Art Capsule Reviews

"When the Animals Rebel" The fifth installation of Rice Gallery's Summer Window series is a striking combination of painting and sculpture incorporating thousands of hardcover books, stacked against and affixed to the 16-by-44-foot wall behind the gallery's glass facade. When the Animals Rebel is Los Angeles-based artist Mike Stilkey's expressionist fantasia, which imagines a clash between humans and animals. Stilkey claims he knew nothing of the German painter Otto Dix (1891–1969), although Stilkey's spindly human representations bear an uncanny resemblance to the German expressionist's work. One could conceivably spend an hour or two perusing the book spines, titles and illustrations on display, stepping up close and retreating back to take in the massive work. The range of book titles includes Herman Wouk's The Winds of War, Ivana Trump's For Love Alone and even a series of old Rice Campanile yearbooks. Stilkey's happily revolting animals seem to swarm and overwhelm their sad-eyed human opponents, one of whom is an elegantly rendered caricature of a young Bob Dylan. It's perhaps a reference to the wonderfully lyrical and poetic environment of the piece. On view through August 31. 6100 Main, 713-348-6069. — TS