Flip sides

Some say the best art and literature is that in which one can recognize the best and worst parts of the self. Part of the attraction of a book like Moby-Dick, then, is that we find Ahab's semiheroic quest endlessly appealing but also find his quixotic obsession repugnant. In this vision, art becomes a way to recognize the duality that lies within each of us. Consider this sometimes unsettling concept through Ocular Hedonism, a new exhibition by artist Jonathan Bridges, opening tonight at 6:30 at the Greenlease Gallery at Rockhurst University (1100 Rockhurst, between Van Ackeren and Sedgwick Halls). The work aims to close the gap between imagination and stories, resulting in what Bridges calls "a sense of beauty that simultaneously attracts and repulses." (Case in point: one of Bridges' photo illustrations, left.) The exhibition runs through September 20 and is open from noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. For more information, call 816-501-4151.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 12-5 p.m. Starts: Aug. 29. Continues through Sept. 20, 2008