Janiva Ellis, “Tip Drill”

Depending on whom you ask, the title for this show can mean a tool, a form of basketball practice or a slang expression for a woman who has an unattractive face coupled with a hot body. Make of that what you will, as you contemplate the artist’s latest paintings, featuring cartoonish pixies, and unsettling figures with jumbled features, mingled with gestural washes and surreal details.