Last year, I interviewed artist Belaxis Buil. Her responses, like her explosive personality, overwhelmed my senses. She is the proverbial force of nature to be reckoned with, and that makes me happy. Her work challenges the viewer and makes him or her sit up and listen, even if it makes us feel excruciatingly uncomfortable.

Belaxis Buil.

Last night, Buil unveiled “Lifted,” a new solo exhibition that opened at &Gallery and runs through January 4th. Like Buil herself, “Lifted” promises to engage and confront her audience with fearless skepticism and forced consciousness.

“Everyone’s life is a unique story,” Build told me in our interview last year. “My life is certainly one that will be seen on film one day. It’s a tale that leaves people chasing for air. This is where the birthing of my work begins, because it was so absolutely and ridiculously brutal.”

Her work is brutal, yes. Ridiculous, not. And “Lifted” comes from what Buil calls her confrontational feminism. It examines the life of a modern woman struggling with issues of detachment, selfishness and gargantuanism, along with heavy doses of gender politics situated within the context of pop culture.

“Lifted” runs from December 3rd to January 4th at &Gallery, 6306 NW 2nd Ave., Miami; www.andgallery.net.