The “Altered Realities” art exhibit at Elder Street Gallery features a piece by a certain mustachioed master, but the surrealistic show focuses primarily on Houstonians’ contributions to the fantastic genre. In addition to a signed offset from Salvador Dalí, original paintings and collages by nationally respected locals Bert Long, Jesse Lott and Anastasia Sams will hang beside the work of relative newcomers. “I purposefully selected some very famous artists up front, and then I put other artists with them that aren’t as well known locally but do extremely good work,” gallery owner Terrence Boggs says. “The idea is to create a world that is irrational, and they do it very well.” Heights artist T. Smith contributes to this irrationality with In Vitro, a painting that features an uneasy-looking baby floating with two particularly bulbous goldfish. Words fail the blissfully bizarre work — you’ll have to check it and the others out for yourself at today’s opening reception from 6 to 10 p.m. Regular viewing hours are 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Through February 28. 1101 Elder Street. For information, visit www.elderstreetartist.com. Free.


Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Feb. 22. Continues through Feb. 28, 2009

This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2009.