Roots Go ‘Hand in Hand’ With Contemporary Works

As in the rest of Mexico, the markets of Guadalajara and other cities in the state of Jalisco are filled with local crafts, especially ceramics.

The thread connecting these works by Jaliscan folk artisans to works by contemporary artists in the state is explored by “Hand in Hand: Art and Artesania from Jalisco, Mexico,” an exhibit opening with a reception today at the Brea Civic & Cultural Center.

Mexico’s proliferation of folk arts and crafts is one tradition that sets it apart from its neighbor to the north, says the show’s curator, Blair Paltridge, a UCLA doctoral candidate in art history who specializes in modern Mexican art.

“Artwork is produced by every social class, by the Indians in the villages and the farmers,” Paltridge says. “That just doesn’t happen in the United States.” Examples of their work include ceramics and carved wooden bowls, weavings and other types of fabrics.

The vast pool of folk arts draws upon a common set of images, some religious and even pre-Columbian, that contemporary artists often adapt as well.

“An artist in the United States just doesn’t have this huge fund of imagery that the Mexican artist has,” Paltridge says. The nearest parallel, he says, might be the advertising imagery tapped by Pop artists of the ‘60s.

“I thought an interesting twist to (the Brea exhibit) would be to show how contemporary artists use imagery from the folk arts,” Paltridge says. “So this show doesn’t attempt to show the ‘best’ of the art from Jalisco. It’s strictly a theme show that enables the city to exhibit both contemporary arts and folk arts.”

One example of this interplay is the use of ritual masks.

“In all parts of Mexico, people make large quantities of masks, for church festivals, for parades. . . . It’s a basic pre-Columbian tradition that’s continued,” Paltridge said.

Such masks are a running theme in a series of prints by Benito Zamora and the work of other artists in the show.

Another concept that ties some of the folk ceramics in the exhibit with works by contemporary artists is that of the nagual. Every human, the belief goes, has an animal counterpart whose fate is intertwined with his own. The concept is explored in the works of Maximino Javier, who depicts burros with human faces.

The borrowing from folk arts is more direct in three pieces by Ismael Vargas, one of the better-known artists in the show. From close up, the swirling patterns in his works are seen to be made up of tiny mass-produced objects purchased in craft markets, such as ceramic doves in one piece and ceramic pitchers in another.

There are contemporary works based on the decorations and verses printed on the widely popular loteria playing cards, and works based on religious votive paintings, or retablo. Bridging the gap between folk and contemporary arts are the colorful ceramic sculptures (depicting buses, trains, taxis) created by the late Calendario Medrano in a style continued by his family.

Jalisco was chosen as the geographical base of the show because of Brea’s sister-city relationship with the Jaliscan city of Lagos de Moreno. One section of the city gallery is devoted to watercolor renditions of the city. A third section of the show displays the work of Jaliscan painter and sculptor Carlos Terres, Brea’s artist in residence.

The exhibit is part of Artes de Mexico, a four-month celebration of Mexican culture.

“Hand in Hand: Art and Artesania from Jalisco, Mexico,” opens with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Brea Civic & Cultural Center, 1 Civic Center Circle. The show will continue through Oct. 26. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. (Thursday to 8 p.m.). Information: (714) 990-7730.