In the early aughts, de Beer gained a following for videos and
sculptures that evoke the locked-bedroom undertakings of a goth teen-age
girl. In her first solo show in four years, it's clear that this
adolescent spirit has evolved into something more complex and
mysterious. In the main room, seen under colored lights, perforated
screens lend moody atmosphere, while a stuttering short film is
projected, small and low, on one wall. In the middle of it all, a
mirror-lined replica of a whirling praxinoscope (a nineteenth-century
animation device) has ground to a halt. Restraint is the operative mood
here, and through the results are uneven (installaed without dramtic
light, more screens become mere decoration), the show builds
anticipation for what will come next. Through March 19th. (Boesky, 509
W. 24th St. 212-680-9889)