The provocative uneasiness of enlarged eyes and mouths. Nailah Fumilayo Davis in the Parsons BFA Photography Senior Thesis exhibition at Aperture Gallery.

Wading in chartreuse. Venice Gordon in the Parsons BFA Photography Senior Thesis exhibition at Aperture Gallery.

Finding swirling galaxies in lenticular images of fruit. Jitish Kallat at Sperone Westwater.

Using body paint to embrace changing facets of identity. Laurie Simmons at Salon 94.

Exploring photographic illusionism via intricate arrangements of painted wood blocks. Erin O’Keefe at Morgan Lehman.

Using the world’s first cellphone as the basis for abstract patterning. Doug Aitken at 303 Gallery.

Turning a mother’s clothes into a swirling mass of patterned abstraction. Keisha Scarville at Lesley Heller.

Using overlaid captions to playfully interrupt controlled glamour. Cary Leibowitz at Invisible-Exports.

A tender embrace, echoing Joseph taking Jesus down from the Cross. Em Rooney at Bodega.

Cleverly using light to activate a silk screened protest image. Hank Willis Thomas at Jack Shainman Gallery.

Finding wordplay in classroom desk graffiti. Erica Baum in the Hours and Places group show at Bureau.

The elemental forms of massive electricity towers. Early work from Bernd and Hilla Becher at Paula Cooper Gallery.

The wary trepidation felt at birthday time. Osamu James Nakagawa at sepiaEYE.

A bathtub toe with film noir echoes. Maggie Steber at the Half King.

Searching for ghosts in Sally Mann’s developer tray. John Cyr at Elizabeth Houston Gallery.

Fake dating a slippery ashtray still life. Nobuyoshi Araki at Taka Ishii Gallery.

Building up layers of graphic shapes. Stephen Frailey in the Guarded Future II show at Downs & Ross.

Blonde hair interrupted by metal letters, eroded craters, and an air vent. Borden Capalino at Lyles & King.

When symbols lose their decipherability. Shannon Ebner in the Mark group show at Team Gallery.

Meticulous radiating lines surrounding a glowing orb. Marsha Cottrell at Van Doren Waxter.