Things to Do Features

The art shows you should see right now

From tattoo design to an exploration of inner fears, these exhibits feel current and fresh.

By Eliza Berkon January 24, 2018

Sally Canzoneri, “1315 Duke Street,” (View from right), *Double Takes*.

Double Takes
Jan. 10-Feb. 4
After local photographer Sally Canzoneri catalogued updates to D.C.’s NoMa neighborhood, she grew interested in depicting not just an area’s changing architecture but also its social evolution. Her lenticular compositions—juxtaposed images that appear to shift depending on the viewer’s vantage point—depict local events and locations, chosen for their historical significance. In “1315 Duke Street,” Canzoneri splices together a Civil War-era image of the building (a former slave-trading outfit now home to the Northern Virginia Urban League and Freedom House Museum) with a modern-day photograph. // The Art League, Torpedo Factory: 105 N Union St., Alexandria

Sally Canzoneri, “1315 Duke Street,” (View from left), *Double Takes*.

Etched in Skin: Tattoo Art
Jan. 9-Feb. 10
Tattoos are, indeed, fine art. In Etched in Skin, area tattoo artists share work void of their human canvases, ranging from aquatic pen and ink drawings to a digital painting of a double-faced Bill Murray. Presenting these pieces as discrete entities gives them a chance to breathe, an opportunity to be analyzed, respected and appreciated for their intricacies and most importantly, their originality. // Herndon ArtSpace: 750 Center St., Herndon

Gilda Acosta, “Red Octopus,” *Etched in Skin*. Image courtesy of ArtSpace Herndon.

Layered Fears
Jan. 17-Feb. 11
George Mason University MFA student and installation artist Kerry Hentges stares death in the face in Layered Fears, a tangible representation of her anxieties regarding the end of life. Discussing “Strings of Fate,” Hentges says she referenced Greek mythology as she affixed several threads vertically to a door-sized wood panel (in an arrangement resembling the innards of a grand piano) to symbolize the varying lifespans of family members. The longest thread, reserved for her late father, has been cut. Other works integrate textual collage with confessional writings to approach the subject from a more cerebral angle. // George Mason University Art Lab, Workhouse Arts Center: 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton

Kerry Hentges, “Ascent/Descent,” *Layered Fears*. Image courtesy of Workhouse Arts Center.

Portraits and Windows
Jan. 2-Feb. 11
Two parallel series of photography—differing in their production process but conceptually matched—are presented in Portraits and Windows, Soomin Ham’s tour of her grandfather’s 1930s photography and its fusion with her own. Here, Ham invites questions about our ability to connect with ancestors who walked the path we would one day tread. // Multiple Exposures Gallery, Torpedo Factory: 105 N. Union St., Alexandria

Soomin Ham, “Song of ‘Schoolboy,'” *Portraits and Windows*.

Give Me Sun, Water, Soil and Seed With a Little Bit of Hope
Jan. 13-Feb. 19
In Give Me Sun at Arlington’s relatively new and uber tiny Metro Micro Gallery, Maryland-based ceramic artist Akemi Maegawa presents flower pots with feet, rows of tiny ceramic houses, tree stumps and other imagery depicting an environment in flux. Though the pieces initially appear docile and fanciful, the contemporary artist intends to inspire conversation rather than amuse. // Metro Micro Gallery: 3409 Wilson Blvd., Arlington