Reconnected

“Art” is more than just paintings of bucolic forest cottages or porcelain bisque figurines of large-eyed children; many artists prefer to engage in conceptual work that must be experienced. The Urban Culture Project has a long history of nontraditional visual exhibitions and performances, including today’s 6 p.m. opening of Kansas City artist Paul Shortt’s Missed Connections, an examination of the physical spaces referenced in the Craigslist Missed Connections personal ads. Shortt’s video piece relates the ads as spoken-word performance over depopulated still photographs of described locations. A photo exhibit displays the ads physically rewritten in the locations they describe, such as the cake section of a supermarket. Shortt’s reinterpretation of the ads emphasizes individual attempts to connect with other people in a world simultaneously networked and alienated by technology. The exhibition runs through June 4 at the Urban Culture Project Space (23 East 12th Street); gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Thursday and Saturday. For more information, see charlottestreet.org.

Thursdays, Saturdays, 12-5 p.m. Starts: May 16. Continues through June 4, 2009