The February exhibits are up in the AS220 Galleries. Seen here are mixed media portraits from Joshua Baptista’s show of paintings and drawings in the main gallery. I also liked his ink on collaged paper renderings of darkly looming streetscapes. While the show includes individual images of Barnaby Castle and the Crook Point bascule, most of the scenes only look vaguely familiar.

Primarily a painter, Josh also mixes various media to create a parallel world filled with strange, mercurial, and innocently curious creatures. Heavily influenced by his roots in the 90’s skateboarding and street art scenes in New England, Josh projects a hesher mindset in his pieces, but does so with a wit and sharpness that illuminates the beauty in the oddities. 

Josh currently lives and works in Providence.

AS220 Main Gallery — 115 Empire Street/ Joshua Baptista – Outlier’s 

Project Space — 93 Mathewson Street/ Holly Ewald – A Glimpse Inside

Reading Room — 93 Mathewson Street/ Ben Sisto – True Bearing

AS220 Gallery hours: noon to 5pm, Thursday thru Saturday. Public openings are held on the first Saturday of the month.

AS220 Main Gallery, 115 Empire Street, (directions)