Art Review
Artists explore environmental, political themes

By Virginia Wageman
Advertiser Art Critic

The spiral or swirl pattern on Daven Hee's set of eight clay bowls is the result of throwing the clay on the wheel and creates an almost psychedelic sense of movement. Daven Hee

The current exhibition at bibelot, "Enveloping Spiral," refers to Hee's interest in movement, the depiction of which has always been an important concern for him.

In several series of small bowls hung on the wall in geometric formation, the spiral or swirl pattern resulting from throwing the clay on a wheel creates an almost psychedelic sense of movement, countered and constrained by the earthy tones.

Much of the work in the show is whimsical, like a series of vessels with spouts, called Oil Can Bottles, or delightful vessels deriving from teapots that take on the form of a rocket, robot or submarine.

But it is the quietly elegant pieces that steal the show — the huge forms called stacks, the large platters, and especially, the stacked cylinders in the form of bamboo.

George Woollard and Michael Lee

Versatile artist George Woollard continues to surprise with paintings that play with the themes of earlier works yet reflect new directions and concerns.

Currently at the Gallery at Ward Centre, Woollard has mounted a small show of three large canvases and a selection of watercolors.

The layers of paint that have been applied to the canvases lend depth and even mystery to the final layer. And the surfaces have been raked, etched and gouged to create wonderful textures that evoke slabs of fired clay.

Woollard is noteworthy as a serious artist who plumbs the possibilities of abstraction while never losing sight of the joy that comes with making art. The three new paintings are exemplary of that approach, each a celebration of color.

Also at the Gallery at Ward Centre, woodworker Michael Lee is exhibiting a group of vessels made from the burls of such trees as maple, eucalyptus and camphor. Rather than try to tame the wood, Lee exploits its natural shapes and colors to create wildly organic forms.

•	Daven Hee Bibelot Gallery Through June 15 738-0368 George Woollard and Michael Lee Gallery at Ward Centre Through June 22 597-8034 Critical Issues Honolulu Art Gallery Through June 30 955-5250 Political (S)elections Contemporary Museum Through June 10 526-1322

Tackling the issues of global warming, genetic engineering and economic globalization head-on, Bonnie Kerr, owner of the Honolulu Art Gallery, has put on a show of works intended to raise one's awareness of these vital concerns.

As our president dismantles environmental programs at an alarming rate, it is important we continue to be aware of the consequences of rash use of our resources. The Honolulu Art Gallery's show is thus commendable.

Local and international artists are included in the show, the most compelling of whom is New York-based Sue Coe, who is known for her politically conscious subjects.

Coe's screenprint of a mutated mouse and her etching of a packed sheep yard, a processing factory in the distance, depict horrors in an almost gentle manner.

The other well-known artist in the show, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, makes colorful prints that often refer to the likes of rain forests and rivers. His rather formulaic style and approach — and his message — are simplistic, though certainly not without validity.

'Political (S)elections'

On the theme of politics, the current video program at the Contemporary Museum is not to be missed. (This is the last week.)

Two tapes, one a compilation by Antonio Muntadas and Marshall Reese of campaign ads from the 1950s to the present, including the George W. Bush-Al Gore race. The other is a video collage, put together by Brian Springer, of raw TV footage from the 1992 presidential election, in which the elder George Bush lost to Bill Clinton.

These tapes are both art videos, made by artists and engaging the issues of appropriation, communication and reality versus illusion, as well as stinging social and political commentaries.

Virginia Wageman can be reached at VWageman@aol.com.