21

WEDNESDAY

With Dec. 25 looming, local elves are furiously knitting soon-to-be-treasured scarves for their sweethearts. They have the comparative luxury of knitting with needles; Czech artist Blanka Sperkova, however, has filled an entire gallery with whimsical creations she finger-knitted out of fine wire. Sperkova supplemented her background in graphic art and puppetry by training with Slovak tinkers who craft toys and small household goods from wire. The exhibition features a series of Sperkova’s small circus figures, freestanding equestrians with elaborate hats and long-limbed ladies suspended as if flying from a trapeze. Sperkova’s sinuous jewelry designs further highlight her skills. One necklace in particular is wittily self-referential in its execution: A pair of snaky arms clasp in front as the thumb and forefinger of the left hand encircle the wrist of the other, a looping gesture that the artist repeats to fashion a body of work. The show is on view from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (to Jan. 13; see City List for other viewing dates) at the Embassy of the Czech Republic, 3900 Spring of Freedom St. NW. Free. p.m. (202) 274-9100. (Hetty Lipscomb)