Urban Legend

Cities are shape-shifting entities. They never rest. Neighborhoods swell and contract, buildings are torn down, and new forms, with new ghosts, are erected in their places. Power dynamics and claims to space are constantly challenged in this way — not verbally, but visually and physically.

Artist James Angel is drawn to this fluidity of the urban environment and to the transforming potential of urban art. His style encompasses graffiti, stencil technique, and pop art, and the pieces often compile seemingly disparate images with hidden referential meanings, turning them into cultural ciphers of sorts. Fittingly, his paintings have been likened to the collaborative work of Warhol and Basquiat.

Check out Angel’s set of new paradigms, ranging from sustainability and revitalization to new urbanisms.

Fri., Feb. 15, 7-10 p.m.; Fri., March 7, 7-10 p.m.; Sat., March 8, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun., March 9, 12-6 p.m., 2008