10/08-10/31
Time was when a salon provided a space to exhibit art and assemble patrons to gaze at and discuss it. Now most people regard a salon as merely a place to cut and style hair. But the Right Angle Hair Design and Gallery in Oakland has reclaimed the original spirit of the word by featuring arresting visuals by such local artists as photographer Gerry Traucht, whose form-loving Dancers, Watchers, Art & Fashion is currently on display until October 31. Traucht augments his large, sculptural black-and-white compositions of dancers and other artists by arranging mirrors to create a sense of dialogue and presence when photographs are paired facing each other and their reflections. The viewer brings another level of engagement to Traucht’s poetic aesthetic. Voyeurs’ eyes meet subjects’ eyes with confrontational looks, sneak peeks, and sidelong glances. The Right Angle is at 310 Forest between College and Shafter in Rockridge. For more information, call 510-420-8447. — Pat Katzmann
Credits: Gerry Traucht Credits: Al Cameron
10/11-12/7
Skull Session
Los DÃas de los Muertos is more and more the “other” Halloween. The Oakland Museum of California fires the first shot in the esqueleto war this week when Global Elegies: Art and Ofrendas for the Dead — installations and art from Mexico, Cuba, the Philippines, Iran, Ghana, and Vietnam — opens for a run through December 7. MuseumCA.org — Kelly Vance
10/9-11/19
Kind of a Drac
Stephen C. Wathen is an author and scenic designer as well as the adaptor of Ohlone College’s stage production of Dracula — so it’s natural that he should lend his collection of horror posters and ephemera to the college’s Louie Art Gallery for the play’s run. Vampires: Children of the Night is up through November 19. SmithCenterPresents.com — Kelly Vance
