Wilshire Center

Using paint on canvas or mahogany, Ann Chernenko conjurs up lumpy androgynous figures that resemble gingerbread creatures. They prance in cramped square spaces and have hammer-head visages and potato-chip limbs, each hued a different neon color and covered with black dots, dashes and squiggles. The paintings try to strike a joie de vivre optimism against all odds but end up looking silly. For some reason the same format in small-scaled ceramic sculptures has a more believable charm. (Ivey Gallery, 154 N. La Brea Ave., to Oct. 8.)