Top Stops

Streets of China: 'Sound Kapital: Beijing's Music Underground'

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:00:27 -0500

ONGOING: China isn't just about thousands of perfectly choreographed dancers celebrating the Olympics. It has punk culture too, and it's beautifully captured in "Sound Kapital: Beijing's Music Underground," a show of photographs at Govinda Gallery.

Check out the visual evidence of the rebellious kids of China. It looks like American punk, but it hasn't been taken over by Hot Topic. Yet.

» Govinda Gallery, 1227 34th St. NW; through Nov. 28, free; 202-333-1180.

Photo courtesy Matthew Niederhauser

Poor Relation: 'Trust Us for Just Us'

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:00:14 -0500

ONGOING: Sure, you could go see the big William T. Wiley retrospective at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Or you could see his new solo show, "Trust Us for Just Us," at a tiny gallery in Dupont Circle. Which sounds better as your Facebook status? Yeah, that's what we thought too.

The show closes Nov. 14, so you'd better hurry.

» Marsha Mateyka Gallery, 2012 R St. NW; through Nov. 14, free; 202-328-0088. (Dupont Circle)

Photo courtesy Marsha Mateyka Gallery

Go to the Picture Show: 'Storytelling in a Digital World'

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:42 -0500

MONDAY: It's not really clear why a bunch of people from National Public Radio (including host Jacki Lyden, pictured) are talking about photography ... but they are. Maybe mankind has learned to transmit photos through the radio, and nobody told us.

A panel of photographers and NPR journalists will speak about digital storytelling as part of a Fotoweek DC event. To attend, RSVP to pictureshow@npr.org.

» National Geographic, Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW; Mon., Nov. 9, 6:30 p.m., free; 202-857-7700. (Dupont Circle)

Photo by Bill O'Leary

Bright Young Things: Re-Introducing David Goslin

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:20 -0500

ONGOING: The Alex Gallery near Dupont Circle extends a welcome to David Goslin, whose works helped define the Washington Color School movement. "Re-Introducing David Goslin" demonstrates how the D.C.-specific style progressed since its inception in the 1960s. Goslin's clean, bright lines and sense of visual balance give a modern spin to the stripe-heavy genre while retaining its mid-century appeal.

» Alex Gallery, Gallery A, 2106 R St. NW; through Nov. 30, free; Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. or by appointment; 202-667-2599. (Dupont Circle)

Photo courtesy Alex Gallery

Surprises in the Dark: 'In the Darkroom'

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 -0500

PHOTO TECHNOLOGY of the digital age has yet to exhaust its filmless possibilities. But "In the Darkroom: Photographic Processes," at the National Gallery of Art, reminds us that technology's role in broadening aesthetic horizons isn't a modern phenomenon.

Chronicling image-development procedures from William Henry Fox Talbot's photogenic drawings to chromogenic realist masterpieces of William Eggleston and Edward Burtynsky to the impossibly rich hues of Harry Callahan and the surreal landscapes of Richard Misrasch, the collection observes the subtle distinctions achieved through organic elements of image production.

Whether cyan tone-salted paper prints, albumen treatments, gelatin silver or the photomechanical processes of photogravure or halftone, "In the Darkroom" celebrates the craftsmanship that afforded icons such as the late Robert Penn Warren to, quoting a recent New Yorker eulogy, contrive "a quality of deep color that was the envy of every other photographer."

Barackiversary: '365 Days'

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:00:46 -0500

WEDNESDAY: It has actually been a year since the day Barack Obama was elected president. We can't believe it either. Where are the flying cars? Where are the jetpacks? We were promised fingerpainting!

Anyway, a panel of experts, including White House press secretary Robert Gibbs and journalist Chuck Todd, will offer their insight into the changes of the past year tonight.

» National Museum of American History, Baird Auditorium, 10th St. and Constitution Ave. NW; Wed., Nov. 4, 6:45 p.m., $40; 202-633-3030. (Smithsonian)

Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Hot Snapshots: FotoWeek D.C.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:12:00 -0500

THIS WEEK: Photographs aren't just comment fodder on Facebook — they can be art too. FotoWeek DC starts Saturday, bringing with it all kinds of fun (and free) events, photography classes and some very high-profile photographers.

As part of the "NightVisions" event, would-be shutterbugs are encouraged to go out and snap anywhere in D.C. between 6 p.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. on Sunday, then bring their handiwork into the FotoWeekDC studio in Georgetown (3338 M Street NW). Professional editors will be on hand to pick the best shot each photographer takes. Those chosen will then be printed, hung up and included in a digital slideshow that will play all week long. To join in, e-mail the Fotoweek crew at nightvisions@fotoweekdc.org.

Fotoweek will also mark the debut of FotoWalk, a 300-yard-long public gallery in Crystal City which will be open through March.

» Sat., Nov. 7-Sat., Nov. 14. For other event information check out Fotoweekdc.org.

Written by Express' Sarah Mimms
Photo by Dayna Smith for the Washington Post

Spy Games: Halloween at the International Spy Museum

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:04:15 -0500

THIS WEEKEND: Mission objective: Find something that is actually fun for both adults and kids over Halloween weekend. Your target: The International Spy Museum.

On Friday and Saturday, the museum will host events for kids during the day, including the launch of the new game CLUE: Secrets and Spies edition. Festivities will include visits from Special Agents Plum, Scarlet, Mustard and the rest of the game as well as a professional makeup artist who will teach incoming agents how to disguise themselves. Special Halloween treats will also be offered.

Beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, adults can enjoy a special Halloween edition of the museum's Spy at Night event, which will include cocktails and tours through the Operation Spy exhibit, in which actors lead visitors through the museum and teach them the craft of spyhood. There will also be a costume contest on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Wear your costumes to the museum and you'll get a discount — 50 percent off admission to the museum and 25 percent off of the Spy Fright events and all store purchases.

» The International Spy Museum, 800 F St. NW; Fri., Oct. 30 - Sat., Oct. 31, $14-$20; 202-393-7798. (Gallery Place-Chinatown)

Written by Express' Sarah Mimms
Photo courtesy International Spy Museum

China in Perspective: Sun Xun

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:00:20 -0500

THURSDAY: The Freer Gallery hosts a screening of Chinese artist Sun Xun's video works, followed by a conversation with the artist, who will discuss the videos and his creative process. Xun combines China's past and present in his complex, evocative works, which are put together from various sources, drawn or painted and then filmed.

» Freer Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW; Thu., Oct. 29, 7 p.m., free; 202-633-1000, Asia.si.edu. (Smithsonian)

Photo courtesy the Freer Gallery

Scarier Than Ghosts: 'Emerging Cyber Threats'

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:00:46 -0500

WEDNESDAY: OK, so the "Emerging Cyber Threats" panel at the International Spy Museum will terrify you and cause you to go into a paranoid, password-changing frenzy. But not without good reason: Most of us aren't practicing safe social networking, after all. So stay informed — check out this panel of security experts discussing Internet threats to personal and national security. Then hide under the bed.

» International Spy Museum, 800 F St. NW; Wed., Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m., $15; 202-393-7798, Spymuseum.org. (Gallery Place)

Photo courtesy International Spy Museum