Boxing Day

There are going to be quite a few naked, restrained people at the phd gallery (2300 Cherokee Street; 314-664-6644 or www.phdstl.com) on Saturday, January 19, thanks to artist E. Gibbons and his show Outside the Box. A contemporary series with a nod to the neoclassical period, the exhibit gathers 40 monochromatic paintings of life-size nude figures contorted into three-foot-by-three-foot boxes. The paintings could easily be mistaken for large-scale photographs when viewed from a distance, but upon closer inspection Gibbons' brushstrokes, refined during his studies in Japan, come into view. With its limited palette and restricted environment, Gibbons' work is rife with boundaries; these artificial limits emphasize the relationships formed by his contained figures and the objects they hold, as well as the relationships between the neighboring figures. Outside the Box opens with a free public reception from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, January 19, and the work remains on display through Saturday, March 8. Gallery hours are from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Thursdays-Sundays. Starts: Jan. 19. Continues through March 8, 2008