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M U S I N G S FROM THE FUTURE, Tad Savinar


  • PDX CONTEMPORARY ART 1825 Northwest Vaughn Street, Suite B Portland, OR, 97209 United States (map)

PDX CONTEMPORARY ART is pleased to present M U S I N G S FROM THE FUTURE, an exhibition of new work by Tad Savinar. The exhibition marks Savinar’s fiftieth year of working in the studio. 

With wry wit, the ever careful observer Tad Savinar “reports” on our present culture, projecting us into his view of our not-so-distant futures. With our democracy tied up in knots, active viruses invading our lives, and climate taking on new behaviors, there has been plenty of grist for the artist to chew on.

Savinar presents work in various media including cast bronze, digital prints on paper, and printed silk, among others. Alongside the exhibition the artist has produced an illustrated brochure detailing the show with an essay by curator and arts writer Linda Tesner who says of the artist,  “I have been following Savinar's work for the past three decades. One curious aspect of Savinar's studio practice is that he has an uncanny way of anticipating the future. His work has a prescience that is simultaneously funny and sobering—worth paying attention to.”

Tad Savinar has worked as a visual artist, urban planner, playwright, and director. Born in Portland, Oregon, he has been an active member of the state’s cultural community for the past 50 years. His artistic practice focuses on the relationship between the individual and notions of officialdom— be they governmental, religious, or parental. His work offers lessons in national pride, economics, and civics. For Savinar, language often functions best as image, where it can slip from spoken to seen, toying with the senses and complicating the everyday.

Savinar has been the recipient of fellowships and awards including the National Endowment for the Arts and the Oregon Governor’s Arts Award. He has exhibited in museums and galleries across the country including PDX CONTEMPORARY ART (Portland, OR), Rhonna and Eric Hoffman Gallery (Portland, OR), The Art Gym (Portland, OR), S.K. Josefsberg Gallery (Portland, OR), Savage Fine Art (Portland, OR), The Fabric Workshop (Philadelphia, PA), Elizabeth Leach Gallery (Portland, OR), The New Museum of Contemporary Art (New York, NY), Center on Contemporary Art (Seattle, WA), Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, CA), Artist’s Space (New York, NY), Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR). And/Or (Seattle, WA). Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (Atlanta, GA), Meyerson Nowinkski (Seattle, WA), Whatcom Museum of Art (Bellingham, WA), and Greg Kucera Gallery (Seattle, WA), among others. 

His work is featured in prominent public collections including those of Chase Manhattan Bank (New York, NY), Phillip Morris Corporation (New York, NY), James Winkler Company (Portland, OR), Aratex (Burbank, CA), and Oregon Health Science Center (Portland, OR), and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.

The artist’s work has been published in several books and has been written about in Burnaway, Oregon Humanities, The Oregonian, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, Artweek, Fine Art Publishing, Willamette Week, and Reflex.

Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm

Earlier Event: December 3
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Later Event: January 24
Weaving Data