Galleries: Old is new at Touchstone; Rebecca Key turns back time at Transformer

Key's project is near perfect, but there's something missing: l'odeur derelicte. The garbage bags hugging Key's faux alley wall don't reek and urine didn't make Key's materials list. Of course, this evening's opening party could change all that . . .

But please don't go too crazy there because you'll need your reserves for Saturday night's shell-shocking Eric Hibit opening at Curator's Office. The 1998 Corcoran grad, 34, left the District for Yale's star-studded MFA program and returns to Washington for his first area show, which is the Liberace of this weekend's exhibitions.

How can I describe this? Hibit's wall-hung objects project off the walls and onto your eyeballs. Fluorescent pink pigment, glitter, bits of fur and felt, Tide detergent boxes, masks and McDonald's-themed necklaces erupt from sculptural armatures. Bring sunglasses and a baseball bat for protection.

Hibit's works are about consumer culture, ostentation and display. I haven't yet decided how I feel about them -- I saw them before they were properly installed, so I'm not venturing deep into opinion here -- but I remain alternately terrified and curious.

Touchstone Gallery's "Champagne Celebration" is Friday from 6-8:30 p.m. at 901 New York Ave. NW. 202-347-2787. Wednesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m., to Sept. 26. http://www.touchstonegallery.com.

"Rebecca Key: Archetype" opens Friday from 6-9 p.m. at Transformer, 1404 P St. NW. 202-483-1102. Wednesday-Saturday, 1-7 pm., to Oct. 15. http://www.transformergallery.org.

"Eric Hibit: Picture Cohesion" opens Saturday from 6-8 p.m. at Curator's Office, 1515 14th St. NW. 202-387-1008. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-6 pm., to October 23. http://www.curatorsoffice.com.

Dawson is a freelance writer.