Just because it's Halloween doesn't mean the art scene is going to take the month off. This First Thursday and Friday, San Anto's spooks will have plenty of things to see if they choose to make Southtown their stalking grounds. To that end, we've rounded up five openings — plus a bonus performance — that are worth checking out this week, costumes not required.
"Second Skin" — Brick Gallery
Magaly Cantu and Jayné Valverde's surrealist exhibition "Second Skin" deconstructs the concept of the outer self, the mask that shields our vulnerable inner selves from the world. The two artists use a variety of mediums to create abstract portraits that celebrate the destigmatization of trauma and the triumph of self-realization over fears and anxieties. Free, 6-10 p.m. Thursday, October 31 and Friday, November 1, Brick Gallery, Brick at Blue Star, 108 Blue Star, facebook.com/BrickatBlueStar.
"Ritual Vessels" — Terminal 136
Mary Wuest's "Ritual Vessels" uses ceramics as a catalyst to examine how the physical body is also a fragile vessel. Wuest examines and confronts the misuse of power by exploring the external and internal pressures that can shape — or misshape — each container, with works ranging from small, lidded vases adorned with human faces to larger, distorted vessels that strive upward to terminate at an open orifice. Free, 6-9 p.m. Thursday, October 31 and Friday, November 1, Terminal 136, 136 Blue Star, (210) 458-4391, art.utsa.edu/terminal-136.
"From One, Another" — FL!GHT Gallery
Hilary Rochow follows up her October exhibition on local pollinators at Flax Gallery with a solo show in FL!GHT this month. "From One, Another" features some of her largest illustrations to date — up to 60" x 40" — rendered in the exacting detail that is her trademark style. The exhibition features the wildlife of West Texas, with an odd animal as the centerpiece: the ocelot. While many are aware of the provenance of mountain lions in the state, the presence of the endangered ocelot on Texan soil often surprises people. Alas, the subspecies that occupies Texas is thought to be down to a population of less than 1,000 animals, so Rochow's careful rendering may be your only chance to see the rare creature. Free, 6-10 p.m. Friday, November 1, FL!GHT Gallery, 112R Blue Star, facebook.com/flightSA.
"Cross-Sections" — DAMAS gallery and studio
Southwest School of Art alumna Lata Gedala seeks out innovative ways to create while minimizing disruption of the environment. In her quest to find alternatives to commercially produced materials, she has worked extensively with plant matter to create paper, on which she has printed etchings and photographs. For her latest exhibition, "Cross-Sections," she has made papyrus by hand from vegetables like beets and lettuce. The often overlapping, thinly sliced membranes highlight the colors and detail hidden within produce — which we often miss when masticating. Free, 6-10 p.m. Friday, November 1, DAMAS gallery and studio, 1420 S. Alamo St. #202, (207) 653-7608, facebook.com/damas.space.
"29.4134° N, 98.4882° W" — Presa House Gallery
Corpus Christi artist Jorge Alegría presents his first solo show in San Antonio, "29.4134° N, 98.4882° W," which is titled with the coordinates of Presa House Gallery. He's gone all-in with a collection of over 60 paintings, drawings and sketches that feature both abstract and figurative work. From portraits of men at repose to shifting ripples of water, Alegría's creates a hypnotic atmosphere with precisely applied layers of graphite. Free, 6-11 p.m. Friday, November 1, Presa House Gallery, 725 S. Presa St., (210) 445-6997, presahouse.com.
"Teardowns" Performance — Blue Star Contemporary
As part of her "Teardowns" exhibition — which opened in Blue Star Contemporary's Main Gallery at the beginning of October — Texas State University professor and BSC Berlin Residency alumna Joey Fauerso will stage a performance this First Friday. Over the period that "Teardowns" has been on display, Fauerso has eroded its central mural as a commentary on "the destructive and restorative nature of humanity." While BSC is mum on details regarding this performance, it's probably safe to assume that Fauerso will foster creation through destruction. Free, 7 p.m. Friday, November 1, Blue Star Contemporary, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, bluestarcontemporary.org.
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