Wait a Minute

In the Jetsons’ futuristic utopia, urban dwellings looked like they had been stuck atop Seattle’s Space Needle, but by comparison, the hyperornamental architecture sprouting in Dubai today makes the space-age family look like they were stuck in the Stone Age. Presented by Black Bird Space and Factory Model, “Pause,” opening tonight at 6:00 at the Buena Vista Building, features works by nearly twenty Bay Area and Miami artists exploring the architectural language being bred by urban development in Dubai, the second-largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates.

Curated by Christopher Culver and Rebecca Miller, the exhibit includes drawings, paintings, sculpture, and video conveying these artists’ investigation of the cartoon metropolis bubbling up in the desert off the Persian Gulf. Urbanist poobah Rem Koolhaas recently found himself scratching his noggin, trying to decipher how unabashed bad taste and filthy riches have resulted in such a gaudy display. That’s what these artists are hoping to help the dazed codger figure out.
Sat., Dec. 9, 6 p.m.