Conventional thinking preaches that sugar and spice and everything nice are all that little girls are made of. Kimberly Hart in her exhibition, Open Season, reminds us that conventional thinking has no place in modern art.

She laughs in the face of convention and shows us that little girls can be balls (ovaries?) tough, little bad asses that buck pre conceived notions and recreate social norms on their own terms. In this exhibit she’s unleashed an alter ego to counter Degas’ pink frilly tutu wearing prissy lil’ Daddy’s girl.

She has created a persona reminiscent of a modern day Scout,(Yes kids, that is a “To Kill a Mocking Bird” reference… you’re welcome.) a sequins clad warrior princess who could very well be the love child of Ted Nugent and a pre- felonious Martha Stewart.

A child who is,” an aspiring angler, a fortress defender and impudent enough to strike down her own pony.” It’s this audacious alter ego that has created the instillation on display at the Chelsea gallery- Mixed Greens .

 This is a collection of works that depict hunting scenes as only an adolescent girl could imagine them.  The largest piece, dominating the room, is an acrylic painting of a quiet, bucolic forest scene.  There’s a river with fish jumping out of it, there’s birds and ducks and butterflies, there’s even an 8 point buck and a unicorn.

Also in the upper right hand corner are four wooden shelves holding plaster busts of unicorns, crows and bunnies.  Placed in front of the canvas is a white stool with a pyramid of old- timey milk cans on top.

A nice enough piece of art on its own, but the genius of it, the slap in the face to Jane Austin’s “Little Women” fun of it is the dozen or so palm sized felt bulls eyes scattered throughout.  My favorite one is right over the heart of the unicorn.  It reminded me of the old light gun shooting gallery at Six Flags.

That’s just one example.  The other selections she has created are equally hysterical and uniquely girly in their depictions of traditionally non girly subject matter.  But that’s just part of what makes them so wonderful.

These are the works of an adolescent’s guilt free imagination.  Only a child could view nature and the hunt with such giddy macramed glee.  Only a child could create a piece of art with bunnies strung up by their feet above a puddle of blood made out of red felt, and have it not be about violence.

There’s no adult voice at work here.  There’s no fear or mean spiritedness.  There’s simply the vision of a lil’ tomboy rambunctious and wild with a runaway imagination.  This instillation is about the joy of childhood, the joy of LIFE, and that’s something we can all dig.

 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Mixed Greens Gallery- 531 w26th St- between 10th and 11th

• (take the C or E to 23rd  and walk west)

• Hours: M- F 10am- 6pm; Sat 11am- 6pm

• Closes April 21!