"Either or, Or Both"

Just as we were wondering what to get the artist-couple that’s already got everything from clear Plexiglass birdhouses to expertly upholstered basketball backboards, Olmos Park gallerist Patricia Ruiz-Healy steps up to the plate with “Either or, Or Both,” an exhibition pairing multi-tasking SA-based duo Nate Cassie and Ethel Shipton. Both newcomers to Ruiz-Healy Art’s increasingly eclectic roster (which champions Latin American, Spanish and “Texas-connected” artists, including late local legend Chuck Ramirez), Jersey boy Cassie and Laredo gal Shipton routinely collaborate on spontaneous Vacancy Projects—one-time-only art happenings that take over unassuming spaces with themed exhibits—but have never shown together in such an exclusive format. If the invite depicting the couple not quite grasping the principles of the telephone game (both are either talking or listening at the same time) is any indication, this collaboration adds miscommunication to a curious palette of intersecting themes (number theory, cyclical systems, road signs and points unknown) that have so far played out via sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, text and installation.