Critics' picks - visual arts

Robin Rhode is one of three artists whose work is on view in "Street Level" at the ICA. (Perry rubenstein gallery, new york)

Streetwise

"Street Level: Mark Bradford, William Cordova and Robin Rhode," a refreshing show at the Institute of Contemporary Art, acknowledges the urban environment as an organic, shifting work of art. The three artists take what many look away from - trash, layers of worn and torn posters, scrawled graffiti, street hustlers - recognize vitality there, and use it to power their work. Through July 13. 617-478-3100, icaboston.org

Walker's world

There's something Shakespearean about John Walker's paintings. His forms create a restless, driving poetry. His paint reads as an essential force of life. Big canvases squirm with hurt and wrestle with pride. Their brooding expressionism shimmers between abstraction and representation. Walker, 69, director of the graduate painting department at Boston University, has an invigorating survey of works at Nielsen Gallery, 179 Newbury St., through Saturday. 617-266-4835, nielsengallery.com

- Cate McQuaid