The Hidden Agenda: In Living Memory
There’s no shortage of events to keep you busy this week, including an outdoor projection-based event at The Menil Collection, a unique interdisciplinary exhibition on the rich history of house music at Axelrad, a Latin American film festival at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and much more.
Monday, April 21
Performance — They, Who Sound
Lawndale Art Center
Get your week going with the latest installment of They, Who Sound — the long-time experimental music series presented by local nonprofit Nameless Sound — hosted at Lawndale Art Center (4912 Main Street). The evening features performances from The Saharan Dust and Megan Easely/Masumi Kataoka/Ruthie Langston. Doors open at 7 p.m. for this free performance that runs from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 22
Shane Lavalette, Ashley at Ben Burton, 2011.
Image: Shane Lavalette
Opening — Shane Lavalette: One Sun, One Shadow
Inman Gallery
Starting in 2010, photographer Shane Lavalette was commissioned by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta to create a new series for their 2012 exhibition, “Picturing the South.” His exhibition, One Sun, One Shadow — on view at Inman Gallery (3901 Main St.) through May 31 — is an extension of this body of work. As a native Northeasterner, Lavalette primarily formed a relationship with the South through traditional music — old time, blues, and gospel — and the resulting photographs delicately convey this perspective. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday, April 23
Performance — The Enchanting Art of the Shakuhachi: A Concert With Traditional Master Musicians From Japan
Asia Society Texas Center
Experience the music of the shakuhachi, Japan’s traditional bamboo flute, in a unique performance at Asia Society Texas Center (1370 Southmore Blvd.). On a rare visit to the United States, Hōzan Nomura — the honored National Living Treasure of the shakuhachi — will be joined by three of Japan's most recognized virtuosos for a one-of-a-kind program that showcases the best of Japan's musical traditions while highlighting each instrument’s formidable potential. Tickets are $25 for this performance that runs from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Thursday, April 24
Artist Teresita Fernández with her installation in What drawing can be: four responses at the Menil Drawing Institute.
Photo: Lauren Marek
Discussion — Artist Talk: Teresita Fernández
The Menil Collection
Teresita Fernández, one of the artists featured in the Menil Drawing Institute’s current exhibition What drawing can be: four responses, presents a talk at The Menil Collection (1533 Sul Ross St.) from 7 to 8 p.m. Fernández will discuss her artistic process of exploring the connections between people, places, and materials, as well as how she reimagines landscapes by uncovering their hidden histories. The event is free and open to the public.
Performance — Find Your Way Back
Axelrad
Join Mitchell Center for the Arts Scholar-in-Residence Bradley Atuba and University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance students for an interdisciplinary exhibition that explores dance, music, visual art, theatrical performance, and the storied history of house music. Hosted at Axelrad (1517 Alabama St.), the event centers on the unifying rhythm of the drum as a way to connect people through ritual and the evolution of the iconic four-on-the-floor beat of house music. The exhibition highlights the pivotal roles that the Black Power, Queer Liberation, and Feminist movements played in the development of the genre. Tickets are free to this event that runs from 8 to 10 p.m.
Friday, April 25
Latin Wave 18
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Latin Wave, the annual film festival hosted at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (1001 Bissonnet St.), returns for its 18th iteration with screenings hosted Friday through Sunday. The festival features eight award-winning films from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Panama, including I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui), winner of the Academy Award for Best International Feature, and Sujo, winner of Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. Festival admission is $10.
The Happening XXVII
The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art
The Happening, a monthly experimental and performance art series hosted at The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art (2334 Gulf Terminal Dr.), returns with an exciting array of performers for its 27th installment. Hosted by Pete Gershon, curator of programs for The Orange Show, the event features performances by breakbeat/punk outfit Briokids, as well as Love $ponge, Julia Wallace, Jen Free, Patrick Doyle, and David LeJune ft. Pretty Dad. The free event runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m.
Saturday, April 26
Screening — Dahomey
Houston Museum of African American Culture
Screening at noon at the Houston Museum of African American Culture (4807 Caroline St.), French director Mati Diop’s 2024 documentary Dahomey explores the journey of more than two dozen historical artifacts as they return from French museums to present-day Benin, from where they were plundered by colonial troops in 1892. The film showcases the perspectives of modern-day citizens of Benin on displacement, ownership, institutionalization, and the future of their homeland. The screening is free but tickets are required.
Bring Your Own Beamer at The Menil Collection.
Courtesy of Aurora Picture Show
BYOB: Bring Your Own Beamer
The Menil Collection
Co-presented with the Aurora Picture Show, Bring Your Own Beamer transforms the façade of The Menil Collection (1533 Sul Ross St.) into the backdrop for this annual evening of community-sourced projections. A tradition since 2013, dozens of Houston creatives will contribute 25-minute sets of their own imagery to the evolving mosaic projected onto the museum, presented alongside a variety of atmospheric music curated by Peter Lucas. Running from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., attendees are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets, and snacks to this free outdoor event.
