Sweaty Enough Yet, Houston? Stay Cool at Gallery’s ‘Hot Girl Summer’ Show

Sweaty Enough Yet, Houston? Stay Cool at Gallery’s ‘Hot Girl Summer’ Show

'Happening II' by Charlotte Smith

HOT GIRL SUMMER is the provocative title of Anya Tish Gallery’s summer group exhibition, a collection of colorful, eye-popping artworks by a diverse cross-section of 13 of the gallery’s finest regional and international artists.

In a release promoting the show, which opens today, the gallery name-checks and quotes Houston rapper and philanthropist Megan Thee Stallion, connecting the no-holds-barred spirit of her unapologetically raunchy 2019 hit song “Hot Girl Summer” to the complex vision of the exhibiting artists. That might be a bit of a stretch, but only because the typically staid white-cube-gallery world is rarely compelled to celebrate the joy of physical pleasure, including the simple pleasure of looking at a work of art.

There is certainly plenty of eye candy to enjoy Hot Girl Summer, but unlike a Megan Thee Stallion video, where what you see is what you get, none of the works on display are straight-forward in their subject or content — from Jacqueline Overby’s foam and fiber “Hashtag Tik Tok Famous,” a strange, surreal little soft sculpture with a troll-like mane of hair and a pink cotton candy booty, to Houston artist HJ Bott’s “Open Heart,” an intricate wire and mesh sculpture painted in beautiful, bloody shades of purple.

Meanwhile, Lillian Warren’s painting On the Edge of Tomorrow, one of several recent works by an artist known for her theatrically composed portraits of friends and fellow artists, uses a palette of red, pink and white to pull together a stark, unpopulated urban landscape, featuring dumpster, a possibly abandoned one-story building and a car parked in the distance, all beneath an ominous, almost alien sky.

The other talented artists on view include Adela Andea, József Bullás, Shannon Cannings, William Cannings, Gao Hang, Dan Lam, Josh Litos, Jacqueline Overby, Charlotte Smith and Maxim Wakultschik, whose mixed-media portrait of an eternally young Jean-Michel Basquiat glows like a talisman in the midst of this thoroughly engaging and tightly curated show.

Hot Girl Summer is on view through Aug. 27.

'Hashtag Tik Tok Famous' by Jacqueline Overby

'Isn't that you III' by Gao Hang

'Open Heart' by HJ Bott

From Your Site Articles
Art + Entertainment
promoted

Pelican Builders Welcome Residents To First New Upper Kirby Condo Offering In Years; Boutique Midrise Adds To Pedestrian Appeal Of Sought-After, Inner Loop Neighborhood

Pelican Builders Welcome Residents To First New Upper Kirby Condo Offering In Years; Boutique Midrise Adds To Pedestrian Appeal Of Sought-After, Inner Loop Neighborhood

WITH ITS INAUGURAL set of residents newly moved in, Pelican Builders’ mid-rise condominium Westmore at 2323 W Main Street in Upper Kirby is already seeing the blossoming of a tight-knit community. Designed by Houston-based Mirador Group the Westmore is the first new condominium product to be introduced to the in-demand, inner loop neighborhood in more than three years. And with remaining two-bedroom homes starting at $895,000, it’s a remarkable value for this increasingly pricey area, where condos can easily climb to several million dollars and more.

Keep Reading Show less
Home + Real Estate
food

Free Ramen?! Jinya Ramen Bar Opens 70th Location with Oodles of Noodles

JUST IN TIME for the Lunar New Year on Wednesday, Jinya Ramen is opening its 70th (!) location in Pearland. Known for its thick, rich broth and flavorful noodles — thanks to the specialized water used to prepare its broth and the aging process its noodles undergo — Jinya also touts a wide array of authentic toppings, from tender pork chashu to shrimp wonton.

Keep Reading Show less
dining

Dine Out and Give Back: Three Delicious Ways to Make Your Meals Count this Month

Duck N Bao's bento boxes are part of Dine Out Rice Village

HOUSTON'S EVER-GENEROUS restaurant scene is already at it in 2025. Here are three ways foodies can dig in, raise a glass, and support important causes in January.

Keep Reading Show less
Food