The ACLU and a federal judge last month had to talk an overzealous prosecutor out of filing child pornography charges against some Pennsylvania teens who had taken semi-nude, nonpornographic camera-phone photos of themselves. Lost in the whole discussion: The reality that people start shaping their own identities as teenagers, and that sexuality is one important component of that process — as much as grown-ups wish it weren't true. In I Want to Be You, an exhibition of hyper-realistic paintings and video installations, Kansas City Art Institute seniors Chris Biddy (painting) and Britt Adair (digital filmmaking) depict juvenile girls and their expressions of identity with emotional candor and unposed artlessness — and without judgment. Striking and strangely moving, the works capture the guilelessness of young adulthood. The exhibit is on view from 6 to 9 tonight at the KCAI Crossroads Gallery (1908 Main). For more information, call 816-802-3423.
Fri., April 3, 6-9 p.m.; Fri., April 10, 6-9 p.m.; Fri., April 17, 6-9 p.m., 2009
