MINKA is pleased to present work by two noted and esteemed Tacoma artists. In "Trophies," Oliver Doriss renders precious deer skulls in jewel-like glass, creating sculptures that are at once modern and as darkly beautiful as memento mori. These works mine subliminal territory where the artificial construct of human culture butts against the "raw unstoppable forces of nature...I feel as though there are glimpses of reality when the cracks form in my societal conditioning," Doriss said. The works in "Trophies" combine a fragile temporality with an almost papal sense of luxury that is wickedly attractive. Turn a skull over in your hand, and you can run your finger across the rows of tiny deer teeth Doriss has carved in glass. “I seek to make connections with both my aesthetic choices and subject matter, often towing the line of the dark and humorous," he said. Doriss opened the seminal gallery, Fulcrum, on Tacoma's Hilltop in 2008, and has presented some of the city's most robust and provocative shows ever since. When he's not running his gallery, he teaches Venetian glass blowing locally and in Murano, Italy. Also on view are "Six Paintings," abstract works by Tacoma artist and designer John Vlahovich. In a stroke of synchronicity, MINKA is exhibiting Vlahovich’s big canvases in the same high-ceilinged space that his creative firm, Vlahovich Design Associates, occupied many years ago. Bold in execution, these sweeping works tease architectural form out of a splendid melée of swirling color. Working in mixed media on canvas, hardboard and paper, “Negative space becomes a most positive element,” said Vlahovich. “The work is developed impulsively, not planned. I want the viewer to deduce and complete their own thought” about each piece. Vlahovich’s work has been exhibited at the Seattle Art Museum and Frye Art Museum; in the Governor’s Invitational; and in two-man shows at Tacoma Art Museum and the University of Puget Sound. His permanent installations are in the collections of the University of Washington, Washington State History Museum, Weyerhaeuser Corporate Headquarters and Western Washington University. The shows runs run through June 30. MINKA is located at 821 Pacific Ave. Regular hours are Thursday through Sunday, 12-5, and by appointment. For more, please contact verticalshout@gmail.com. Featured: Oliver Doriss, Ruby Deer Skull. Approx. 8 in. wide. John Vlahovich, #1 (detail)