State of the Art LA: The Week in Latino Art

Image: Ricardo Valverde

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.

Ricardo Valverde — Vincent Price Art Museum

For art enthusiasts that love photography, we think the work of Ricardo Valverde is essential. The Vincent Price Art Museum will feature the first major survey of his art, displaying more than 100 of his works. The artist created everything from black-and-white photographs to mixed media pieces; he oftentimes took photos and then altered them by applying acrylic paint or scratching the image’s surface. In “Self Portrait con Mick,” the subject has a fiery halo while sitting surrounded by red lines. It seems this is the product of Valverde scratching onto the photo’s surface; the technique makes the image  eerie and ominous, yet intriguing. “Ricardo Valverde: Experimental Sights, 1971 — 1996” will open on May 17 with a reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. If you can’t catch the opening event, the show will stay up until July 26. Plenty of time to see this important photographer’s engaging pieces.

Carlos Cruz-Diez — Louis Stern Fine Arts

It’s hard to explain the work of Carlos Cruz-Diez. Maybe the easiest way to put it is that he makes awesome, sometimes dizzying colorful work that will make your eyes experience things they haven’t before. Cruz-Diez primarily explores color and for his upcoming show at Louis Stern Fine Arts, entitled “Evolving Color,” he will present Physichromies, Transchromies and Chromointerférences. A brief explanation of these terms: Physichromies show subtle changes in color depending on the viewer’s position, Chromointerférences deal with color interferences and Transchromies look at how transparent strips can be used to affect color. This will be the first solo exhibition of Cruz-Diez’s work at the gallery which makes it even more exciting to check out. Head to the opening reception Saturday, May 17 from 5 p.m. to 8 pm.. The show will stay on display until July 26.