Karon Davis makes sculptures by casting real people—friends, family, strangers, sometimes herself—in plaster. Born in Reno, Nevada, in 1977, and now based in Los Angeles, Davis grew up in a family of performers and studied dance and film before turning to sculpture. For this museum exhibition in Seattle she has created a circus. Among its creatures are a woman lion, a knife-thrower’s assistant waiting for the blade, and a sad clown with taxidermy eyes. The circus, Davis suggests, is much like society. Some people are expected to put on a show, often at their own expense, while others sit and watch. —Elena Clavarino