TO FEB. 11

Ian Whitmore fits the Fusebox archetype for D.C. artists: He’s a white, 20-something male fresh out of a local undergrad program. So at least from a demographic standpoint, it’s fitting that the gallery’s farewell show includes him. “Ian Whitmore: Little Lies” offers six examples of Whitmore’s tendencies to be either too clever or too facile for his own good. Blunt Instrument (pictured) is typical: A blue balloon ringed with pink stars incongruously floats above an explosion of orange, peach, and hot-pink blotches. In Christmas Painting, reindeer antlers, sprigs of holly, candles, and flying mints are shown in a gaudy heap in front of a pink-striped background. A lone bare knee pokes out in the lower third of the picture, suggesting a nude model buried underneath it all. Two smaller paintings are more unusual. The New Look is a straightforward rendering of some kind of space telescope, but cropped in all directions. In New York, New York, two young girls—looking very much like the Olsen twins—stand awkwardly together. Their skin and hair is rendered offhandedly in shades of brown, and they’re both wearing short, hot-orange-colored skirts. One holds a dog. The background appears to be an expanse of untouched paper—until one notices a few drab stains and splotches floating between the two figures. Corrected mistakes? Something uglier? Whatever this indicates about Whitmore’s promising future, one thing’s for certain: He won’t reach artistic maturity at Fusebox. The show is on view from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and noon to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, to Saturday, Feb. 11, at Fusebox, 1412 14th St. NW. Free. (202) 299-9220. (Jeffry Cudlin)