Have you ever seen a ghost? Kristopher Benedict has. And for your viewing enjoyment, he has surreptitiously sneaked them into Tiger Strikes Asteroid as part of his solo show “Kristopher Benedict: Happy Ghost,” curated by Will DiBello. Each painting he includes in the seven-piece exhibit is a pastiche of personal and found photos, images from children’s books, and scenes from domestic life. These phantoms of the show’s title reside deep within thick layers, and in some cases, are scarcely distinguishable from the gusts of pattern, form-laden non-representation and free association.

Kristopher Benedict, “Untitled (rocket).”

As far as form is concerned, “Untitled (rocket)” is likely first among equals. Unlike many of the other works, the content here is all but indecipherable, but the composition is superb. In the distance some semblance of industrial gray-blue structure is visible, and in the mid-ground a ripple of light and royal blue almost-liquid billows out like the focal point of propulsion from an otherwise unseen rocket. If there is a craft in here, it is probably part of the top red layer. This flat red shape slices across the entire scene in a cutting motion not unlike a speeding ship, but its lower outline more resembles a geographical feature than a vehicle of any kind. Nonetheless, its two distinct features – one more jagged with a dark outline and the other a rounded grouping of arcs – are some of the most assertive and important gestures in the show.

Kristopher Benedict, “Untitled (country wall).”

In other paintings, the subject matter is more apparent, if appropriately spectral. A couple of works including “Untitled (country wall)” and “Mansion with Terracotta Roof” are overtly architectural in nature. The former is colored mostly in teal and cyan hues, the brick and doorway of the country wall visible through the sea foam as a mere tracing of the cracked façade. Tiny yellow and red blossom-like explosions dot the foreground among the curvy expression of foliage, and a brownish pink haze settles softly into the rear of the frame. The latter is sketched and incomplete feeling, yet still remains one of the more complete and realistic paintings present, depicting some Italian villa full of clay and wrought iron fixtures.

Kristopher Benedict, “Meditating Woman.”

For a show of deceased spirits, it seems strange that the only truly figurative piece on display is “Meditating Woman.” Here, we find just that: a woman seated with folded hands and closed eyes. The rest of the image is an avalanche of ectoplasm and other splashes of color that might variously be fabric, concrete or miscellaneous fluids. If the peaceful countenance of the subject is any indication, her fleshy figure must be immune to the chaos of whatever séance she finds herself a part of.

Kristopher Benedict, “Untitled (shells).”

Largest of the works here is the 68 x 56 inch “Untitled (shells),” which utilizes the ridges of scallop shells as a motif that pays homage to nature’s sculptural mastery perfected long before human ingenuity. A conical shell separates the canvas nearly in two, and the application of paint looks nearly identical to a printmaking process instead of a painting. Near the bottom, a deep blue section seems rightly like the abyss of the sea, and as we peer toward it through the layers, we find ourselves first and foremost adrift in an ocean of sometimes distressing color choices before coming to rest in the stillness.

All of the ghosts in Kristopher Benedict’s show are indeed benevolent, but just like any member of the ranks of the supernatural, they are only as tangible as they are comprehensible, and Benedict does his best to make them ethereal enough to fade into the fray almost entirely. Just when you think you catch a glimpse of something, it seems to disappear. It must have just been the wind.

The show will be on display through December 28.

Tiger Strikes Asteroid is located at 319 N. 11th St., on the second floor, Philadelphia; [email protected]; tigerstrikesasteroid.com.