The exhibition of work by Karen Margolis and Daniel M Rosenbaum at 490 Atlantic Gallery (up through this Sunday, Dec. 18) is an event. On entering the gallery, partly visible through the doorway to the second room, is a massive installation by Margolis. With burned paper, plastic toys, wire mesh and a cascade of color, Margolis confronts us with a post-climate-destroyed world that actually hasn’t completely died. Life as we know it is gone, clearly shredded, but Earth’s infinite desire for creation has generated new growth, strange aquarium-like forms, nods to the coral reef and other wonders we are currently killing. Margolis is a master technician, a magician who burns perfect circles in paper, twists perfect strands with colored wire, and unites the cacophony in a universe of organic movement and joy. Though Daniel Rosenbaum’s art stems from a completely different sensibility, the organic movement of his paintings, his love of color and clear enjoyment of the entire process help connect his work to that of Margolis. Rosenbaum brushes a dance of rhythm with semi-translucent layers of thin, thick and stained paint, and sometimes even embeds eyes or cartoon-like figures in the swirl. When these recognizable human features blend seamlessly with his painted gesture, he creates another flowing layer, not just of physical paint but also of hints of a concept about art, life and the imagination.