Pamela Rosenkranz's painting Avoid Contact (dim glow) is a mess of pink paint in the center of a big rectangle of tan Spandex. The pink looks kind of like gum that's been run over, and it pulls at the edges of the stretchy fabric in an uncomfortable but fascinating way. Avoid Contact hangs at Thomas Duncan gallery, along with a self-portrait of photographer Roe Ethridge in a sea captain's hat, Sean Kennedy's blue-purple stand-alone security grille and a poster of a hanging telephone receiver that Nina Beier has pasted onto a brand-new bus bench. The show feels like summer in a city — muggy frustration interrupted by well-timed cool breezes. 6109 Melrose Ave., through Sept. 8. (310) 494-1177, thomasduncangallery.com.

Tuesdays-Saturdays. Starts: July 14. Continues through Sept. 8, 2012

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.