Our pick for best group show this month: Mitsy Ávila Ovalles, Jessica Trippe, Jin Chon, Chris Jehly, John Casey, and Empte Eyes at "Mixed Messages." We like the sound of Trippe's work -- she apparently fetishizes "all things old-timey," and Jehly's really into bugs, spiders, and lizards. But mostly, "Mixed Messages" is a rare chance to see Ovalles' work up close and personal. This San Joser makes paintings with deep, deep layers of laquers, glitters, embroideries, collage, and overpainted areas. In photos, her canvases look amazing, with their constant snips of 1970s Latino-Americana and owls, but not nearly as amazing as they really are, in real life, at "Mixed Messages."
March 5-26, 2009
