As the title suggests, “Super Phat,” the exhibition, is super cool. This collection of work by Japanese artists living in the United States and Western artists who have lived in Japan, was organized by the School of Visual Arts. Working in a variety of media, more than 40 established and emerging artists, all SVA alumni, have adopted and absorbed the beat of their host country and created a dynamic fusion of Japanese and American culture.

Among the highlights are Hiro Ohta’s “Super PHAT Baby Deity,” a colossal baby Buddha whose six golden ams grasp objects that signal a New York experience, including a book whose cover reads, “I [heart] NY More than Ever.”

“New York Sugoroku,” by Masako Ebata, is a gigantic board game, much like Snakes and Ladders, emblazoned with the Empire State building and the statement, “You are on Top of the World.” Other landmarks include the Brooklyn Bridge, the Staten Island Ferry and the Magnolia cupcake shop. The game pieces are plastic robotic monkeys of the type you might find at Giant Robot. Illustration, above: The Big Wave (after Hokusai) by Yuko Shimizu. Courtesy of Visual Arts Gallery.

Among the videos is Miho Suzuki’s “Fold It!” a tongue-in-cheek riff on “How to Wrap Five Eggs,” one of the most influential books about Japanese packaging and aesthetics ever published in America. Chic Machida’s “Photograph of Ground Zero, 2004″ shows tourists calmly and deliberately photographing at the site of the terrorist attacks of 2001, with a soundtrack of the news feed from that infamous day. The disjointed effect is unnerving.

Yuko Shimizu’s drawings continue to unfold tales of her girl explorers in their signature striped cat suits, who have once again taken to the skies. In “The Rodeo Drive,” they ride aloft in a multi-seat saddle, nibbling on mushrooms that multiply and spill into the ether. Creeping into the scene at the lower edge is a hairy, cloven-hoofed creature of many horns.

This imaginary beast is central to the adjacent drawing, “The Wild Wild Chase.” Here it carries a squadron of girl explorers off on another adventure. The critter is so much more ominous than Yuko’s previous inventions that I phoned to ask her about it. She said, “I’ve always wanted to draw an unrealistic creature. This one came out of my head as I was drawing. And this kind of drawing is so different that what I do for assignments. Here,” she went on to say, “I can let the story develop as I draw. There’s no single narrative, as there has to be in an editorial piece that must clearly tell a single story. In these large drawings, I leave the story open-ended for the viewer to flesh it out. I think that’s part of the fun.”

The opening reception, with many of the artists attending, is Tuesday, September 18^th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. “Super Phat” continues through September 29, 2007 at the Visual Arts Gallery, 601 West 26^th Street between 11^th and 12^th Avenues, 15^th floor. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. For information: 212-592-2145.