Here's a heartwarming tale of modern science. Question: Take a child who's so nearsighted he's legally blind, and give him a pair of glasses -- what does he evolve into? Answer: He doesn't, he devolves -- into an artist and musician named Mark Mothersbaugh, whose devolutionary instincts are such that he named his '80s rock band Devo. The band we know, but the visual artist is still making his presence felt, and in this radically devolved city his work can be seen at l'Art Noir, where his latest progeny appear as Beautiful Mutants. As a species, they comprise a serendipitous saunter through a yesteryear that never was. Not like this. Here Mothersbaugh transforms old photos into new life forms, and while they may look traditional, they're not reassuring, but abrupt detours along the DNA superhighway. -- D. Eric Bookhardt

Through Dec. 17

lÕArt Noir, 4108 St. Claude Ave., 324-2489; www.lartnoirneworleans.com