See Kim Gordon's artworks now on view in Chelsea by Howard Halle, Time Out New York

What do you do for a second act when you’re one of the iconic figures in alternative rock? Well, if you’re Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth fame, you first write a memoir about your life and the ignominious end of the group that you were so closely associated with. Then you go back to focusing on your first love—making art. Yes, Gordon is an artist, though many of her fans might not know it. In fact, she always has been: She went to art school, and came to New York in 1980 with the intention of making her mark as a painter. And she was making art even while performing with Sonic Youth (she’s still performing post-band with musicians like Bill Nace). Still, absent the touring and all the rest, she has the time to devote more attention to her paintings and sculpture, the latest of which is being showcased in her solo debut with Chelsea’s 303 Gallery. The exhibit, “Design Office: The City Is A Garden,” is up until July 24, but if you want a sense of what to expect, check out our preview. You might find that the tone of her work, which is about New York’s dizzying pace of gentrification, is not unlike the music that made her famous.

Kim Gordon, “Design Office: The City Is a Garden,” is at 303 Gallery through July 25.