‘Screams’ Speaks of Human Psyche

“Silent Screams,” Alexandra Zalce’s exhibition at the Centro Cultural de la Raza, initially appears to be two shows. After a closer look, one could almost divide it into three.

The title refers to the bulk of Zalce’s work, which is a large group of paintings and drawings about loneliness, boredom, rage, helplessness and madness. However, four boldly colored paintings at the entrance to the exhibition aren’t related to the show’s theme. And Zalce’s minimalist installations, also shown here, seem totally at odds with the rest of her work.

Individually, each of the works in these areas is strong, and as a group they offer probing examinations of contemporary life.

If there is a weakness in the exhibition, it is in Zalce’s drawings. Grouped together and untitled, they are facile renditions of despair, illness and death that seem to lack originality. One or two were clearly inspired by Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream,” and several seem to be based on the grotesque figures found in Francis Bacon’s paintings. It’s not just these influences that make these drawings so weak by comparison to Zalce’s paintings, it’s also the flat, uninteresting nature of her drawing technique.

Zalce manages to move away from these contrivances in her larger paintings. Again she focuses on the psychic realities of life, but rather than drawing characterizations of Angst, she depicts a lone female figure surrounded by what should be the luxuries and comforts of modern life--television, lamps, beds, chairs and religious imagery.

Although Zalce’s subject matter and presentation don’t vary, each painting is surprisingly potent. Part of their strength can be explained by the fact that Zalce’s subjects are a foil for aesthetic devices--vivid yet complementary colors and interesting gestures such as scratches. This is most apparent in the four paintings that don’t address the subject of the human psyche. These simple renderings of bushes and trees pulsate with life.

Zalce’s installations are in direct contrast with the emotionalism of her paintings. Almost maniacal in their fastidiousness, each installation is made up of enormous quantities of a single small item, such as dried beans or rubber bands, which are then arranged together on the floor or wall to form a perfect geometric shape.

Simple in format and surprisingly elegant, these works address manifestations of reality. We may view our lives emotionally, but it is the objects surrounding us that constitute our daily existence.

Born in Tijuana, Zalce moved to San Diego when she was 12 years old. She has lived in the East for the past several years but has recently returned to San Diego. One looks forward to seeing more of her work.

“Silent Screams,” paintings and installations by Alexandra Zalce, at the Centro Cultural de la Raza through March 29. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday noon to 5 p.m.

Eugenie Geb’s first solo exhibition, now on view at the David Zapf Gallery, confirms that she is fascinated by Halloween.

Since 1988, her meticulous drawings of pumpkins have been seen in several group shows. In this small exhibition, however, not only are there studies of pumpkins, but also depictions of ghosts, flying crows and what appears to be a gravedigger.

This is not a theme show, however. The humorous drawing “Halloween” may play on every child’s fear: It is a drawing of two trick-or-treaters, dressed as ghosts, followed by a floating apparition. And “The Hired Man,” a rendition of an unnatural-looking man digging a hole in arid land, is haunting. But Geb’s main focus is her craft.

This has been apparent not only in the methodical way she has produced studies of pumpkins since the mid-1980s, but also in a series of drawings titled “The Draughtsman’s Recantation” included here.

In this series, each pumpkin has been partially erased. This could be an unconscious desire by the artist to eliminate her subject matter. More likely, however, Geb is commenting on her work process. She has probably done more than her share of erasure trying to achieve an authentic representation.

Unfortunately, these drawings do not always work. “The Draughtsman’s Recantation 2” is especially stiff and unrealistic, two qualities an artist obsessed with naturalism, like Geb, would hope to avoid.

And in some respects this erasure backfires. Part of the attraction to her work is her ability to draw. We want to be caught up in the image rather than reminded of her technique.

Geb achieves this in “as the crow flies,” a study of a bird in flight. Technical virtuosity is also readily apparent in “A Pumpkin in the Light,” a simple and precise depiction of both the pumpkin and its shadow, and “Vine with Pumpkin.” This last work focuses on both the vegetable and the twisted foliage attached to its stem.

But because drawings from “The Draughtsman’s Recantation” make up most of the exhibition, we are left pondering her skills rather than the symbolism that could be associated with her subjects.

* “Recent Drawings” by Eugenie Geb at the David Zapf Gallery through March 7. Gallery hours are Friday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.