At Paradigm Gallery just south of South Street, two artists have taken over the small space with an assortment of two-dimensional works that–although similar in terms of their often risque content–are derived from quite divergent processes. Erin M. Riley and Joe Boruchow split the small, South Philly gallery for the show “In & Out” which promises to keep your attention for more than what the exhibit’s name may imply.

“In & Out” promo. Image courtesy of joeboruchow.blogspot.com

Boruchow, the instantly recognizable Philadelphia graffiti artist, typically wheat pastes his black-and-white, cut paper images to mailboxes, buildings and just about any flat surface he can find. His style and content are often hard to mistake, and his artwork peppers just about every area of the city. Finding his work inside a gallery may not be unheard of, but it’s certainly not his most visible means of delivery.

Joe Boruchow, “Hood.” Image courtesy of joeboruchow.blogspot.com

Having his finger firmly on the pulse of our times, Boruchow’s work at Paradigm runs through all veins of imagery–from pictures of our hairy nether-region anatomy so often frowned upon by society at large in “American Boy & Girl,” to a wide-eyed, hooded figure that stands as a clear and palpable acknowledgment of the painful and divisive situation revolving around the death of Trayvon Martin in his piece “Hood.” No matter our opinions on these topics, they tend to inundate our lives and ignite controversy wherever they arise.

Erin M. Riley, “The Pill.” Image courtesy of erinmriley.com

Riley’s material of choice is fabric, and as an additive process to Boruchow’s subtractive one, she constructs tapestries of scenes which could be from nearly any Facebook, Tumblr or Snapchat the world over. She focuses on the prominence of ‘selfie’ mirror photos, sexual images and drugs in our culture, for better or for worse. What really is taboo? Why do we stigmatize some of these activities while the nightly news so often exists as a stream of violent crime and war?

Erin M. Riley, “Swirls.” Image courtesy of erinmriley.com

Like Boruchow, Riley does not shy away from the tough ideas that sometimes roil just below the surface of acceptability, only here, they are woven out of soft, delicate threads that seem at ease when juxtaposed with the themes they portray. A glass marijuana pipe here, a pack of birth control pills there… a handgun or a roll of $20 bills–these snapshots contain the gritty realities of contemporary life that some people prefer to gloss over. The difference here is that they are woven out of sensuous strings instead of the eye-popping pixels that assault us from computers and televisions. Her take is familiar but refreshing, and in its anonymity and aptitude, we allow ourselves to step back and see these scenes for what they really are without the snags of media sensationalism.

Paradigm’s opening for “In & Out” just happened, and the exhibit lasts through October 12, so there’s no shortage of time to check it out. There will also be an additional Fourth Friday reception on September 27 at 6 p.m. and two days of Philadelphia Open Studio Tours on October 5 and 6 at noon.

Paradigm Gallery is located at 803 South 4th St., Philadelphia; [email protected]; paradigm-gallery.com.