ART : Making a Play at Worldliness : In a citywide collaboration, local art galleries are presenting a fresh view of art from abroad.

On any given day Los Angeles gallery hoppers can expect to encounter a sprinkling of foreign-made artworks among a vast array of American artists’ creations. But this summer the tables will be turned.

From Thursday until mid-August, almost nothing but art from other countries will be on view in 50 local galleries.

If you are nosing around in Santa Monica, you’ll find that Blum & Poe is presenting “Pacific Babies,” the U.S. debut of Japanese artist Yoshimoto Nara’s figurative paintings, and that Dorothy Goldeen is giving Brazilian painter Beatriz Milhazes her first U.S. solo exhibition. Moving on to the Bergamot Station gallery complex, you’ll see works by such art-world superstars as Russia’s Ilya Kabakov, at Rosamund Felsen, and Germany’s Sigmar Polke, at Burnett Miller.

Making the rounds in West Hollywood, you’ll come across photo-collages by Mexican artist Pablo Ortiz Monasterio at Jan Kesner and a humorous commentary on money in a show of graphics by Czech artist Oldrich Kulhanek at Ovsey Gallery. Continuing Downtown, you’ll discover tandem shows of works by French artists Jean Dubuffet and Daniel Brandely at Cirrus.

These shows and many more--plus a round of panel discussions, public receptions and even a World Wide Web site--are coming to town under the broad umbrella of the “L.A. International Biennial Invitational.” The collaborative venture is organized by the Santa Monica/Venice Art Dealers Assn., but it encompasses a wide swath of showcases stretching from the beach to central Los Angeles.

In addition, four major institutions--the Santa Monica Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the UCLA/Armand Hammer Museum--have lent their imprimatur to the even by hosting special programs.

The point of the “International,” participating dealers say, is to energize the art scene while strengthening the galleries’ international position.

Despite Los Angeles’ size and ethnic diversity, the city has not fulfilled its potential as an international art center, says dealer Jeffrey Poe. “This is a step toward making that happen.”

On the home front, dealers hope to stir up interest in their programs while presenting an image of collegial solidarity and vitality.

“The ‘International’ is a unifying element,” says Louis Stern, whose Melrose Avenue gallery will host a show of Herve di Rosa’s paintings from Paris’ venerable Louis Carre gallery. “One of the problems here in Los Angeles is that it’s so vast that everyone feels isolated. This brings us together.”

Another chronic problem, he says, is that local collectors tend to “forget what’s in their own back yard and go elsewhere” to do their shopping. “The ‘International’ is a way of saying, ‘Hey, we’re here and we can certainly furnish you with your artwork.’ We want to let people know that we have viable, professional art galleries in Southern California that contribute to the cultural enhancement of the community.”

If the underlying motivation for the “International” is improving day-to-day business, the strategy for the summer event is to attract attention by presenting exhibitions that differ from the galleries’ usual fare.

Stern, who is best known as an Impressionist and modern art dealer, will fill his gallery with Di Rosa’s hotblooded images gleaned from his world travels. Dealer Tobey C. Moss, a champion of Los Angeles art history, will present three contemporary artists from Japan. The Remba Gallery, which often shows multiples produced in its local workshop, will display works on hand-made mulberry paper by Korean artists.

Perhaps the most surprising item on the agenda is at Herbert Palmer’s gallery. A veteran dealer in modern and contemporary art, Palmer plans to display works by Dutch masters from the 17th-19th centuries.

But other “International” shows conform quite closely to the galleries’ usual programs. L.A. Louver, which has a strong British connection, will show figurative paintings by British artist Tony Bevan. Iturralde Gallery, a showcase for Mexican art, will feature works by Julio Galan, Arturo Marty and Carlo Vargas-Pons--all from Mexico.

The approach advocated by organizers was to invite a foreign gallery owner to stage a show at the host’s Los Angeles space, but not all the exhibitions evolved that way. Margo Leavin, who frequently exhibits the work of European artists, had been planning her first solo show of German artist Albert Oehlen’s abstract paintings and drawings for October, so she simply moved the exhibition forward to coincide with the “International.”

Dealers have organized their shows independently, resulting in a slate of presentations from 20 countries. England and Germany will be most prominent, with nine exhibitions each. Next in line are France and Mexico, with five shows apiece, followed by a smattering of exhibitions from Spain, Italy, Israel and Norway, among other countries.

William Turner, president of the Santa Monica/Venice Art Dealer Assn., and his colleagues are still completing details on special events. The slate of activities will begin this week with public receptions for groups of galleries in various parts of the city on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Planning the festival has been exhausting, the dealers say, and nearly everyone involved complains about imperfections in communication and organization. But most agree that this year’s version of the “International” is much more solid than its 1993 predecessor. That year--when the art market seemed to have hit bottom in Los Angeles--the biennial event was launched largely out of desperation.

Business isn’t much better now, but the “International” has been bolstered by increased funding, the addition of panel discussions at museums and the participation of the city’s most prestigious galleries. A major boost came in the form of a $50,000 grant from Absolut vodka, which will pay for a catalogue, among other expenses. Sotheby’s auction house, Cucoloris Films, Venice and Buzz magazines, ArtStacks and the Cultural Affairs Departments of the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica have provided additional financial assistance.

Another addition is a World Wide Web site, built by Ben Mendelson of the Internet Imaging Group. Art techies will find that the “International” has a Home Page, a complete listing of all participants and scheduled events, an international forum and a posting area for artists to join the festival through cyberspace. Mendelson says the goal is to design “a world-wide pipeline for the exchange of creative ideas that will outlive the six-week festival.”

But even before the second biennial begins, the dealers are talking about how to make the next one better--with more money, better planning and more museum involvement. Skeptics say the “International” can only be a Band-Aid on an art scene that has yet to recover from a lingering malaise. But optimists envision a biennial that would draw the art world to Los Angeles during the summer.

Galleries in other cities, such as Paris and New York, are dead during the summer, they say, but Los Angeles draws hordes of travelers in the summer and dealers tend to keep their programs going year-round. Why not have a biennial to add a little excitement and entice a broader audience into the galleries?