GALLERIES

Reviews by Sharon Mizota (S.M.) and Leah Ollman (L.O.). Compiled by Grace Krilanovich.

Critics’ Choice

Kim Rugg Please Remain Calm Despite its title, everything in this show is fantastically destabilizing. Rugg reconstitutes familiar objects (cereal boxes, newspapers, postage stamps) after having cut them apart, often into minute fragments. In their new incarnations, the objects are altered but still true to either their essential form or function. In one thrilling technical feat after another, the London-based artist slyly exposes the gaps between different ways of seeing and perceiving (L.O.). Mark Moore Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends Sat. (310) 453-3031.

Continuing

Ilán Lieberman: Dream Works Dreams become reality quite literally in Lieberman’s beguiling work at Steve Turner Contemporary. The Mexico City artist has created sculptures and a video based on art works seen in his dreams: gawky figures made out of painted canvases, a portrait of William S. Burroughs composed in pebbles, a simple white pajama top in a cardboard box. These idiosyncratic items are enlivened by brief wall texts recounting the accompanying dreams. But why make the objects at all? It’s tempting to dismiss the show as little more than a dream diary in three dimensions. But Lieberman’s work expresses a palpable longing to bring that mysterious inner world to light.(S.M.). Steve Turner Contemporary, 6026 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; ends Sat. (323) 931-3721.

Robert Mallary In large wall pieces, Mallary used resin to shape sand, gravel, wood and cardboard into monochromatic abstractions somewhere between painting and sculpture. His use of resin eventually made him ill. A selection of works from the ‘80s reveals how he continued to explore the same motifs using only torn and folded scrap paper. The inverse of his sculptures, they are intimate and white instead of looming and dark (S.M.). The Box Gallery, 977 Chung King Road, L.A. Wed.-Sat. noon-6 p.m.; ends April 3. (213) 625-1747.

Group Show: Love in a Cemetery The show doesn’t necessarily re-invigorate the gallery space, but it does raise questions about how such works might best be presented within its walls. The projects, which range from protest posters and panel discussions to installation and interactive performance art, are represented with varying degrees of success. The best examples work equally well in the gallery as on the street. It is enough to help others or fight injustice, but communicating that accomplishment is where the importance of the institution becomes apparent (S.M.). 18th Street Arts Center, 1639 18th St., Santa Monica. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; ends March 26. (310) 453-3711.