Black and white images carefully arranged in white frames hang purposefully on freshly painted walls. It's Friday evening at Guerrero-Projects, and the gallery is impressing Bayou City art appreciators once again with a new—and unexpected—exhibit, La Marcha de los Gatitos Apachurrados (The March of Squashed Kittens), by Mexico City-based artist Tony Solis.

Inspired by the popular Japanese video Mitchiri Neko, La Marcha de los Gatitios Apachurrados is Solis’s photo interpretation of the animation. At first glance, the connection between his photos and the video seem like a stretch, but Mitchiri Neko captivated the artist thanks to the soothing effects of the cats holding instruments.

Besides the viral video, La Marcha de los Gatitios Apachurrados also incorporates influences from people Solis admires, like Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Daniel Johnston, which is evident when viewing his profound images.

“I was feeling down, then a friend showed me Mitchiri Neko,” Solis said. “The video made me feel better. It has lots of cute kittens playing instruments, dancing, eating and the exhibit portrays this.”

Prior to this collection, Solis was a fashion photographer, former editor at Nylon Mexico and collaborator with numerous magazines, including Elle and Mad. Solis currently resides in Mexico City and is the founder and director of Y-Not magazine.

La Marcha de Los Gatitos Apachurrados

Thru March 11. Free. Guerrero-Projects, 4411 Montrose Blvd. 713-522-0686. guerrero-projects.com