Last Chance

Catch it or regret it

by Holly Otterbein

StrataSphere

Colleen McCubbin Stepanic stood over a tree trunk that had been sawed in half. When it was whole, it looked like every other tree in the world. But its insides told a different story: The trunk contained two sets of concentric circles, meaning that it was likely two separate trees, which, over time, had become one. "You'll see two trees that grow together into one sometimes," says Stepanic, "but this tree was different, because nobody knew it was actually two different trees till they cut it down." This unlikely specimen became the inspiration for Stepanic's Bound, showing in StrataSphere's group exhibit "Spontaneous Repetition."

For the labor-intensive work, Stepanic painted pieces of fabric, cut them into long strips, sewed them together into two spiral shapes, and then repeated this whole process over again several times. At best, though, Bound looks marginally like a tree trunk. But who cares? The work's respectable method, along with its hints of domesticity and the natural world, give the viewer more than enough to admire. Stepanic's Abundant, made using a similar technique, brings a clearer, libidinous force to the show. The work is composed of dozens of tiny, circular slabs of fabric sewn together, which, whether you're a teenage boy or not, look exactly like round, pink breasts. "Everyone sees that," Stepanic says with a giggle.

Marie H. Elcin's embroidery, depicting homey Fishtown intersections, Penn Treaty Park and other local snapshots, fits in well with the exhibit's domestic tenor. But it isn't nearly as majestic or beautiful as Stepanic's body of work. Alongside Abundant and Bound, Elcin's needlework seem better suited for Etsy. But who cares? It'd make for pretty sweet home décor.

Ends May 1, 1854 Germantown Ave., 267-974-5060, thestratasphere.com.

bahdeebahdu

Naked, resolved, callipygian men are the focus of R. Lane Clark's "Luminous Encounters" show. Clark projected images of clouds, splattered paint and hand-drawn lines onto the models, and then photographed them. Though a few of the works — those with clouds, specifically — are glib, more often than not they're pretty, gender-bending and playful. The model, known to viewers only as "Stephen," a lithe man who's pictured in preposterous, catlike back bends and yoga poses, is an especially stunning subject. He will vividly remind you of how awe-inspiring the human body can be.

Ends May 3, 1522 N. American St., 215-627-5002, bahdeebahdu.com.

Pageant : Soloveev

Nick Lenker's exhibit "The Destruction and Creation of Man" doesn't quite run the gamut that its title promises. But between a few sculptures, prints, installations and a short film viewed through a peephole, Lenker does tackle myth, religion, the occult, cults, fire, animals and evil, among other themes. Good enough. Though his prints aren't anything extraordinary, Lenker's sculptures and installations are mesmerizing. A pair of fur-hooded, paint-splattered capes, hung ever so casually on the wall, are haunting. Ascension, which depicts a white clay man being roasted over a bed of hot coals, is simultaneously kitschy and horrifying. Kind of like the crucifix, but for sinister hippies.

Ends May 8, 607 Bainbridge St., 215-925-1535, pageantsoloveev.com.

(holly.otterbein@citypaper.net)