Evertt Beidler at PSU's Autzen Gallery

March 2009 gallery shows in Portland were full of new names serving everyone notice that they are some major and newly evolved talents in town. Two that come to mind are Eva Speer at Charles Hartman and PORT's own Ryan Pierce at Elizabeth Leach, both of whom debuted new works that balked the economic doldrums, placing some impressive works for serious figures. Still the biggest surprise debut this month is Evertt Beidler at PSU's Autzen gallery.

Beidler has lived in Portland on an off for several years and after finishing his MFA in the Midwest has returned as a real force to watch. I liked his earlier show at Gallery 500 years ago but this is a whole other animal.



His latest show, "I hope this finds you fearless in the wilderness," shows a lot of restraint with just one Kippenbergerish cruciform structure arrayed in the center of the gallery with a few other articles hung up nearby the doorway as if they were for the guests.



The cross like schematic belies Beidler's interest in locational signifiers and each of the four wings of the crux sports a different absurdist object like a foot or my favorite, a motorcycle helmet that looks like a boulder. As a helmet it is a great precautionary measure for any traveler's head, especially if they have no real idea where they are going. Or maybe it signifies a rock-like imperviousness to new ideas?

In the center of the crux is an array of four sticks reaching for a microphone. It feels like a series of ridiculous competing voices and a fitting and topical monument to this moment in history's unease.

Though Beidler's influences like Kippenberger, Beuys and Louise Bourgeois are pretty obvious… this show's restraint and broad interests in location, absurdism and competing ideologies with impressive execution signals this is one artist to watch.