A “Photography Showcase” at The Art Collector...

A “Photography Showcase” at The Art Collector (4151 Taylor St.) features a predominantly flashy, slick selection of work by six photographers. Five of the six work in color, capitalizing on the deep, rich hues produced by the Cibachrome process, but only one of these offers the viewer something to ponder after the initial retinal buzz dies down.

Suda House’s work gives the show a backbone and supplies most of the originality. Her “Aqueous Myths” series presents portraits of female mythical figures in the manner of modern icons. Each is shown with her traditional attributes (Leda with the swan, for example) in a highly theatrical setting, elaborately styled and often charged with sexual suggestion.

In “Salome,” a young, nubile nude lies on her back, one arm curled over her head, the other reaching down between her legs. Luminous cellophane strips--stand-ins for Salome’s legendary veils--wrap around her, and the entire scene is suffused with a hot red glow. In “Diana,” the leopard-skin-clad huntress stares alluringly out of a wet and wild scene, bow and arrow in hand.

In “Lilith,” House adopts a lighter, even comic, tone, surrounding the skimpily clad figure with inflatable snarling sharks. House concerns herself a great deal with surface appeal and glamour, but not at the expense of examining more substantive issues such as the material formation of individual identity--both the subjects’ and her own.

No other works in the show possess the confrontational power of House’s. Bob Brewer’s photographs of sand and rock formations are attractive progeny of the Edward Weston anthropomorphic landscape tradition. In “Antelope Series,” for instance, undulating stone walls assume the shape and sensuality of a female torso. Greg Ochocki photographs under water, focusing on exotic vegetal forms. Though most of his images are straightforward still-lifes, in “Brain Coral” he achieves a surreal quality, freezing a wide-eyed fish with his flash so that it appears to hover over a labyrinthine coral mound, before a deep aqua “sky.”

Sally Wetherby’s photographs offer a warm respite from the glossy slickness of the surrounding work. Her black-and-white images of deserted spots near the sea are hand-colored with transparent oil paints in muted tones of peach and soft blue. These warm, pastel tones and the artist’s--and thus the viewer’s--position as solitary gazer lend the pictures a meditative, nostalgic air.

The show, which continues through September, also includes work by Nathan Stinson and Alan Zee.

Through Sept. 19, patrons of Java Coffeehouse/Gallery (837 G St.) have the fortunate opportunity to peruse a new Deborah Small installation, “Crocodiles Without Tears.” Small’s ability to undermine history and cultural values shines in this one-wall array of painted panels, cut-outs and shelved objects.

“Crocodiles,” like several of Small’s works, investigates the practice of colonialism--not the overt territorial variety, but the more subtle, psychological form that entails the imposition of one culture’s values on another.

Through simple yet clever arrangements of images and words, Small exposes a mode of cultural superiority that glorifies picturesque villages and exotic ports while holding their native inhabitants in total disrespect. After all, one panel reads, “They don’t wear clothes. They don’t speak English. They don’t read. They don’t use napkins. They forget to ask permission. They don’t bathe in tubs. . . . “

A panel declaring “There is the RAW. There is the COOKED” further clarifies Small’s distinction between cultures typically described as “primitive” and those considered “civilized,” where “The right tie can change everything” and concerns for material satisfaction prevail. A recurring image in the installation, of an elephant in a suit and tie, exemplifies how embarrassingly callous the imposition of one set of values on an alien set of conditions can be. The installation holds much, much more to reward the attentive viewer.

New works from the collection of Java owner Doug Simay, including a stunning drawing by Madden Harkness and a meticulously crafted watercolor by Michiel Daniel, have also been newly installed throughout the coffeehouse, creating an environment that nurtures dialogue and inspiration.