Transitions

Abstract artist Tim Reed makes room for more with new series Silly Love Songs

Anyone familiar with Santa Fe abstract artist Tim Reed could likely pick his work out of a lineup. Reed often makes use of a bold field of pastel and an illustrative pen-and-ink element that breaks up swooping swathes of color with more intricate, if chaotic, designs. Reed has developed a singular visual language that has a comfortable familiarity .

Change can also be a vibe, though, a mantra Reed adopted while working toward the body of work currently hanging at all three Iconik Coffee Roasters locations across town. Silly Love Songs acts both as a testament to Reed’s process of long gestation, and to listening to what his body wanted while trying to complete a series with a mere 21 days notice.

“I had a lot of work well underway, some of it sitting in the studio for five years, which is not uncommon for me,” Reed tells SFR, “but I had to fill more spaces than I thought.”

Part of the crunch was local curator and ongoing Reed champion Moss Fawn taking over curation duties at all Iconik locations with a relatively short lead time. Part of it was Reed’s illustration practice, which he says helped transition his more recent work from blatantly abstract to at least semi-representational.

“I’m still comfortable calling myself an abstract artist because I enjoy it in the same way it’s fun to look at clouds, but I just sort of recognized that maybe I was holding myself back,” he says. “I wanted to make sure the doors were open. I let myself play more.”

The audience will still have plenty of leeway when it comes to considering Reed’s work. He won’t, after all, spell it out. It’s alchemical, he says—a conversation. (Alex De Vore)

Tim Reed: Silly Love Songs: Through Sunday, June 30. Free. Iconik Coffee Roasters, 1600 Lena St., 1366 Cerrillos Road; 314 S Guadalupe St., (404) 428-0996).

‘Shroom for Improvement

If you somehow missed the gloriously educational and entertaining 2019 film Fantastic Fungi about mushroom enthusiast Paul Stamets, make haste to the Center for Contemporary Arts for a special screening of a remastered version of the film for its fifth anniversary. Not only will viewers learn the absolutely bonkers reality of fungi’s grip and presence on the planet Earth, they’ll have a chance to demystify concepts such as psychedelics, the natural universe and why our mushroom friends are so vital to life as we know it. Plus, the whole thing is narrated by Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson, so…y’know, good news for nerds. To summarize: Mushrooms are cool, you should love them, this film teaches you why that is. (ADV)

Fantastic Fungi Remastered: Various times Friday, March 29-Thursday, April 4. $13. Center for Contemporary Arts, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, (505) 982-1338

Around the Bent

So it’s been a minute since we checked in with singer-songwriter Eryn Bent, but that doesn’t mean the guitarist, sometimes bandleader and vocal dynamo hasn’t been making moves. As always, Bent’s tunes remain introspective think-pieces about the harder things in life, yes—but also the beautiful things. “I was able to go to Hawaii in January, and that was great because I’ve been consciously trying to write more and that was a trip I needed to feel inspired,” she says. “My personal experience in songwriting has been a battle with my anxiety, but I’m finding the joy in writing again.” Find Bent strumming and singing twice this week. (ADV)

Eryn Bent: 6 pm Saturday, March 30. $10. Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, 2791 Agua Fría St., (505) 308808; 6 pm Sunday, March 31. Free. Tesuque Casino, 7 Tesuque Road, (800) 462-2635

Into the Stratosphere

Welp, it’s not every day we get a band from freaking Switzerland in Santa Fe, but that’s precisely how it’ll go when Basel dream-pop/shoegaze duo The Upper Strata makes their way to Iconik Coffee Roaster’s new-ish Red location in Midtown. Straight up, if you’re a fan of floaty synths, catchy bass hooks and rhythms and/or thoughtful and danceable jamz, this is the act for you. In fact, members Jonathan and Regula Sanchez have crafted such a delightful eclectic melange of contempo and throwback sounds, it’s hard to liken The Upper Strata to anything in particular. That “dream” qualifier might carry the most weight. Oh, and it’s a daytime show, too, which frankly works for some of SFR’s more age-advanced staffers. (ADV)

The Upper Strata: Noon-2 pm Monday, April 1. Free. Iconik Coffee Roasters (Red), 1366 Cerrillos Road, (505) 428-0996