Open Loop, round two, Among and Between

Before we even get to talk about some of the art and artists in Among and Between, it is worth emphasizing how valuable it is to have local galleries program biennials as open calls to show the work of Minnesota artists. These are perhaps the only platforms, outside of a few museums, to highlight emerging artists and themes collectively. These gallery biennials allow for greater experimentation, and oftentimes overcome museums and other traditional spaces in their ability to shape contemporary discourse and enable rich cultural exchanges.  

Form+Content Gallery opened its Second Biennial Open Loop exhibition titled Among and Between this past April 2nd (first biennial took place from February to April 2024). The wealth of work submitted then and this time is just proof of the thriving Minnesota arts community. The model used by Form+Content Gallery for its biennials involves the participation of a local juror, also acting as the curator. For Open Loop 2026, Among and Between the gallery trusted the vision of Kylie Linh Hoang, a curator and public historian based in Minneapolis. Hoang had worked for four and a half years as Assistant Curator at the Minnesota Museum of American Art. A highlight of Hoang’s work while at The M was the 2021 exhibition Transformation, Art from the Inside, which showcased work made from incarcerated artists at the Stillwater and Shakopee branches of the Minnesota Correctional Facilities.
 

For this Second Biennial Open Loop, thirty-two artists were selected from nearly one hundred sixty submissions, a reminder of how competitive open calls can be (been there, done that). The open call asked artists to submit work “reflecting issues of memory, identity, and migration.” For Hoang, the exhibition aims “to examine the collective investment in fighting for the future we want to see." I had to ask Hoang about the yeast of her selection process and criteria: “I emphasize how current events shaped my selection process. I kept asking myself what it meant to ask Minnesotans to participate in a call for art in the midst of the violent federal occupation of our city. Ultimately, I believe that having spaces for connection and conversation is critical in difficult times, and I think it's especially important that this year's iteration of Open Loop fully embraced all of the complexities that artists are working through right now.”

 

Altar for Protection Against ICE 01.08.2026, Grover Hogan, cardboard and divination tools, 11.5 × 7.75 × 6, 2026.

Altar for Protection Against ICE 01.08.2026 is a singular and timely piece in the exhibit; it reflects identity but also fear and the wish for protection. The mixed media sculpture is the work of queer, Black, and Mexican multimedia artist Grover Hogan. Hogan had made the cardboard altar the day after Renée Good was murdered by ICE agents. The altar also incorporates notions from a tarot deck used by the artist. Hogan incorporates an image of a ram, a symbol of strength and perseverance. On their IG page, Hogan says: “the confrontational nature of the ram also reminds me of Aries, which is also ruled by The Emperor Card (4), and 4x2=8, which is the card number for Strength. The Emperor represents leadership and structure, but also intellectual prowess.”

I am equally moved by the timeliness of the mixed media assemblage titled Assault on Lady Liberty by Attila Dabasi, whose work, Armageddon, showed at the “State Fair Rejects” exhibition last year. Assault on Lady Liberty literally and symbolically raises questions on perceived threats to American values like equality and immigration; it speaks directly to the exhibit’s questioning of the future ahead. Assault on Lady Liberty is a maximalist visual experience with a contemporary political and social narrative.  

 

Assault on Lady Liberty, Attila Dabasi, mixed media assemblage,  20 × 13.5 × 3.5 inches, 2025.

The painting titled By The Window by Serbian artist Dan Petrov is simply breathtaking, but there is more to it than what meets the eye. While Petrov is known for his mastery of Renaissance and contemporary painterly techniques (checked), his greatest contribution, I argue, lies in the metaphysical experience that his portraits offer. Petrov’s skill is in psychological portraiture, in his ability to capture the individuality and emotions of his subjects –something akin to the effect of portraits by Leonardo Da Vinci or those by Alice Neel (forgive me readers, if I have gone too far).

Making her debut at Form+Content Gallery is Guatemalan American artist and curator Zamara Cuyún. Her acrylic on canvas titled La Siguanaba is inspired by the Central American avenging folk hero La Siguanaba, “the sacred hero twin Ix Balam Kej and the Huasteca female ballplayers - a fusion of female power, self-determination and resilience on these continents since time immemorial” (IG). Cuyún’s paintings stand out for her color and light, something the artist claims is inspired in part by Guatemalan Indigenous Maya textiles (Cuyún was also co-curator of the largest survey of Latina and Latinx Minnesota artists to date in the state).

 

La Siguanaba, Zamara Cuyún, acrylic on canvas, 20 × 16 inches, 2026.

A screened watercolor monotype by Vietnamese artist Genie Hien Tran (Trần Phan Minh Hiền) titled If not let it be beautifully experiments with printing. A nostalgic remix of painting, drawing, transferred photos, and text is produced as a ghost print with words borrowed from Minnesota poet Danez Smith (words first encountered by Tran on the subway in New York). 

 

If not let it be, Genie Hien Tran, screened halftoned and watercolor monotype, 12 × 9 inches, 2025.

Other participant artists in this Second Biennial Open Loop are: Aruna Rangarajan, Braeden Baston, Duddley Diaz, Emma Hendrickson, Erik Farseth, Graciela DeAnda, Hakeem Martins, Heidi Heather, Hilary Greenstein, Isaiah Okongo, Jane Meyer, Kaitlin Wilfing, Karla Rydrych, Leeya Rose Jackson, Lindsy Halleckson, Maria Santiago, Mark Cosimini, Martha McQuade, Mary Griep, Miranda Harincar, Nima Desai, Rebecca Pavlenko, Shun Yong, Therese Zemlin, Victoria Kosel, Vincent DeZutti, and Zoran Mojsilov. Artworks in Among and Between include photography, assemblage, mixed media, pen, watercolor, and marker on paper, oil and acrylic on canvas, crochet, collage, embroidery, intaglio, monotype, Super 8 film, handwoven archival inkjet print, digital print, carved and painted wood, and stone.

Form+Content Gallery was established in 2007 as an artist-owned operated gallery in Minneapolis committed to artistic autonomy. Its Biennial Open Loop and regular programs have become a staple in the Twin Cities art scene. Thank you, Form+Content Gallery for strengthening our community.◼︎ 

Open Loop 2026: Among and Between, Form+Content Gallery Biennial will be on view through May 9. The gallery is located at 210 2nd Street North in Minneapolis.