E-Mail This Article to a Friend Transported Pavel Braila and Kimsooja at MIT, Girl Culture at Tufts, Brad Kahlhamer at MassArt BY RANDI HOPKINS

The CIA’s Web site offers this brief description of the Republic of Moldova, a small country located northeast of Romania: "Formerly ruled by Romania, Moldova became part of the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although [it has been] independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory. . . The poorest nation in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist [its former leader, in fact] as its president in 2001." Moldova’s location at a nexus between the West and the Eastern Bloc forms a fascinating point of departure for artist Pavel Braila, who was born in Chisinau, Moldova, in 1971 and continues to live and work there. The artist’s first solo exhibition in the US, "Pavel Braila," opens at MIT’s List Visual Arts Center on February 10, and it includes Braila’s film "Shoes for Europe," which depicts the grinding process of changing the Russian wheel gauges still used on Moldovan trains at the border between Moldova and Romania.

The ironies and incongruities of contemporary life in Moldova are also the subject of Braila’s installation Barons’ Hill (2004), for which he filmed fantastical homes built by leaders of the Roma (a/k/a Gypsies) in the Moldovan city of Soroca. These architecturally elaborate buildings, often inspired by postcards or reproductions of old paintings, were in many cases empty of amenities or residents; built entirely for the purpose of entertaining and impressing, they remain must-see tourist destinations.

Also opening at the LVAC on February 10, "Kimsooja: Seven Wishes and Secrets" features videos and Iris prints by Korean-born, New York-based artist Kimsooja, who looks at the beauty of colorful Korean fabrics and their role in traditional ceremonies, from weddings — the focus of her recent video "The Seven Wishes" (2004) — to daily rituals, which are the focus of "Sewing into Walking" (1994). The exhibition extends to MIT’s Media Test Wall (an around-the-clock video projection in MIT’s Building 56), where work from the artist’s "A Needle Woman" project will be shown. This project finds the artist standing stock-still, clad entirely in gray, on busy streets from Tokyo to Cairo, immobile while the chaos of urban life swirls around her.

At Tufts University Art Gallery, meanwhile, February 10 marks the opening of three coordinated exhibitions that address ideals of beauty, femininity, and role models. "Lauren Greenfield: Girl Culture," "Barbara Zucker: Time Signatures," and "Alex McQuilkin: Get Your Gun Up and Teenage Daydream" converge to bring the many aspects of growing up female to the forefront with photographs, sculpture, and video.

And at MassArt on February 10, Arizona-born, New York–based artist and musician Brad Kahlhamer draws on his Native American heritage to give us a very different look at the landscape of the West that provided heroic subject matter for so many American painters of past generations. "Brad Kahlhamer: Let’s Walk West" includes large-scale watercolor and ink paintings, texts from the artist’s journals, song lyrics, and working photos, along with a site-specific installation and wall painting created with the assistance of MassArt students.

"Pavel Braila" and "Kimsooja: Seven Wishes and Secrets" are at MIT’s List Visual Arts Center, 20 Ames Street in Cambridge, February 10 through April 10; call (617) 253-4400. "Lauren Greenfield: Girl Culture," "Barbara Zucker: Time Signatures," and "Alex McQuilkin: Get Your Gun Up and Teenage Daydream" are at the Tufts University Art Gallery, 40R Talbot Avenue in Medford, February 10 through March 27; call (617) 627-3094. "Brad Kahlhamer: Let’s Walk West" is at Massachusetts College of Art, Bakalar Gallery, 621 Huntington Avenue in Boston, February 10 through March 23. Call (617) 879-7333.