Meet the Beetle

Theres something thats bugging Mexican artist Damián Ortega, and hes using the Institute of Contemporary Art to get it out of his system.

That something is the complex interaction between his native land and the affluent West, and his exhibit Cosmic Thing, one of three now on display at the ICA through Dec. 15, explores it through one of its most potent icons, the Volkswagen Beetle. Ortegas sculptural decomposition of his own Bug, suspended from the ICAs 30-foot-high ceiling, is the centerpiece of the exhibit.

Running concurrently with the Ortega exhibit are three other exhibitsPictures, Patents, Monkeys and MoreOn Collecting, making its East Coast debut; Amy Cutlers first solo museum show of drawings; and Without Ground by Kimowan McLain, commissioned for the ICAs ramp.

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COSMIC THING: Through Dec. 15 at the ICA, 118 S. 36th St. Gallery hours: Noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission $3, students over 12/artists/seniors $2, children 12 and under/ICA members/PennCard holders/all visitors Sundays before 1 p.m. free. Info: www.icaphila.org or 215-898-7108.