In “Outside Inside,”  Lettieri’s new assemblages shake up the concepts of freedom and confinement, suggesting that they might be the same. Cages, lanterns and paintings of sky  are juxtaposed with familiar objects to create unsettling tension. The viewer may have to question what is outside and what is inside.

“For years I have collected a great inventory of interesting containers to use in my art,” Lettieri said. “The challenge for me with this series was to work with enclosures that have strong symbolic imagery, but say something unexpected.”

The resulting exhibit offers thought provoking and ironic visual metaphor. For example, a  red birdcage appears as if it would fly off into the blue canvas behind, if it were not tethered to a chain and barbell. A house shaped sculpture painted with clouds and encased in a wrought iron cloche gives new meaning to the phrase “castle in the sky.”

These and other pieces in “Outside Inside” reveal what is normally concealed by the placement of objects in such a way that poetic resonance happens.