If the words “roller derby” evoke aggression and a kind of grungy sexuality, Shelley Calton’s photography series “Hard Knocks: Rolling with the Derby Girls” reveals the sport’s introspective, philosophical side (it does exist). Whether it’s an image of worn, wheel-less skates, a huddle of skaters decked out in fishnet stockings and knee pads, or, as in Agent Belligerent, a simple, almost sweet, portrait of a skater, Calton captures an altogether strange, surprising and even sophisticated aspect of the marginalized sport. In one photograph, a sexy, tattooed skater (Patsy Crime) poses under a vintage Jax Beer sign, which depicts a lounging African-American woman preparing to enjoy a cold one. Crime’s arms are outstretched, index fingers flexed, in a stance that seems to say, “Remember the days when roller derby ruled and real women drank beer?” No hype or retro-irony here; what you see is what you get. “Hard Knocks” is part of the “Art Houston 2007” exhibit, with additional landscape photographs by Houston artist Paul Smead.

Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Starts: Aug. 4. Continues through Aug. 31

This article appears in Aug 2-8, 2007.