Breakneck Gallery
Where's My Jetpack? 2. Breakneck's reliable roster of pop-addled artists — including Josh Usami, Eric Kaplan, and CHOD — memorialize what tomorrow looked like yesterday. (That's CHOD's "Space Cadet," left.) This retro-futurist show reimagines technologies from classical science fiction that failed to pan out, and reflects on how the unimagined digital age changed so much and so little. An opening reception will be held Saturday, August 25, from 6 to 10 p.m. The exhibit continues through October 6 at 17020 Madison Ave., Lakewood. Call 216-767-5610 or go to breakneckgallery.com for more information.
Arts Collinwood: Nomads. Chicago-based William M. Newhouse, a 1999 CIA grad, crafts playful scenes of male-male romantic affection. He draws upon both contemporary and classical Renaissance techniques to lend softness to his subjects and subvert technical expectations. Through September 2 at 15605 Waterloo Rd. Call 216-692-9500 or go to artscollinwood.org.
BuckBuck: Hai-ku (noun). Andy Curlowe and Janet Bruhn examine humanity's relationship with nature. Bruhn uses an unflinching realism to demonstrate how the world goes on without our attention or consent. Curlowe meshes together natural landscapes and geometric figures meant to invoke schematics, contrasting nature's aimless patterns with human systemization. Through September 9 at 3910 Lorain Ave. Call 216-407-9558 or go to buckbuckcle.com.
Cleveland Museum of Art: DIY: Photographers & Books. This free exhibition chronicles the emerging subculture of print-on-demand books, which allow photographers and other creators to create inexpensive volumes quickly and without having to wrangle with publishers. More than 100 photographs and 150 DIY books are on display. Through at December 30 at 11150 East Bld. Call 216-421-7350 or go to clevelandart.org.
Gallery Wolfy Part II: Enjoy Your Life. Musician and artist Jad Fair displays drawings and paper cutouts that invoke the same combination of whimsy and monstrosity that fans discovered in his band Half Japanese. Through September 1 at 2676 West 14th St. Go to wolfypartii.blogspot.com.
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage: Precious Objects. Chronicler of the lives of Clevelanders Chuck Mintz presents a series of photographs featuring local folks posing with objects they deem their most prized possessions. The images are accompanied by short statements from the subject, explaining their personal meanings. Through September 30 at 2929 Richmond Rd., Beachwood. Call 216-593-0575 or go to maltzmuseum.org.
Mastroianni Arts: A Wink and a Nod. In Jackie Romanak Zubal's funny and startling colllages, chipmunks hang laundry out to dry, and hands offer up fistfuls of yellow chicks to altars draped in prayer flags. A closing reception is set for 6 to 10 p.m. September 14 at 2688 West 14th St. Call 216-235-6936 or visit mastroianniarts.com.
Negative Space: Out of the Shadows and Into the Light. Painter Jesse Burke splashes paintings with an almost elemental simplicity, creating an unnamable air of profundity. Simple abstracted human figures are set in open spaces rendered in simple shapes, suggesting encounters with something beyond thought's normal scope. Through September 25 at 3820 Superior Ave. East. Call 216-470-6092 or go to thinknegativespace.com.
Opus Gallery: All Women All Art. This annual show gives female artists the opportunity to display their creations in all media. Through September 10 at 27629 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere. Call 216-595-1376 or go to opus-gallery.com.
River Gallery Art: Jeff Yost and Brian Sarama. Jeff Yost calls forms out of dusky gloom. Recent MFA grad Brian Sarama breaks down images and piles them on top of one another on ceramic backdrops, creating fields of color and shapes. Through September 8 at 19046 Old Detroit Rd., Rocky River. Call 440-331-8406 or go to rivergalleryarts.com.
Spaces: An Inventory of Absence. In perhaps Spaces' most meta show to date, Milwaukee-based Shana McCaw and Brent Budsberg deconstruct the very idea of a gallery. Mixed-media installations emphasize the white nothingness in which galleries try to drape themselves in order to give priority to artworks. An opening reception will be held Friday, August 24, from 6 to 9 p.m. Through October 19 at 2220 Superior Viaduct. Call 216-621-2314or go to spacesgallery.org.
