In the Galleries - A Broken Line CLOSES May 11

This exhibition by St. Louis-based artist Greg Edmondson literally takes its formal cue from the behavior of the drawn line — as a connective gesture, a way of linking knotted entities and outlining absences. A series of graphite drawings on paper depict dotted lines that diffuse at each dash-like mark, creating shapes reminiscent of urban maps, sprouting plant forms and ropelike bundles. Two pieces consist simply of an excised shape, the sketched periphery of which is still dimly perceptible at the edge where a portion of the paper was cut out. A video work investigates the obsessive behavior of these self-generated shapes, featuring several drawings that overlap and move just slightly to suggest infinite compositional possibilities. A totemic birdlike form at the gallery's far corner is wrapped in white string, evoking a more expansive sense of the line as a binding physical entity. Another sculpture, a piece of carved alabaster on a plinth, is shot through with holes, making it resemble coral or a loose tangle of rope. Moving from drawing to sculpture to video, Edmonson presents an odd world of imagery: one of relentless detail, delicacy and attention to the smallest of generative fibers. In its simplicity and restraint, it's a powerful show, celebrating the undersung potential of humble media and the most basic component of the rendering urge. Through May 11 at Good Citizen Gallery, 2247 Gravois Avenue; 314-348-4587 or www.goodcitizenstl.com. Hours: noon-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat. and by appointment.