Featuring more than 100 pieces by local and national artists, "When Robots Ruled the Earth" is the debut show for the Gallery at East Atlanta Tattoo, a new space next door to the long-standing skin art shop. From comedic paintings inspired by "The Jetsons" to 3-D pieces that literally burst from their frames and morph into sculptures, the 'bots range from friendly to menacing.
While robots are the theme in all the works, the interpretations of that theme are as different as C-3PO and R2-D2. Works of pop surrealism by artists such as Samuel Parker and Shane Morton take a retro approach, with giant machines wreaking havoc on puny humans. Others, such as Trish Chenard's series of classic Catholic images and Eric Joyner's "Smackdown," with Rock'em Sock'em Robots in the roles of Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, put robots into divinely recognizable human roles.
• THE 411: "When Robots Ruled the Earth." Free. 5-8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays or by appointment through Oct. 20. The Gallery at East Atlanta Tattoo, 1188-B Glenwood Ave., East Atlanta. 404-226-2279, www.lowbrowgalleryatlanta.com.
