KATHERINE JOHNSTONE AND Darshan Amrit, co-owners of mixedUSE Modern, exhibit conceptual artwork in their modern furniture store to demonstrate that it's possible to live with complicated art. And by showing art surrounded by high-quality modern furniture and vintage clothing, they also provide a less intimidating way to look at art. "Tim and Anna Misuse mixedUSE" features work by recent MFA graduates Anna Maltz (California College of the Arts) and Tim Sullivan (San Francisco Art Institute). Even though Sullivan's work was brought over from his August exhibition at Lucky Tackle in Oakland and Maltz's was most likely made for a previous exhibition as well, their work resonates with each other and within the space. Maltz's Hoodpattern #1-#5, a series of altered '80s clothing-pattern envelopes, is given context by the racks of vintage '80s clothing for sale nearby. Maltz has altered the pattern envelopes by adding matching hoods to the outfits pictured. With small, rectangular eyeholes, the hoods look like a kind of American burka or something out of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Somehow Maltz has managed to normalize this look as if it's the way the garments always were. Also on view is Maltz's exquisitely crafted Columbine and Co., a series of three handmade hoods for the Italian pantomime characters Pierrot, Harlequin, and Columbine. In most of Tim Sullivan's narrative photographs, the artist serves as the drama's protagonist, but unlike contemporary artists who've worked in this vein (Cindy Sherman, Paul McCarthy, et al), Sullivan doesn't conceal his identity. Since Sullivan tends toward the humorous, positioning himself as the primary character doesn't feel as contrived as it sounds. What is refreshing about mixedUSE's concept is that the gallery exposes emerging contemporary artists to multiple audiences – and shows that art doesn't always have to match the furniture. Tues.-Thurs., noon-6 p.m.; Fri., noon-7 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-7 p.m., 2917 24th St., SF. (415) 970-0560. (Katie Kurtz)