The Contradictory Lens

Julian Faulhaber's "Lounge," on view at Adamson Gallery.(Adamson Gallery)

- Dortmund, Germany-based photographer Julian Faulhaber photographs new parking lots, lounges and rec centers, which he shoots from oblique angles and with long shutter speeds that draw out rich color. His striking pictures document a particular moment of German economic expansion while evoking a more universal lust for the untouched. The results invite contradiction: A chartreuse lounge is both inviting and inhospitable; a street corner looks Edward Hopper lonely and toy-model false. Faulhaber's gift is animating the banal.

Julian Faulhaber at Adamson Gallery, 1515 14th St. NW, Tuesday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday noon-5 p.m., 202-232-0707, through today; http://www.adamsongallery.com.

Feeling Right at Home at Kathleen Ewing's

- What with Internet and art fair sales accounting for an increasing portion of the gallery business -- even as foot traffic has fallen off -- Kathleen Ewing no longer needed that expansive Connecticut Avenue gallery she called home for the past 23 years. Now decamped to a 1,500-square-foot space in a cozy Dupont rowhouse, her MO is intimacy. The quirky floor plan may snake around corners and the paint may need a touchup, but it's all in keeping with the gallerist's homey vibe. On view, a group show of gallery artists includes some striking August Sander photos (are they ever anything less?) and Joan Myers's pictures of Antarctica's jagged beauty.

"Director's Choice" at Kathleen Ewing Gallery, 1767 P St. NW, second floor, Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., 202-328-0955, to May 31; http://www.kathleenewinggallery.com.

Germans' Wry Takes On Family & Other Trees

Robert Voit's "Enchanted Wood" series chronicles attempts to make cellphone towers blend into the landscape.(Goethe-Institut)

- A handful of German photography graduate students touch down with some of the strongest work I've seen anywhere. Robert Voit takes deadpan shots of cellphone towers made to look like palm trees or conifers in his "Enchanted Wood" series, nine wry pictures of what some telecommunications exec figured was a good idea. An uncanny conceptual work comes from Sonja Irouschek, who fabricates a convincing family tree using found photos Photoshopped with pictures of herself; the same strong nose and almond eyes appear on Victorian ladies and '70s-era moms in a fictitious, yet convincing, meditation on the genetic ties that bind.

"gute aussichten: young german photographers" at the Goethe-Institut, 812 Seventh St. NW, Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 202-289-1200, to June 29; http://www.goethe.de/washington, http://www.guteaussichten.org.

A Fashionable Eye On the Streets

Andrew Dosunmu's "VooDoo1."(Marin-Price Galleries)

- Nigerian-born photographer Andrew Dosunmu's knack for spotting Glamazons on the streets of Jamaica, Detroit and his homeland betray the photographer's background in fashion and design. Once an assistant to Yves Saint Laurent, Dosunmu obviously developed an eye for the ladies -- at least, ones who look like Naomi Campbell. Many of these 20 black-and-white pictures marry street photography and fashion portraiture, an unlikely pairing that the artist pulls off with aplomb. Also on view, stills from his film "Hot Irons" documenting a Detroit hair competition where bouffants rule.

Andrew Dosunmu at Marin-Price Galleries, 7022 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Monday-Saturday 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m., 301-718-0622, through May 31; http://www.marin-pricegalleries.com.

Iranian Artists, Searching for Voices

Vahid Hakim's work, such as "Abstracting the Desert," stands out from the rest.(Meridian International Center)

- In a historic partnership with Tehran University Art Gallery, Meridian International Center conducts artistic diplomacy with an exhibition of 30 contemporary Iranian artists under the age of 40. In this, as in Meridian's previous Iran-U.S. exchange show, historical significance outweighs artistic impact. These students are doing exactly what students are supposed to do: exploring well-trod territory of their artistic elders in hopes of finding their own voices. For now, they remain largely wedded to the conventions of abstraction and surrealism. Only Vahid Hakim's quiet works on paper feel unforced; these ink abstractions achieve a remarkable level of tactility, as if translucent fabric hovered on the page.

"Wishes and Dreams: Iran's New Generation Emerges" at the Meridian International Center, Cafritz Galleries, White-Meyer House, 1624 Crescent Pl. NW, Wednesday-Sunday 2-5 p.m., 202-939-5568, to July 29; http://www.meridian.org.

The 'Fine Art' of Spoofing the Art World

Jose Ruiz's satirical exhibit is at the Cultural Institute of Mexico. (Cultural Institute of Mexico)

- Snake oil, anyone? The hands-down triumph of a well-executed group show at the Cultural Institute of Mexico comes from former Washingtonian and Decatur Blue founding member Jose Ruiz, whose satirical "Contemporary Fine Art Projects New York" mimics the ubiquitous art fair booth -- down to the faux gallery's business cards. A white location flag hovers over the doorway of a room filled with "art" by fictitious artists working in the latest media, including a remarkably goofy -- and, I'm embarrassed to say, entirely plausible -- multimedia extravaganza incorporating a wooden deer, two paintings and a video. A few paintings on skateboards prove Ruiz isn't above making fun of his own output. Jose, we miss you! The other work on view is from area Latin American artists.

"Directions: DC Contemporary Latino Art" at the Cultural Institute of Mexico, 2829 16th St. NW, Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., to June 15. Call 202-728-1624 or visit http://www.instituteofmexicodc.org.