Ries, Monsoon, Gerdeman: Reflective Trifecta

Last night I experienced something unthinkable: an Art Triple Threat. I attended three opening receptions at three galleries featuring three different but equally transformative artists. Within a seven-mile radius, I experienced artistic thresholds ranging from posh to hip to cuddly.

I’ve admired the evocative and pristine glass dioramas of Christopher Ries for nearly 20 years. To know his work is to be feverishly, willingly lost in it. His new installation Confluence at Hawk Galleries bursts with rigor and will be on display through January 2. At outsider art haven Lindsay Gallery, Joey Monsoon unleashes his newest collection of lithe countenances. His subjects and their trademark astuteness express a canny, haunted calmness. And at Wholly Craft, the beguilingly irreverent Dan Gerdeman offers a series of paintings that make me grin as much as they make me ponder. His tiny universes may appear whimsical, but underneath each one lays a morally cerebral gift. His pieces, along with works by Elizabeth Gerdeman (no relation), will be on display as Gerdeman VS Gerdeman through December 3.

I spend lots of time talking about the awesomeness that is Columbus, and nights like these only reinforce me.