This week’s arts and culture picks may have you at ‘twerking Shreks’

On Thursdays we take a quick break from the news to explore arts and culture events in the Seattle area. Today, with temperatures trending down after a seemingly endless summer, you might want to see more art and shows. We reached out to Stranger staff writer Jas Keimig to guide us into the great indoors.

Kelly Björk: Swimming Naked, at the J. Rinehart Gallery in Pioneer Square

Björk is a Seattle-based illustrator whose playful works explore the knobbiness of queerness, sexuality and joy. This show speaks to the intimacy of the queer experience and intimate experiences between friends. Their compositions are situated within intimate spaces like steamy bathrooms or messy beds with lovers. I love the way that their figures relish in the company and caring of one another.

Enumclaw "Save the Baby" release party, at Easy Street Records in West Seattle

Enumclaw is an indie rock band from Tacoma that brands themselves “The best band since Oasis.” They've really been having a banner last couple of years. Their music is a mix of EMO, shoegaze, and grunge. They have a really characteristically PNW sound that I think is really appealing to people who are obsessed with that kind of 90s era of Seattle. They're having a release party for their new album "Save the Baby."

Unstreamable: "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie," at Northwest Film Forum

The Garbage Pail Kids were trading cards and stickers that were super-popular in the mid-1980s. They were a parody of Cabbage Patch Kids. These stickers and trading cards had an edge to them. There were depictions of children with super-snotty noses and exploding heads. In 1987, a film was made to play off of the hype, and it was a huge flop. It was deemed one of the worst movies ever made. But it's kind of gotten a second life as a cult movie. I think it's really something that you should see in theaters with a bunch of your friends.

Shrek Rave: "Swamp-O-Ween," at The Showbox

Shrek Rave is a roving Shrek-themed party. Its tagline is “It's dumb just come have fun. Who cares? Cool is dead!” Everyone shows up in Shrek-themed outfits, and they party in front of a giant LED screen with twerking Shreks. So, if you see the kids dressed up as Shrek roaming around Westlake this weekend, you'll know what it's for.

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