The Hidden Agenda: Embrace Infinity
Yayoi Kusama, “Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity,” 2024. From The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston website.
If you don’t know what to do this week, there’s no shortage of things to get into, including opening receptions at DiverseWorks and The Menil Collection, the Extremely Shorts Film Festival at Aurora Picture Show, and the opening of Yayoi Kusama’s summer exhibition at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Ongoing
Extremely Shorts Film Festival at Aurora Picture Show
This weekend, Aurora Picture Show (2442 Bartlett) is hosting the 19th annual Extremely Shorts Film Festival. The short format of the festival promotes innovative approaches to filmmaking, with genres ranging from narrative, art and experimental to documentary and animation. Screenings take place on Friday at 7 and 9 pm with a $15 admission, then return on Saturday at 7:30 pm for the final screening and awards reception for $25.
Pop Shop Houston Modern Crafts and Art Festival at Silver Street Studios
From 11 am to 7 pm on Saturday and Sunday, Pop Shop Houston returns with their annual summer event at Silver Street Studios (2000 Edwards). With handmade and vintage goods from dozens of vendors, art exhibitions, craft workshops, live music and complimentary bites from local eateries, the $8 admission is certainly worth it.
Thursday, June 9
Opening Reception — As Essential As Dreams: Self-Taught Art from the Collection of Stephanie and John Smither at The Menil Collection
From 7 to 9 pm, join The Menil Collection (1533 Sul Ross) for the public opening of As Essential As Dreams, an exhibition of the collection of Houston’s Stephanie and John Smither. As collectors and patrons, the Smither’s have championed the work of self-taught and visionary artists, promoting a community of artists that are not always viewed in the same light as the classically trained.
Friday, June 10
Opening Reception — Sheila Pepe: Put me down Gently: A Cooler Place and I’m Afraid I Can’t Do That at DiverseWorks
Sheila Pepe’s exhibition at DiverseWorks (3400 Main), a commissioned installation that serves as an open meeting space and platform for several events, features an opening reception from 6 to 9 pm. For the exhibition, Pepe invites artists and participants to perform, explore, and discuss issues related to race and LGBTQ identity through a series of events that will take place within her installation, including a video installation by current MFAH Core Fellow Sondra Perry, taking place on Friday, June 17 at 7 pm.
Midnight Madness: The Room at River Oaks Theatre
The River Oaks Theatre (2009 West Gray) is hosting another of their popular “Midnight Madness” screenings, this time of Tommy Wiseau’s hilariously bad movie, The Room. The film, widely regarded for being one of the worst movies ever made, is sure to bring laughs with it’s atrocious performances and clichéd dialogue. Tickets are $10 and the screening starts at 11:59 pm.
Saturday, June 11
2nd Saturday at Spring in the Washington Avenue Arts District
The studios in the Washington Avenue Arts District — including Silver Street, Winter Street and Spring Street Studios, as well as The Silos at Sawyer Yards — are opening up to the public for their monthly second-Saturday event. The repurposed warehouses, which feature dozens of studios for artists of every medium, will be open from 2 to 5 pm, giving visitors the opportunity to get up close and personal with local artists and their work.
Opening Reception — Nicholas Bodde: Color Rhythm at Gallery Sonja Roesch
Join Gallery Sonja Roesch (2309 Caroline) for the opening reception of German artist Nicholas Bodde’s exhibition, Color Rhythm, from 5 to 7 pm. Bodde is regarded for his use of lacquered aluminum structures to create hard-edge abstractions with bold contrasts of color.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show at River Oaks Theatre
At midnight, join the Royal Mystic Order of Chaos for one of their raucous performances alongside the screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at River Oaks Theatre (2009 West Gray). Come in costume and make sure to pick up one of their “Rocky bags,” complete with everything from rubber gloves and toilet paper to party hats and noisemakers. Tickets for the event are $11 and you should probably arrive early to grab a good seat.
Sunday, June 12
Kusama: At the End of the Universe at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
As the major summer exhibition at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (1001 Bissonnet), Yayoi Kusama’s At the End of the Universe is one exhibition you simply can’t miss. The Japanese artist, who was recently featured as the only visual artist on TIME‘s annual list of “The 100 Most Influential People” for 2024, presents two of her immersive, mirrored “infinity rooms” as part of the exhibition. Opening at 12:15 pm on Sunday, the exhibition will run through September 18.
