"Death and Shit Like That"

"Death and Shit Like That" is really just a clever name meant to provoke laughter. "I'm not trying to woo everybody with how brilliant I am," says local artist and first-time curator YAR!. "The title itself encompasses everything. I'm not trying to have a cohesive theme." The show features drawings by YAR! and work by artists from all over the world he's befriended through the photo-sharing Web site Flickr.

Much of the other artists' work is similar to YAR!'s illustrative, cartoony creations. Drawings by FrŽdŽric Fleury are black-and-white portraits of characters with human bodies and oversize heads which slightly resemble pigs, dogs and, occasionally, monsters. Matthew Lock's colorful works include superheroes, ancient warriors and pharaohs. StŽphane Prigent divides his drawings up with horizontal and diagonal lines that make them look like comic strips. Seth Alverson reflects the exhibit's title most closely with an oil painting of a coffin in a white room. YAR!'s own work features adventures of his self-named "Weed Jesus," an alien/elf-looking character with a long beard and hair.

YAR! admits he chose the other artists out of favoritism and his own selfish curiosity. "I really like these people, but I want to scrutinize them," he says, adding that although the Internet is a great way to share and discover artists, it also hinders a viewer's ability to get a complete view. "You're not actually seeing it...what does it really look like in person?" See for yourself at today's opening from 8 to 10 p.m. Regular viewing noon to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. Through March 21. Domy, 1709 Westheimer. For information, call 713-523-3669 or visit www.domystore.com. Free.
Fri., Feb. 15, 8-10 p.m., 2008