“Perspectives 159: Superconscious, Automatisms Now”

Stream of consciousness, in which running thoughts are used as the basis of a work, is one of the most difficult but rewarding styles lit buffs encounter — as anyone who’s made it through Naked Lunch or Last Exit to Brooklyn can attest. Now art fiends can grapple with the same challenge at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston’s headily titled group exhibit “Perspectives 159: Superconscious, Automatisms Now.” Senior curator Paola Morsiani has brought in works by several artists known for their penchant for free association.

New York City-based Rachel Harrison has an anything-goes approach to sculptures and installations, putting messily biomorphic shapes next to neat geometric ones, with some found objects and/or video projections often thrown in. Danica Phelps, also from the Big Apple, uses crude sketches (warning: she likes to draw sex in all its real-world sloppiness) to further demystify everyday life. And Yale--educated Sean Landers scrawls text around an abstract image, such as a sky or series of stripes. Thursday’s reception is at 7 p.m. Exhibit continues 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Through March 9, 2008. 5216 Montrose. For information, call 713-284-8250 or visit www.camh.org. Free.
Dec. 13-March 9, 2007