State of the Art: Your Weekly Guide to LA’s Latino Art Openings
Photo: A Mi Padre by Isabel Martinez
State of The Art is Remezcla’s weekly guide to Latin art openings in your city each week. Mingle with art admirers, collectors and casual passersby to check out these new works. And don’t forget to grab a free glass of wine…or three.
Isabel Martinez – Mexican Cultural Institute
Mexican-born Isabel Martinez creates colorful explosions on canvases that draw you right into the scene. She’s painted everything from modern-day Virgins to Day of the Dead faces, all in the same colorful swirls that make up her style. For her new show, “Entre Añiles y Escarlatas,” the artist will create more abstract but equally beautiful scenes. A sneak peek called “Río de Recuerdos” shows bright blues with white swirls and pops of other colors. It’s a mixed media on wood work that looks like a scene from another universe. Head to the opening reception this Saturday, August 24 to see the other interesting compositions Martinez has up her sleeve.
Glued to the Seat Tour – OTIS Ben Maltz Gallery
If you missed the opening of “Glue to the Seat,” there’s a more intimate event coming up — a tour led by artists and the show’s curator, Jeseca Dawson. Made up of the work six different artists, “Glue to the Seat” tackles stereotypes and history. The name comes from a quote by Claudette Colvin who refused to move seats because of bus segregation rules. She said that history glued her to her seat, and in that moment she made history. The artists — including Colombia-born Silvia Juliana Mantilla Ortiz, Channing Martinez, Susan Slade Sanchez and more — feel the same way, glued to how people see them today. Head to the OTIS Ben Maltz gallery for the tour this Saturday, August 24 at 12:30 p.m. and you can ask the artists even more about their work.
OTIS Ben Maltz Gallery
Ceramic Tile Workshop – Self-Help Graphics
It’s a Thursday evening and you’re thinking: I would love it if my day got a little more artsy. Well, look no further than Self-Help Graphics which this month is offering a ceramic tile workshop. Led by Wayne Perry, the two-hour workshop costs only $10 to attend and comes with all materials needed. You might already known a work from Perry, as he creates public art with other artists; you can see some of these collaborations in places like Union Station and El Pueblo de Los Angeles. Head to Self-Help Graphics Thursday, August 22 at 6 p.m. to learn how to create your own masterpieces.