From ‘Mondo New York’ to West Hollywood Gallery

Bizarre, violent and disturbing are some of the adjectives often applied to New York-based artist Joe Coleman, whose live performance pieces and paintings have found an audience at the fringes of the avant-garde art world recently.

The La Luz de Jesus Gallery in West Hollywood is now exhibiting a show of Coleman’s paintings and drawings--all of which fit the descriptions above.

Among the influences that can be traced in Coleman’s work are the R. Crumb comics of the 1960s, as well as Robert Williams’ “Zombie Mystery Paintings.”

Coleman’s work gained in popularity after he appeared in the 1987 film “Mondo New York.”

The La Luz de Jesus exhibit is open to the public and closes Jan. 29.

La Luz de Jesus Gallery, 7400 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 651-4875. Open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m.

FLINT AND IVEY: Helen Flint, painter of modern-day sites of Los Angeles, will have her first solo exhibit at the Ivey Gallery from Tuesday Jan. 24 to Feb. 18.

Flint’s work can also be seen at a group show at the Roberts Art Gallery at Santa Monica High School through Thursday. (Also at the Roberts Gallery are paintings by Melanie L. Julien-Menke, Ruth Snyder, Stephen S. Saherwood, and Harriest Zeitlin.)

Using acrylics and oil, Flint begins with photo-realism and adds semisurrealistic touches to create images of our city that are both comfortingly familiar and somehow odd. The result is a cool, clean canvas with an air of detachment.

An artist’s reception will be held at the Ivey Gallery on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 6 to 9 p.m.

“City Paintings”: Ivey Gallery, 154 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 937-9299. Open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.