Hemphill Fine Arts opened two shows this past weekend, showcasing James Huckenpahler’s digital prints in Mindless Pleasures and David Byrne’s furniture design in Furnishing the Self – Upholstering the Soul (Chairs). And while both shows are housed in the same gallery space, they displayed art at opposite ends of the spectrum in both medium and in feel.

The first of the two shows at Hemphill is Huckenpahler’s computer art presented in Mindless Pleasures. His work is cold, clinical and highly abstract, with miscellaneous shapes making up his compositions. The abstractions protrude then recede, twist and turn and break into blobs. There are glimpses of human forms, a possible arm here, maybe a face there. It all seems otherworldly, like an alien landscape with deformed mountains and canyons.

In study for land grab, this is most obvious. The shapes are gentle, with rounded peaks and valleys covered in chrome. Lens flairs are non-existent, only bright highlights reflecting in the shiny finish.

In part of a series titled mindless pleasures – #10, #2, #8 (pictured), and #6 display striking contours in black and white. The lines, thick then thin, often get too close and appear to vibrate and hum, hurting the eye.