In Summer, the Song Sings Itself

Fri., July 6, 6-8:30 p.m., runs through Sept. 15, Pentimenti Gallery, 45 N. Second St.

by Patrick Rapa

gallery

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Like any good group show — and it's the season for them: See First Friday Focus on p. 26 — the new one at Pentimenti is eclectic. But much of "In Summer, the Song Sings Itself" appears to share a sense of the whimsical. Matthew Fisher's Portage features a wooden Napoleonic figure sitting alone in a canoe on dry land, the only water in sight being a small puddle in the foreground. The little girl carrying the inner tube in Deborah Hamon's Huff and Puff also seems to be searching for water; she is a colorfully painted figure dropped onto a photo of a parched grass field. In Scot Wittman's Cologne and Perfume (pictured), two figures seemingly cut out of a map dance at arms length. A highway connects them, but they are otherwise disparate figures, she a tall blue river, he a stout, complicated grid of roads and landmarks. With further contributions from Gabe Brown, Sarah Daub, Thomas Doyle, Cara Enteles and Kirk McCarthy, at least one of these flights of fancy could end up being your summer jam.

Reception Fri., July 6, 6-8:30 p.m., runs through Sept. 15, Pentimenti Gallery, 45 N. Second St., www.pentimenti.com.