Embarking upon the Painted Bride Art Center this First Friday, Sept. 2, was definitely a great decision. If you were to follow the DJ’s beats through the doors of the Bride this past weekend, you would find a real double whammy of an event. First, you would run into the colorful, graffiti-style paintings by artist Nikolay Milushev. Venturing further into the back and upper levels of the Bride would reveal the live art-making event “On the Wall,” in which six artists spent all day spontaneously creating murals on the blank walls of the art center.

The café gallery inside the Painted Bride this month is host to InLiquid’s show, “HOPE FOR A BETTER WORLD — an exhibition of works by Milushev. The paintings are immediately capturing because of their bold colors and twisting patterns. This initial take on Milushev’s paintings is somewhat lost in the chaos of his canvases, however. There are a slew of social messages and political critiques which confront the viewer, and they make no reservations.

Hailing from Haskovo, Bulgaria, Milushev moved to the United States in 2001 to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Since then, he has pursued his conceptual and sometimes-aggressive paintings, which crack open the social problems of our day and don’t let anyone pass by without thinking twice. The series on display is “World in Distress,” which presents just that. The piece “Testosterone,” for instance, depicts stoic military men rising above a skyline and the natural world. Behind these soldiers wriggles a background of sperm cells on a blue field. This painting questions the overt, masculine power structures at play in our world, ones whose hard-headedness often threatens both our cities and our savannahs.

In other parts of the Painted Bride, there were artists at work all day as part of “On the Wall.” The six artists: Anita Allyn, Marta Sanchez, Christian Herr, Jamar Nicholas, Mauro Zamora and Nami Yamamoto took over the back half of the art center with their on-the-fly installations. The various different styles of these artists clash and complement one another, as well as bring ideas of risk-taking and audience interaction to the forefront. Curated by Robert Raczka, this ephemeral exhibit will be on display until Oct. 16. This is fortunate, since it gives anyone who missed September’s reception a chance to stop by for another one on Oct. 7. Of course, you could pay a visit anytime in between, too; the point is you need to see what’s going on at Painted Bride in person.

With a gallery full of raw, socially relevant intrigues by Milushev and a multifaceted display by six other artists, the current show at Painted Bride is a heavy-hitter. If you are a fan of art and live near Philly, the walls of the Painted Bride Art Center are not to be missed.

The Painted Bride Art Center is located at 230 Vine St. in Old City; 215-925-9914.