TONY MATELLI: NEW GRAVITY A brilliant show of hyper-real sculptures of men on the threshold of consciousness (including the infamous “Sleepwalker”), plus broken windows and other metaphysical gewgaws. Through May 11. Davis Museum of Art, Wellesley College, Wellesley. 781-283-2051, www.wellesley.edu/davismuseum
CHRIS BURDEN: THE MASTER BUILDER A near-complete overview of the California artist’s small-scale erector-set bridges, to mark the unveiling of a sculpture by Burden outside the museum. Through June 8. Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham. 781-736-3434, www.brandeis.edu/rose
MACHINES AND MECHANIZATIONS: EXPLORATIONS IN CONTEMPORARY KINETIC SCULPTURE A survey of sculpture with moving by Kim Bernard, Christ Fitch, Erica von Schilgen, and Mark Davis. Through June 1. Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton. 508-588-6000, www.fullercraft.org
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SONIA ALMEIDA: FORWARD/PLAY/PAUSE Paintings by the Lisbon-born, Boston-based artist touching on anomalies between scientific color theories and actual perception. Through April 6. List Visual Arts Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. 617-253-4680, listart.mit.edu
Sebastian Smee can be reached at ssmee@globe.com.