Last call for CONTORTED, closing this Saturday, Feb. 9th, at Public Pool.

This coming Saturday, February 9th  is the last chance to catch “Contorted” —the five-woman group show on display at the Public Pool artspace in Hamtramck. The open gallery sessions have featured a live performance piece “It’s Up There” by Melanie Manos, as well as a live-drawing session with artist Alice V. Schneider, responsible for a spooky multi-media installation comprised of video and charcoal drawings in the gallery’s bathroom.

Detail from “Through the Looking Glass” by Alice V. Schneider.

Ms. Schneider (left) was on-hand in the gallery last Saturday, creating images-on-demand and discussing the limitations on her video project incurred by her recently broken leg.

Overall, the show, curated by Jessica Frelinghuysen, subtitles itself, “Five Artists on Skin and Hair, Bone and Muscle,” and the work itself deals largely with bodies or parts of bodies. Rachel Bernstein is responsible for a collection of truly uncomfortable collages that layer together clips of musculature into indefinable body part constructions, glistening, sometimes three-dimensional, and deeply unsettling.

“Mound” by Rachel Bernstein.

Melanie Manos is her own subject matter, with floor-to-ceiling digital prints that replicate her image into a geometric wallpaper of arm and leg configurations. Her piece “The Climb” is one of two video installations, the second being “Hydro Force” by Liz Cohen, which depicts a heavily pregnant woman interacting with a hydraulically animated vehicle. Women and cars are the subject of Cohen’s two still images as well, oversized C-prints that dominate the back wall of the gallery.

“High Five” by Melanie Manos. Courtesy of Re:View Gallery

Still from “The Climb” by Melanie Manos. Courtesy of Re:View Gallery

“Lowrider Builder and Child” by Liz Cohen. Courtesy of David Klein Gallery

Finally, Nicola Kuperus grabs the window seat, with two prints from her “Fools” series – “Fools II” and “Fools IV.” These layered images of female forms in bodysuits and bagged heads read almost as a static window into a performance art piece.

“Fools II” and “Fools IV” by Nicola Kuperus.

It’s definitely a provocative show highlighting strong perspectives on the female form. The worked showcased is hardly the highly sexualized and appealing imagery that we are used to seeing in mainstream culture, and the challenge inherent in that contrast will likely force a contortion within the viewer.

The show will close with “Twist & Bent” – a live music performance by artist Jen David, from 8-11 p.m. on Saturday.

Public Pool Artspace: 3309 Caniff St., Hamtramck; 313-495-POOL; apublicpool.com.