Chris Miller reviews paintings by Zak Prekop at Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, on view through October 22, 2016.

Miller writes: “Some works seem to be exploding; others collect the shrapnel that follows. A few feel quiet and mysterious, especially when patterns have been painted, or glued, on the reverse, so images emerge dimly from the back… Yet always we feel a whole painting pulling itself together with a kind of fresh and cool perfection.”