Shades of Modernity

- Nancy Wolf's highly detailed scenes of Chinese megalopolises trade in anachronism and juxtaposition. One work finds an ancient temple complex marooned inside a belt of highway ramps. Another depicts temples walled off by a vertiginous curtain of glass-and-steel office towers. Color -- and lack thereof -- signals good guys and bad: Wolf renders office blocks in prison-grim monochrome and ancient relics in brilliant color. When vestiges of a cobalt-and-white porcelain vase emerge from under a skyscraper's skin, it's unclear if the dynastic past is mounting a resurgence or gasping for breath. To be sure, Wolf's opinion on the matter is never in doubt.

"Dragons Adrift: The New Chinese Landscape" at Marsha Mateyka Gallery, 2012 R St. NW, Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 202-328-0088, to April 19; http://www.marshamateykagallery.com.