As is to be expected from a show whose emphasis is on assortment, the Knight Arts grantee Philadelphia Sculpture Gym‘s (PSG) current process show tackling the multifarious beast that is “Mixed Media” dabbles in everything from photography and trash to cast metal, wood and fabric. There is also still time to lock in your PSG Charter Membership rate at $100 per month for the life of your account (as long as it stays current) before their official grand opening!

Michael Konrad, “Sky Cone.”

Michael Konrad takes the two dimensional world of photography and stretches its limits in his piece “Sky Cone.” Here, the cables of trolleys and possibly power lines cross and zig-zag across a blue sky and some wispy clouds. This sight is more than familiar to drivers and pedestrians in cities around the world, but Konrad takes his representation a step further by pulling these wires right off the page. Instead of ending the photo at the edge of the frame, he continues the paths of these lines with the addition of bungee cords, which serve as a unique and trampoline-like way to mount an otherwise straightforward picture.

Kelly A. Kozma, “Picked off the Street.”

Focusing on street level instead of what hangs above our heads, Kelly A. Kozma constructs an arched form which vaguely resembles a window, but incidentally makes a better door. The many things we tread on from day to day without a second thought – this is Kozma’s starting point. In her assemblage we find leaves, seed pods, and dirt, as well as some human artifacts like a sewer grate, burlap, some red string, and an unidentified red ball. Aptly titled “Picked off the Street,” an otherwise unremarkable assortment of stuff becomes markedly contrasted to the white walls around it; Kozma’s construction is a window into the regular and even the downtrodden, and it also provides an up-close study of textures that often pass right beneath us.

Lawrence E. Welker IV, “Loss.”

Somewhat more traditional in his approach, Lawrence E. Welker IV uses molds to cast a pair of bronze figures for his sculpture “Loss.” The work itself is rather emotionally charged, and held waist-high by a beautiful rosewood table. A golden-colored female figure walks away from a crouching man, whose green patina and eroded structure imply his fragile emotional state. Whether the lower figure’s female companion is a romantic partner leaving or represents the death of a friend, this work possesses a heaviness of grief and longing that is as lucid as the bodies themselves.

Joshua Coombs, “Constriction/Protection/Liberation.”

Joshua Coombs provides what appears like something more for autumn, based on its colors, but which is quite intriguing nonetheless. His metal, leather, wool and felt form seems to be based on the natural seed pods and nuts which trees and plants shed to sprout new generations. The title “Constriction/Protection/Liberation” hints at this process of seed dispersal but also a number of very human states as well. We often trade our liberty for our protection or sacrifice stability for freedom, but unlike plants, we often have much more of a choice in these matters.

The Mixed Media show will be on display in the gallery space through April 30. This upcoming weekend, PSG will also be holding an aluminum pouring session on Saturday, April 13 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. for a cost of $75.

Philadelphia Sculpture Gym is located at 1834 E. Frankford Ave., Philadelphia; [email protected]; philadelphiasculpturegym.com.