By D. Dominick Lombardi

'Arrested Development: Contemporary Contemplations on Adolescence and Youth'
Castle Gallery, the College of New Rochelle, 29 Castle Place, New Rochelle, (914) 654-5423. Through March 31.

This exhibition, curated by Susan M. Canning, reveals, through the creative works of painters, photographers, sculptors, animators and videographers, the overriding factors that influence youth. It is also about, among other things, how artists continue to wrestle with the so-called growing pains of the past.

Karen Yasinsky's video ''No Place Like Home''(1998), which begins with a clay animation doll clicking its ruby slippers in a nod to Dorothy in ''The Wizard of Oz,'' elevates the power of suggestion to a new level. In it, a young girl on the verge of early womanhood goes through three, very disturbing scenarios that, at times, might make viewers uncomfortable.

Janet Biggs's video installation ''Ritalin'' (2000) is an extraordinary commentary on the controlling effect of drugs on creativity driven by adrenaline. Joyce Pensato's painting ''Dancing to Cesaria'' (2001), which features rapidly painted renderings of Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, effectively combines high and low art.

In the painting ''PostBjork'' (2000) by Michael Bevilacqua, youth and a designer label-oriented world are shown as confused and desensitized.

The most potent pieces in the exhibition are Deborah Mesa-Pelly's ''Black Hole'' (1999) and ''Crawl Space'' (1998). Both photographs show young women as they find mysterious portals in walls and in floors that lead to creepy other-worlds. What happens next is in the mind of the beholder.

Published: 03 - 03 - 2002 , Late Edition - Final , Section 14WC , Column 1 , Page 8