Axis of Praxis: Nate Lowman

This is art for, and by, the kids who sat in the back of the bus–sardonic takes on violence, sex, media, politics, and the mishmash of all of them that constitutes a large share of contemporary culture. Nate Lowman specializes in this by taking elements from that culture and messing with them via silkscreens, spraypaint, Xeroxes, posters, snapshots, and other plebian means. Part of his show (and its title) is also a comment on the vogue for artistic collaborative teams. Lowman asked a half-dozen artists to make a work by using one of his own bullet-hole silkscreen canvases (which themselves recall Warhol); then he followed suit by making another work in response to the one returned to him. The result is multiple layers of irony, sass, and theoretical stuff that can be overly heady–good thing the art remains down and dirty. 527 Second Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-605-4504; www.midwaycontemporaryart.org