Galleries

Reviews by Holly Myers (H.M.) and David Pagel (D.P.).Compiled by Grace Krilanovich.

Victor Man: Black Hearts Always Bleed Red Most of the works in this Romanian artist’s U.S. debut are small, dark and virtually illegible from any distance. The sensation is a little like stepping up to an assortment of keyholes. It’s not always clear what you’re looking at or whether it’s something you really want to be seeing, but each glimpse is utterly engrossing (H.M.). Blum & Poe, 2754 S. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends Feb. 23. (310) 836-2062.

Group Show: Pavement Paradise: American Parking Space This matter-of-fact exhibition transforms a simple subject into a thought-provoking meditation on what it means to live in an increasingly crowded world. “Pavement Paradise” does art’s job efficiently and with less to-do than usual (D.P.). The Center for Land Use Interpretation, 9331 Venice Blvd., Culver City. Today-next Sun.; indefinitely. (310) 839-5722.

Diane Landry: École d’aviation (Flying School) The recent rains were a fitting accompaniment to Landry’s work: a charming installation devoted to what you might call the inner life of the umbrella (H.M.). Solway Jones, 5377 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Tue.-Sat, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; ends Feb. 23. (323) 937-7354.

Eli Langer: petit mal Langer sets himself a difficult task in this show, pairing several of his own abstract paintings with a video piece that happens to showcase one of Mother Nature’s more dazzling tricks. The video is brilliantly simple: just a single, continuous, relatively tight shot of moonlight playing across the surface of water. The paintings, by contrast, are conspicuously limited in their range of effects (H.M.). Daniel Hug Gallery, Bernard Street Complex, 510 Bernard St., L.A. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m-6 p.m.; ends Sat. (323) 221-0016.