The metal and stone sculptures by John Van Alstine at the C. Grimaldis Gallery remain within the realm of abstract art, but some of them have references as topical as this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. Indeed, some of these exhibited pieces are stylistically related to a commission he had for Beijing's Olympic Park complex.

Most of the works in the Grimaldis show are relatively small, but "Sisyphean Circle -- Beijing Series XII" is a large sculpture that gives a sense of what his outdoor commission in China must look like. This piece and others in the series share a basic structural format: an Olympic logo-evocative pigmented steel ring supports and encircles a chunk of slate.

The series remains true to Van Alstine's sculptural practice of harmoniously juxtaposing materials as different as steel and stone. Typically, arcing steel bars and pieces of stone are joined together in such a way that you're encouraged to make note of differences in color and texture. The dark steel has a mostly smooth surface here, while the grayish slate has an uneven surface.

Variations in the shape and placement of the slate within the steel circle prompt you to follow this series in a same-yet-different manner. Varying the materials has a similar effect. That's why you'll be inclined to pause before "Sisyphus -- Beijing Series II," which substitutes warmer-hued bronze for the colder steel found in all of the other pieces.

Besides this China-related series, Van Alstine has several other pieces in the exhibit speaking to the sculptural vocabulary he has been developing for many years.

In the slate and steel "Cayuga Lake Landscape," the horizontally oriented steel arc and attached piece of slate do resemble a rolling landscape. And "Catapulta V (redblock)" includes a thin red-painted steel rod that serves as the support for a tiny riverstone. As always in this artist's work, he's got a balancing act going on.

Also exhibiting at Grimaldis is photographer Alexey Titarenko, who has a series of black-and-white shots taken in Havana within the past few years. You have to keep reminding yourself that they're recent photos, because the old buildings along that Cuban city's narrow streets are battered reminders of the past.

Likewise, Titarenko arranges many shots to feature American cars that date back to the 1950s. Economic hardship has prompted Cubans to keep these cars in running condition, but even that is a challenge. It's amusing to look at the photo titled "Dilemma," in which six men stand on a street and inspect a car with its hood up.

Although these vintage cars are the worse for wear, they possess a nostalgic beauty. In "Sunset/Back of Car/Mother and Child," there are lovely reflections playing across the car's surface. The mother and child are rather blurry in this shot, reinforcing its true subject.

John Van Alstine and Alexey Titarenko exhibit through July 12 at the C. Grimaldis Gallery, at 523 N. Charles Street in Baltimore. Call 410-539-1080 or go to www.cgrimaldisgallery.com.

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