Film by Eric Minh Swenson.
William Moreno, Curator : Throughout the twentieth century - abstraction - which eschews the illustrative and largely employs shapes, forms, colors and textures to achieve its effects - has been largely dominated by a somewhat insular boys club, and as aesthetic matter, would seem an unconventional mode-of-choice forLinda Arreola. Possessing a tenacious, uncommon vision she handily contradicts the stereotypical view that figurative and representational art forms are universally embraced by Latino artists. Trained in sculpture and architecture Arreola is single-minded in her exploration of abstraction, creating an exacting visual language and personal iconography. This is not disinterested painting but an ongoing conversation using non-objective metaphors - an attempt to distill culture, the personal and its concomitant sentiments into a precise yet lyrical idiom. Not concerned with literal notions of depicting or recreating the natural world, Arreola's work carries moral dimensions: order, purity, and spirituality are closely held references.
She is in good company. Early abstractionists include the legendary Georgia O’Keeffe and Carmen Herrera - with whom Arreola shares an interest in architecture - as well pioneering Minimalist, Rosemarie Castoro. All attempted to glean the fundamental nature of symmetry, precision, spatial tension and color in their work.
With an economy of line, Arreola's modernist grids and surfaces are often filled with pre-Columbian or text symbols while others are imbued with a tactile quality; indeed the Braille-like surfaces tempt one to touch - an invitation extended. Her current work has transitioned into robust columns, assertive forms and planes composed on canvas and wood panels. The scales vary: smaller works, by virtue of their dimensions are intimate and meditative, demonstrating an elegant poise and strength on par with the larger siblings. The larger paintings are self-assured, confident and fully realized. Underlying each work is a narrative, a kind of visual diary - some evident and others more elusive relying on the viewer's disposition for interpretation. These are works with a distinctly urban sensibility and the overarching impression is sensorial and captivating - a tour de force of form and spectral experimentation.
According to Arreola, a Los Angeles native: "My work has revolved around a belief that when things are at their most elemental, they reveal to us their essence. Energy, poetry and glory, as well as mystery, are innate to all things. My interest has been in honoring the simple, the common and the elemental." This exhibition is chronologically arranged representing works from 2005 through 2016.
About the Artist
Linda Arreola is a Los Angeles based artist and a graduate of East Los Angeles College. She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in sculpture from California State University, Los Angeles and a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is included in the book, Contemporary Chicana/Chicano Artists and was selected for a Public Art Commission at the East Los Angeles Civic Center main plaza. Arreola is a recipient of the Durfee Foundation ARC Grant and the City of Los Angeles (C.O.L.A.) Individual Artist Fellowship.
About the Curator
This exhibition is curated by William Moreno. William is an art advisor, curator and writer. He was previously the director of the Mexican Museum, San Francisco and the Claremont Museum of Art, Claremont.
For more info on Eric Minh Swenson visit his website at thuvanarts.com. His art films can be seen at
thuvanarts.com/take1
Eric Minh Swenson also covers the international art scene and his writings and photo essays can be seen at Huffington Post Arts : m.huffpost.com/...