Typically the only panda trolling the 1515 14th Street NW galleries on an opening night is the fashion blogger who goes by that name. But “15 for Philip” drew supporters from far and wide, including, I suppose, jungles or zoos or wherever it is that pandas reside.

The show at Curator’s Office is a portraiture jam dedicated to local patron and collector Philip Barlow, so our furry friend has gotta be an artist. Sources say performance artist Kathryn Cornelius (who has work in the show) donned the costume to show her affection for Barlow, a claim Cornelius steadfastly denies. (That she was in costume, not that she doesn’t appreciate Barlow.) In any case, this figure was too short to be Cornelius. So Who Brakes for Philip Barlow? This writer has a hunch that it was another performance artist, Nilay Lawson.