If you can stop by only three openings tonight, these are the ones to hit.

Check out performance art troupe Saint Genet (an offshoot of Implied Violence) for Triumph and Ruin, act three of a four-part series. Previous performances have featured whippet-fueled dancers, a ritualized burning of pubic hair, and choreography by Oliver Wevers of Whim W’Him. (We’re not kidding.) Tonight’s show promises a similarly artful performance spilling out onto Occidental Square, starting at 6. Objects (including a whippet) from the series are on view in the Lawrimore Project gallery.
Performance 6–8pm, suggested donation $5–$15. The final performance, Sacred History, is Friday at the former Lawrimore Project (831 Airport Way S). Gallery opens at 6pm, performance at 8pm, suggested donation $5–$15. Cash bar.

Don’t miss the striking, politically charged work of Brooklyn-based Glenn Ligon at Greg Kucera Gallery, which explores race, language, and gender identity through painting, photography, and neon signs. He recently received a midcareer retrospective at the Whitney Museum; he shows some of his newer work here. Opening reception October 6, 6–8pm. Thru November 19.

In Still Point of the Returning World, the third Patte Loper solo show at Platform Gallery, we see a rebirth of a postapocalyptic world in colorful oils, as well the charming stick, string, and cardboard sculptures that served as models for her paintings. Opening reception October 6, 6–8pm, with a special performance by Brooklyn-based synthpop band UVA at 7. Thru November 19.