Laura Esbensen’s work isn’t for the faint of heart. Or stomach, spleen, or kidney. The San Diego- and Las Vegas-based artist’s paintings and sculptures put the organ in organic, juxtaposing pulpous, pulsating pink and red blobs with hard-edged, heavy construction materials, hinting at the vulnerability of a living thing, recently excised from its host. In this new show, Esbensen says, a study of mutilation and revival draws out the idea that the grotesque, before it is horror or alien, is simply and beautifully a sum of parts. Wondering what that means? Ask the artist at the opening reception, 6-8 p.m. on October 3.

Exhibit runs through December 13.