“Tekno, Trees, and 10,000 Dreams: City Lights for June 13 Through 19
An ode to Asian choreography, music performances from Nigerian afrobeats singer Tekno, local Ethio-jazz artist Munit Mesfin, and Kumbia Queers, plus a cult film screening and Jo Levine’s latest exhibition.
Ends Saturday: Jo Levine’s Trees 360° at Studio Gallery
Jo Levine’s previous photography exhibit at Studio Gallery was about grasses. With her latest (and much larger) exhibit at the same venue, Levine graduates to trees. A lesson from her previous show still holds, however: Stay close to your subject. At a distance, Levine’s arboreal subjects—spindly trunks in the mist, lazily hanging branches, fall foliage reflected in rippling water—come off as distinguished but somewhat routine. When Levine inspects them from a closer perspective, however, their visual quirks emerge. Some of the trunks she photographs offer mottled, multicolored patches of lichens or isobar-like patterns on textured bark. Fallen leaves flaunt their divergent hues, or collect rain droplets in surprisingly orderly arrangements. Cherry blossoms cast a reflection in pond water that turns into a crazily twisted pattern. An arrangement of fallen, beige-toned leaves is seen encased in ice, covered by an unexpected layer of frozen bumps. Most notably, several images capture the ghostly imprints of leaves on sidewalks. Often paired with actual leaves elsewhere in the frame, the negative leaf imprints of this series spark a dialogue about the interaction between presence and absence. Jo Levine’s Trees 360° runs through June 15 at Studio Gallery, 2108 R St. NW. Wednesday through Friday, 1 to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. studiogallerydc.com. Free. —Louis Jacobson”
Hanging Out by Jo Levine
Etched in Wood by Jo Levine
Cherry Reflections by Jo Levine
“Jo Levine: Trees 360°; Curated by Gaby Mizes: Through June 15th at Studio Gallery, 2108 R St. NW. studiogallerydc.com. 202-232-8734.”
Review by Louis Jacobson, Washington City Paper, June 2024. Thank you!