BLVD is—make that was—the urban contemporary younger sibling conjoined (they share a wall) with Roq La Rue, Seattle's pop surrealist institution. (Which is, thankfully, staying put.) more ›

If there's one thing you can say that the artists whose shows opens tonight at Roq la Rue have in common, it's that they both really like women. Esao Andrews, an NYC-based artist, likes to contort the feminine form into the oddest situations: stuck inside the bowl of a flower vase, riding a giant swan, or with a head blasting hot air into the sack of a hot air balloon. Japanese artist Fuco Ueda is a bit dirtier: many's the knock-kneed girl in a, shall we say, situation, whether stroking a unicorn's horn or sleeping while a shrimp swims by, emitting a blooming cloud of semen. more ›

There's some sort of primeval or subconscious part of our brains that remains fascinated with the potential magic of spaces we can't enter, whether it's down a rabbit hole, on the other side of a mirror, or the life of things within the walls of our home. The work of Dutch artist Femke Hiemstra, which goes on display at Roq la Rue tonight, captures that fascination with whimsy and wit. Her paintings demonstrate a miniaturist's attention to detail as well as a wildly active imagination. Her paintings on found objects, like , beg us to see the potential magic in the everyday. more ›

Much as we'd like to, we don't always (or even usually) attend opening nights at BLVD and Roq La Rue, so we stopped by both galleries Saturday afternoon. The piece in the video is indeed painted directly on the gallery wall -- and after April 7, it'll be painted over. more ›

Seattlest's wife used to work with Warren Dykeman before he moved to a less corporate position. So we had an early sneak preview at his style, having seen a couple of pieces he hung in their office. more ›

BLVD is adding another art form to its repertoire: film. This Friday night, they're kicking off the Uniplex film series:

An evening of films by, about, and featuring the best of the Urban Contemporary art movement. Uniplex is an effort to bring a greater understanding to the general public of what has become the most influential global art movement of the 21st century, Urban/Street art . The first installment in the series features two short films, Fish Tales and Barnstormers 360, and the feature film Quality of Life.