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Light is everything to Adam Ekberg; it must illuminate, it must glare, it must show us that nothing is ever resolved, even when it is unsparingly revealed in vivid color—we are always “in the between.” Ekberg’s banner shot shows a severely delineated hand—extended toward a mirror—that is formed in the beginnings of the sign of a Hindu symbol of devotion to success; yet the fingers do not touch and, of course the hand and its reflection never meet, symbolizing ultimate disconnection. In Ekberg’s other images, dots of light sparkle in forests or flashes punctuate tavern aesthetics, as when we see decorative miniature parasols succumb to the flame of a butane lighter placed on a table. Simulations of laser beams are essential elements of Ekberg’s stock in trade, yet they never achieve the efficacy necessary to consummate the transformation of a humble scene into a power fantasy. Ekberg shows us that the most blatant effects that we can muster never overcome fundamental isolation. (Michael Weinstein)

Through February 6 at Thomas Robertello Gallery, 939 W. Randolph