If you leave out what they're made of, descriptions of Alika Cooper's compositions can sound like vintage erotica: a close-up of a nude torso, a woman in a thong seen from behind, a nude woman holding a portrait of herself in front of her face. But since Cooper pieces together her images with scraps of differently patterned cloth, you usually notice the texture and layering of material first. In her Night Gallery show, “Upbraid,” a single spotlight shines on each work in the otherwise dark room. This means a silky black fabric might glisten, or a matte, feltlike fabric might absorb the light and keep you from realizing right away that you're looking at a girl with a thick black rope coming out from between her legs. 204 S. Avenue 19; through Nov. 8. (646) 717-4925, nightgallery.ca.

Tuesdays-Thursdays. Starts: Oct. 9. Continues through Nov. 8, 2012

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