VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Steel Lounge Underground is an opportunity to chill and meet other cool folks in an informal atmosphere of music, art and cocktails.

Steel Lounge Underground is a monthly event featuring musical artists (DJs) who create entertaining & inspiring soundscapes within a visual environment that is synergistic with their particular music style.

DJ Pooks and Josh Zulu host the next edition of Steel Lounge Underground Friday February 27th at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (5126 Montrose, 77006) from 8pm-11pm.

This is a free event!

This month’s musical line-up features Candice Elliott, DJ Sun & The Southern Backtones!

ABOUT THE DJs
DJ Candice Elliott's love affair with jazz began as a child when she learned to play the trumpet. She bought her first pair of turntables 5 1/2 years ago, and tirelessly practiced and studied other world-class DJs to create a style that is uniquely her own. Her impeccable selections and precise mixing contain a blend of jazz and hip hop undertones plus anything else that is funky and makes a dance floor move.

Picture a lush green rainforest in the Guyana range of South America. Pan over to a grey landscape of a romantic Dutch Harbor in the fall. These scenes provide the backdrop for the influences gathered over the lifetime of DJ Sun, who was born in Rotterdam and then spent half his childhood in South America before settling in Houston. Warm, immediate, and slightly scuffed, DJ Sun produces songs that retain the flavor of vintage vinyl, the kind you􀀁d find in your attic.

The Southern Backtones's style is reminiscent of 90s Britpop and alt-rock, but their roots are planted in Texas. The group's music video “Forever” was featured at the 2008 Dances with Films Festival in L.A. and was adopted by the University of Houston as their rallying cry heard on commercials and in the stadium. The Houston Chronicle writes, “Southern Backtones is not Southern rock. It is a sea of expansive, dark rock with the unmistakable, vampy touch of David Bowie and the indigo mood of Echo & the Bunnymen."

In the Zilkha Gallery:
Perspectives 165: Contents Under Pressure
Exploring the Dual Theme of Containers & Containment – Work by Houston Area Teens

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston’s Teen Council presents their sixth annual juried exhibition of work by Houston area teens. The exhibition is open to all teen-aged artists (13-19 years old) currently living in the Houston area. Artists are encouraged to openly interpret the exhibition theme and title through their work, in any media, including but not limited to: painting, drawing, sculpture, video, and installations. This year’s exhibition juror is artist Dario Robleto.

In The Brown Foundation Gallery:
The Puppet Show
January 17 – April 12, 2009

International in scope, The Puppet Show brings together contemporary artworks in a variety of media that explore the imagery of puppets. From actual puppets, to works that evoke topics associated with puppetry and others that introduce new variations to this historical and global form of theater, The Puppet Show features works that are, in various ways, movable and/or moving objects that perform as alter-egos for the artist or as human surrogates – often with wicked good humor. Featured artists include Guy Ben-Ner, Nayland Blake, Louise Bourgeois, Maurizio Cattelan, Anne Chu, Nathalie Djurberg, Terrence Gower, The Handspring Puppet Company, Pierre Huyghe, Christian Jankowski, Mike Kelley, William Kentridge, Cindy Loehr, Annette Messager, Paul McCarthy, Matt Mullican, Bruce Nauman, Dennis Oppenheim, Philippe Parreno and Rirkrit Tiravanija, Laurie Simmons, Doug Skinner and Michael Smith, Kiki Smith, Survival Research Laboratory, Kara Walker, and Charlie White.

”The Puppet Show” is organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania. It is co-curated by Ingrid Schaffner, ICA Senior Curator, and Carin Kuoni, Director, The Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School.