The Kirkland Arts Center will host an opening reception from 6-8:30 p.m. June 11 for its new exhibit, “Cutism,” which runs through July 3.

In the mid 20th century, a cultural distinction was clearly drawn to separate avant-garde art forms from kitsch Thinkers like Theodor Adorno and Clement Greenberg argued that kitsch was the very antithesis and enemy of aesthetic experience, a product of consumer culture designed solely to please, rather than challenge, the masses. Over the course of past 30 years, postmodern art has challenged this distinction. n Cutism, artists Rebekah Bogard, Ahren Hertel, Jason Huff and Melissa Jones appropriate the very pinnacle of the kitsch aesthetic, cuteness, blurring the lines between avant-garde and kitsch to explore contemporary and complex issues such as money, sexuality, and self-identity.

Creating a fictional world of mysterious creatures, Rebekah Bogard explores the narratives of her life. Bogard’s ceramic works blend beauty and sadness, fantasy and reality, idealism and truth, and sexuality and innocence.

Ahren Hertel’s vivid paintings introduce characters, human in form, to a cartoon world that is both colorful and disturbing. Through his work, Hertel evokes both surreal happiness and morbid unease.

Using his own life experience and his cat Louie, Jason Huff creates a world of his own in ceramic works that satirize stereotypes of society and culture.Melissa Jones’ drawings and mixed media paintings serve as a form of visual diary for the artist, conveying her daily moods and perceptions through a symbolic and metaphorical language.

The Kirkland Arts Center is located at 620 Market Street. For information, call 425-822-7161.