By Allyn Cantor

DANIELA REPAS: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY Chambers@916, Portland, Feb 2-25 As a Bosnian fleeing war-torn former Yugoslavia, Daniela Repas found refuge in W. Europe before arriving in the U.S. As evidenced by this multi-channel animated installation, her traditional approach to art is transformed by contemporary digital technology. Hand-drawn animation is projected onto screens of ink and charcoal drawings to bring a sense of movement within the figurative work. The over-lapping sound composition further engages the viewer in a story that is charged with worldly first-hand experience.

RAE MAHAFFEY Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, Mar 1-31 Formal considerations are foremost to Portland artist Rae Mahaffey who has said that shape and colour are her “initial vehicles of expression.” Her complex abstract compositions of interlocking geometric motifs, repetitious patterning and concentric shapes, are saturated with unusual chromatic choices. In reflecting that which is familiar, her structural arrangements offer alternate interpretation possibilities. The visually-stimulating work speaks to the artist’s sense of conviction and technical skill.

JOSEPH STERLING: 30 YEARS OF PHOTOGRAPHS Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, Portland, Jan 18-Feb 25 This exhibit of more than 25 images by Chicago photographer Joseph Sterling (1936-2010) includes several pieces from his famed series, The Age of Adolescence. Shot between 1959-1964 when Sterling was not much older than his youthful subjects, the images document a more-innocent era when the U.S. was on the verge of a sea change. These insightful and historically-important prints did not re-surface until the photographer’s first monograph was published in 2005.

MANYA SHAPIRO: GRIDS Annie Meyer Artwork Gallery, Portland, Mar 1-31 Portland artist, Manya Shapiro, weaves objects from non-traditional materials such as window screen, plastic and electrical wiring. For this show of new work, she has created ethereal-like sculptures that reference grid structures used in weaving and quilt-making. Inspired by ancient textiles, she creates a dialogue on the transformation of craft materials and evokes the duality of fragility and endurance; her pieces are well-placed within a broader continuum of contemporary fibre art.

ANONYMOUS The Art Gym, Marylhurst, Jan 9-Feb 15  Because the six artists invited to participate in this exhibition entered into a confidentiality agreement to ensure anonymity, they are known here simply as Artist A through Artist F. The intent of curator Micah Malone was to relieve the artist from having to sustain their artistic persona and to provide room to create outside of current career conventions and demands. The artwork, made specifically for Anonymous, ranges from video to installation and from wall drawing to painting. Not surprisingly, the experimental project has had mixed reactions from every side and stirred philosophical discussion.