.Small Works

The holiday season is also the season of prime shopping opportunities for people who want to fill their homes with local art, but can’t quite afford to invest in large-scale pieces. Small Works, currently on view at Mercury 20 gallery (475 25th St., Oakland), is one of many affordable art group shows designed for holiday shoppers. But it continues through January 9, so after you’ve celebrated and all of your relatives have finally left, you can collect something for your own wall. This year, the annual cash-and-carry show features work from many of Mercury 20’s member artists, with pieces ranging widely in medium from ceramics to mixed media collage. That includes Carlo Fantin’s incredibly intricate paper cut-outs, which often employ religious and otherwise iconic figures to critique our relationship to technology. It also includes works by Ruth Tabancay, who often uses textile art and embroidery to thoughtfully reflect on and reimagine scientific symbols and tools.