clevelanders. In this exhibit are costumes, photos, and poster sketches from those events. Through July 31 at Beck Center for the Arts, 17801 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood. Call 216-227-9507 or visit clevelandartists.org.
Cleveland Museum of Art:
Midwest Modern: The Color Woodcuts of Mabel Hewitt: Cleveland artist Mabel Hewitt uses her woodcuts to show scenes of remote areas of the United States, such as views of Provincetown as well as Sagatuck, Mich. Through October 24. Also: Andrew Borowiec: Cleveland Photographs: The Akron native documents the Flats through black-and-white photography. Through October 17 at 11150 East Boulevard. Open Tuesday-Sunday at 10 a.m. Closes at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday, and at 5 p.m. all other days. Call 216-421-7350 or visit clevelandart.org.
Legation, a Gallery: Dott Schneider: The Burrows: An expression of Schneider's "connection to and observation of the desert," a series of mixed-media paintings and a large-scale installation that represent the impact desert life left on her as an artist. Through September 17 at Legation, A Gallery, 1300 D, West 78th St. Call 216-650-4201 or visit legationagallery.com.
Local Girl Gallery: Unheard Of: Photos by Lakewood artist Tate Davidson. Through August 14 at 16101 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood. Gallery is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from noon-5 p.m., and till 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Call 216-228-1802 or go to localgirlgallery.com.
Museum of Contemporary Art: Aïda Ruilova: The Singles 1999-Now: New York artist Ruilova has created single channel videos characterized by screams and whimpers mixed with images of darkness and confined spaces. Through August 15. Also: Marilyn Minter: Super close-ups of turgid lips, licking tongues, sultry eyes — Minter's 2009 video Green Pink Caviar is made up of eight minutes of models' mouths sucking and licking Jell-O and candy. But that video, as well as Minter's photos and large enamel-on-aluminum paintings, also have grotesque qualities that seem to be more criticism than celebration of the decadent glamour we typically associate with fashion mags. Through August 15 at 8501 Carnegie Ave. Open Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Wednesdays until 8 p.m. Call 216-421-8671 or visit mocacleveland.org.
Studio 2091: 40 Years of Photography: Eric Bing took photos for four decades before becoming a UCC minister and taking a 10-year break from photography. What he's showing now is what survived his "disregard" for his own work: Some of his photos have been through floods, some were lost to theft, and others simply lost. The photos cover lots of thematic ground, from architecture to people. Through August 8 at 2091 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls; visit studio2091.webs.com.
Wall Eye Gallery: Joe Ayala: MMIV-MMX: Ayala goes for the big and time-honored themes: history, beauty, humor, and death. This show is Wall Eye Gallery's first spotlighting of one of its members, a sampling of paintings, prints, and drawing he made since 2004. Through August 8 at 5304 Detroit Ave. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, and by appointment. Call 216-640-7769 or visit walleyegallery.blogspot.com.
