This painting by Nathanial Lakin is part of the Contemporary Allegories exhibition at Baton Rouge Gallery.

"I'm pretty excited about seeing them (works of art) all together," she said. "I wanted to put together my work with that of artists who had a similar approach. I felt a kinship with them."

She has curated the exhibit, now on view at Baton Rouge Gallery, 1442 City Park Ave., with work by both Texas and Louisiana artists.

"I lived in Texas for a while, and that's another reason I wanted to do this show," she explained.

"We all work with the human figure, and all have an animal imagery. I call the work allegories because you feel like there's an underlying meaning that you don't obviously see."

The six artists, each working in a very personal, individual style, share this ability to project a double meaning in both subtle and dramatic ways. Each piece in the exhibit commands a second look, a moment of thought, a sense of mysticism that fascinates.

Artists represented include Kelley and Michaelene Walsh, both members of the faculty of the LSU School of Art; Louisiana artists Andra Kohaut and Nathanial Lakin, and Texas artists Mark Greenwalt and Cecelia Eberle.

Each artists use the human figure, and diverse animal images, to present surreal, humorous, grotesque and intriguing visual impressions and ideas.

Kelley's bunny rabbits and kittens look demure and appealing until you take a second look, and surreal twists speak of cruelty, passion and social disorder. Her "Sparkle" is a bare-breasted woman wearing a huge full skirt. She has cat's paws and a cat's face. A group of small animal figures include a bust of a bunny on a wood plaque, and a three-dimensional replica of one of her paintings, "War Baby," a figure with an innocent hooded face, huge gloved hands holding a gun and three huge feet extending from her little flared pink skirt.

Kelley has produced limited edition prints of "Sparkle" and "Pig," which are for sale at the gallery. Proceeds will benefit artists in the exhibition.

Walsh has filled two walls with collections of small objects. "Greetings" is an assortment of beautiful, thought-provoking greeting cards. This artist is known for her ceramic work, and the second wall is filled with ceramic figures, ranging from a big peppermint candy drop to a notebook to a variety of animal figures. The candy drop form morphs into small versions that begin to resemble a living figure.

Kohaut does stunning assemblages, encased in boxes of varying sizes. Doll figures just miss perfection. A pair of doll legs protrude from a frame. Figures move from reality to a fantastic dream world in a setting filled with bits of found objects, fabric, string and bones. A standing figure, "Titan," is a small child, with a huge horn protruding from its forehead and one distorted foot chained fast.

Images of human figures revised and restructured, often with gears and blocks of wood, emerge from the graphite, ink and oil on panel paintings by Greenwalt. His figures seem to float from layers of struggle.

A vivid "Little Red Riding Hood" is sculpted in papier maché, and its stern, almost featureless lines give a double and somehow sinister second meaning to the familiar form. This is the work of Eberle, who also shows a huge, furry paw, shaped like a giant hand, complete with enormous fingernails.

Lakin's mixed media pieces use pastel colors and snatches of familiar images to create a sense of the past mixed with hopes for the future. His paintings continue the exciting allegorical theme of the entire show.

This is no ordinary exhibition, but a taste of exciting contemporary art that tantalizes the eye and the mind. The images twist and turn, and with slight changes reveal the many-sided emotions that conflict the human heart.

Kelley said her hope is to send the exhibit to other galleries and museums, possibly in Texas.

"It (the show) just kept building," she said. "At first I was working with Ann Connelly to show it there, but it was too large for that space. My next move is to try to get this show to other areas. I think I have a chance to show it somewhere regionally."

She said she is exploring spaces in Houston and Dallas.

The exhibit deserves another showing, because it reveals the edgy talent in this region and showcases artists who stretch their minds and imaginations to comment on universal problems in a daring and interesting visual fashion.,

The exhibit continues at Baton Rouge Gallery through Feb. 24, and is free and open to the public. Hours are noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.