Curated by Christina Lehnert

If you have ever met Dawn Kasper over the course of her decadelong couch-surfing occupation of major exhibitions, known officially as the Nomadic Studio Practice, 2008–, chances are you remember the encounter but can’t quite recall the particulars. Like the loquacious houseguest who keeps you up until 4 am, Kasper speaks in a hypnotic, wildly associative stream of consciousness that’s half comic, half cosmic. Her antic energy also permeates her bric-a-brac installations, whose maximalism borders on that of works by her former employer Jason Rhoades. At Portikus, Kasper will draw inspiration from “The Wolf and the Kid,” Aesop’s fable about a billy goat who distracts a hungry wolf by asking to dance to one last song (it’s the animal-farm equivalent of Scheherazade’s storytelling in The Arabian Nights). Expect film screenings by Jeff Preiss, musical collaborations with Zeena Parkins, performances with Andrew Lampert, and a creeping suspicion that only jittery, joyful improvisation will stave off imminent disaster.

— Colby Chamberlain