Contemporary art — whether expressed in painting, sculpture, installation, video  — could be summed up this way: what you see is not always what you think you do. Through the skillful manipulation of materials and perception, art works these days can change in meaning and even form the more time is spent with them.

Local artist Frances Trombly is a prime example. Her quiet, “feminine” work has been featured for some time now in collections and galleries. On initial glance, these pieces can look like they are created from found objects — that’s a welcome mat from Target, that’s a Publix receipt. But no, her pieces are meticulously crafted by hand, woven or knitted, employing traditional “female” craftsmanship. She reproduces mass-produced objects and turns them into unique expressions, because of the qualities they acquire and the work they require.

But they are not illusions. “On the contrary, they are what they are. … They just offer the viewer a quick glimpse into the hard-working hands of the artist, making reference at the same time to feminism, labour, art history, and countless other themes of modern life.” That’s how her work is described for her solo show, “The Point From Which to Start,” just opening at Casas Reigner Gallery in Bogota (that gallery used to have an outlet here but no longer does.) A woven canvas that “begs to be used” is also currently part of the group show at David Castillo Gallery.

Guillermo Kuitca blurs his lines with paint, exploring the vanishing line between public and private spaces, memory and reality. They are “abstract” and yet still have points of reference, such as maps and architectural structures. MAM put up a huge retrospective of his work last year, and now the de la Cruz Collection will highlight some of the Argentinean’s works from 1986-1998, opening on Thursday evening (with an added extra in the form of a concert from the Youth Orchestra of the Americas at 8:30 p.m.).

Probably because there just are so many art spaces around these days, but Thursdays have become another “gallery walk.” So Hardcore Art Contemporary Space will also be opening, featuring the less abstract architectural photography of local Lyndale Pettus.

Lyndale Pettus and Sabrina Montiel-Soto at Hardcore Art Contemporary Space, 3326, N. Miami Ave., 10a.m. to 8 p.m., through July 3. “Selections from the Collection: Guillermo Kuitca” at the de la Cruz Collection, 23 NE 41st St., Miami; opening Thursday, May 27 at 7 p.m., concert at 8:30 p.m. Frances Trombly in “Gallery Projects” at the David Castillo Gallery, 2234 NW 2nd Ave., Wynwood, through June 11.