Opening reception — Saturday, July 5 — 5–8pm
Wednesdays — 3–6pm
Saturday, July 12 & 26 — 1–4pm
Comprised of painted murals, sculptures, and drawings, the installation Arabesque describes a fictional kingdom caught in the crossfire of an endless, untraceable conflict. Arabian princes, armed with scimitars, genii, and rocket launchers, defend their half of the region from ballerinas who dodge bullets with graceful ease. From political assassination by grande jeté to choreographed armistice conferences, Arabesque is a drawn response to growing up in the contemporary fairytale of war time.
Michael Horwitz is an artist and comic editor based in Portland, Oregon. Originally from Virginia, he made his first paper doll set at age 8 and received his BFA in Film and Television from NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts. Before moving to Portland he worked as an editor at Marvel Comics, where he oversaw adaptations of Stephen King’s The Stand and The Dark Tower. His ongoing practice of live color pencil portraiture has been included in the programming of the Contemporary Museum of Craft, The Portland Art Museum, PICA’s Time Based Arts Festival, The Portland Queer Music Festival, One Grand Gallery, Cascade AIDS Project, The Mo’Wave Music Festival, The Projects Comic Festival, Nark Magazine, and The Independent Print Resource Center. He is currently pursuing his MFA at the Pacific Northwest College of Art and writing an autobiographical memoir about his boyfriend, the poet Walt Whitman.