Exiles in Lower Utopia: Ingesting the weird brew served up at the Bettcher Gallery, one is left wondering whether Toc Fetch and Tricia Cline are savant fugitives from Bellevue's Peter Pan ward or simply plain old-fangled eccentrics living off the fat of imagination in their Woodstock Xanadu. Their latest exhibit narrates the story of a schizzy cast, unfolding a tale of an inward pilgrimage or what the artists refer to as "the heroic journey to self." Many of the drawings in the show are masterfully executed and exude an ethereal quality that transports the viewer into the wacky machinations of what Fetch calls his "Grand Circus Psyche." Through January 15. Bettcher Gallery, 5582 NE Fourth Ct., Miami; 305-758-7556.
Nowhere: This exhibit features photographic works by four contemporary Cuban artists. The show concentrates on how exiles deal with global turmoil, issues of displacement, and social and political tensions in their adopted regions, and eschews commentary about Cuba's current political reality. Spain's Juan Pablo Ballester weighs in with five stunning cibachrome prints from his series "Enlloc," the Catalonian word for nowhere. Alexandre Arrechea's The Garden of Mistrust packs a formidable wallop and projects the sobering reality that in our political climate, Big Brother's protection reaches into most facets of contemporary life. The powerful piece consists of a soaring metal tree with bushels of surveillance cameras on its branches. Through January 27. Alonso Art, 181 NW 36th St., Miami; 305-576-4142.
For a complete listing of current art shows, click on Culture in the navigation bar to the left, scroll down to the “Listings Search” Category pulldown, and select Art Galleries and Museums.
