showtime

UH School of Art storms DiverseWorks with graduate work ranging from kineticsculpture to a micro comic convention

An illiustration from Ted Closson's Nighthawks at the Last Supper, A Comic andZine Convention in Miniature.
Rosine Kouamen,Yassin, 2012, photographic print.
Lisa Garrett, Urban Decay, 2012, neon sign.
M’kina Tapscott, Red Giant, 2012.
Steven Hook, Ideas, 2012,gouache on paper on canvas, 48 x 48 inches.

Judging from artist Natali Leduc's mysterious bicycle-powered sculpture at the center of DiverseWorks' main gallery, Saturday night's opening reception for the 34th UH School of Art Masters' Thesis Exhibition is gearing up to be quite the event with an impressive array of emerging artistic voices.

A sort of emerging artists' cotillion for the Houston art scene, the annual springtime exhibit is designed as a showcase for the University of Houston's latest crop of graduating MFA candidates who together offer a glimpse into the future of art in the city and beyond.

Held at DiverseWorks while the usual space at the Blaffer Art Museum finishes up its major renovation, this year's exhibition represents five departments within the School of Art, including the Interdisciplinary Practice and Emerging Forms (IPEF) program and its first graduating student, video and multimedia artist Chuck Ivy.

"Even through the outward forms of the work vary so much, there's a definite theme of collaboration and community engagement throughout the show," said exhibit curator Amy Powell from the Blaffer Art Museum.

"Even through the outward forms of the work vary so much, there's a definite theme of collaboration and community engagement throughout the show," curatoral fellow Amy Powell from UH's Blaffer Museum explained to CultureMap on a preview tour.

"One student, Ted Closson, is staging a mini comic convention with a group of illustrator friends while upcoming graduates Danilo Bojic and Sebastian Forray have commissioned additional artists to help build these large curated installations."

At the gallery's edge, Rosine Kouamen draws viewers into an engaging partitioned space reminiscent of a half-furnished apartment that explores the experiences of Houston’s African diaspora through a fusion of memory, cultural nostalgia and images of the city's first-generation immigrants. Fabric hangs from the wall featuring a pattern of product wrappers from long-extinct candies. A flatscreen television shows a video piece showing the artist preparing a large meal of traditional Cameroonian comfort food and then eating it by herself.

"You become aware of the differences between places when you leave one for the other," Kouamen explained, motioning to a set of images showing personal trinkets and ephemera from West Africa. "For example, little objects from home that were once so insignificant suddenly become so important. People end up holding onto these things to create a personal culture for themselves that makes sense in this new place."

Also on display will be canvases by Emily McGrew and Steven Hook, who also will include video work that relates to his paintings. Abi Semtner examines family history with obsessive arrangements of fabric and paper. M’Kina Tapscott’s experimental ceramic assemblages approach questions of race, class and identity. Lisa Garrett’s neon sign creations light up the gallery space on several prominent walls.

The 34th School of Art Masters Thesis Exhibition opens with a large reception at DiverseWorks on Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The exhibit will be on view through May 12.

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Movie review

Will Arnett shines in Bradley Cooper’s divorce drama Is This Thing On?

Photo by Searchlight Pictures/Jason McDonald

Will Arnett in Is This Thing On?.

With 12 Oscar nominations in the past 12 years in multiple categories, Bradley Cooper has turned into not only an acclaimed actor, but also a touted filmmaker. Given that pedigree, it might be difficult to remember that he first gained recognition as a comedy star in movies like Wedding Crashers, Yes Man, and The Hangover series. For his latest directorial effort, he has married comedy with drama in Is This Thing On?.

Unlike the previous two films he directed, Cooper only has a supporting role, ceding the lead to Will Arnett. He plays Alex Novak, who, as the film begins, is starting the process of divorce from his wife of 20 years, Tess (Laura Dern). Forced to move to a depressing apartment in New York City and only getting limited time with his two kids, Alex finds the unexpected outlet of stand up comedy when he signs up for open mic night at the famous Comedy Cellar.

The film follows Alex as he continues to pursue comedy while still having to see Tess on a regular basis, thanks to a shared custody agreement and get-togethers with friends like Balls and Christine (Cooper and Andra Day) and Stephen and Geoffrey (real life couple Sean Hayes and Scott Icenogle). While the comedy serves as a form of counseling for Alex, truly moving on proves more difficult than expected.

The film, co-written by Cooper with Arnett and Mark Chappell, is loosely based on the real-life story of British comedian John Bishop, so one of the biggest things they needed to get right was the comedy itself. Alex’s marital situation lends his comedy more of a confessional style than actual jokes, and his evolution in that space is done well. Shooting in the actual Comedy Cellar and populating the club with real comedians like Amy Sedaris, Jordan Jensen, Reggie Conquest, and more gives those scenes an extra dose of realism.

As if to underscore the personal and emotional nature of the story, Cooper and cinematographer Matthew Libatique make liberal use of closeups with handheld cameras. The camera is constantly moving around and often seems to be right in the actors’ faces, something that is most noticeable when Alex is performing. As if the stories Alex was telling weren’t intimate enough, having Arnett's entire face fill the frame forces the audience to pay attention to what his character is saying.

If there is something to knock about the film, it’s a lack of dramatic stakes. While there’s natural tension between Alex and Tess due to the divorce, it’s way less than in a movie like, say, Marriage Story. There’s also a sneaking suspicion that Cooper was just looking to have fun with the film, casting himself as the comic sidekick and working with good friends like Arnett and Hayes. If ever there was a good hang divorce movie, this is it.

Arnett rarely gets to be in movies, much less as the lead, but he ably embodies this somewhat dramatic part. It helps that he’s given a great scene partner like Dern, who knows when to dial her acting up or down for a particular situation. Cooper and Day are also good despite their story being slightly superfluous, and Christine Ebersole and Ciarán Hinds as Alex’s parents lend the film some extra gravitas.

Is This Thing On? is a much different type of film from Cooper’s first two directorial efforts, A Star is Born and Maestro, and it’s nice to see the filmmaker offer something new. It has a relatable story for anyone who has ever been married while offering an element of uniqueness with someone discovering an undiscovered skill late in life.

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Is This Thing On? opens wide in theaters on January 9.