Exhibit Gives Form to the Inner Visions of L.A.’s Diverse Art World

By most standard definitions, art-making is a solitary act, a pact between the artists and their respective muses, undertaken in the privacy of a studio setting. But standards are meant to be stretched and broken, especially in the arts.

Aspects of collaboration and diversity create an interesting subtext in “Visions of L.A.,” the exhibition of print works at Century Gallery in Sylmar.

A year ago, the cooperative project was launched in which arts organizations--including the Century Gallery and Northeast Valley Arts Council--interacted with the East L.A. cultural center and workshop known as Self-Help Graphics and Art Inc.

Twenty artists of varied racial and social backgrounds were culled from around Los Angeles for dialogues and creative work at Self-Help, and these are the fruits. This show takes on an added significance with the June 24 death of Sister Karen Boccalero. The dynamic Franciscan nun, a silk-screen artist and painter, founded Self-Help Graphics in 1971, and, until her death, steered it through thick and thin.

Important Latino artists, including Gronk and Frank Romero, were fostered through the East L.A. workshop. Fittingly, a spirit of creative fervor permeates this show.

But the title may be a bit misleading. There are a few pieces that deal directly with the familiar face of Los Angeles--such as Raymundo Tonatiuli Reynoso’s “Los Angeles Unified,” a vivid depiction of a yellow school bus, which makes ironic use of the term “unified.” Mostly, though, these works are more concerned with the “visions” of artists living within the L.A. environment. It’s the inner life that comes forth.

Portraits have been stylized and modified, sometimes transformed into mythic or abstract imagery. The green-splattered figures in Diane Gamboa’s “Education” appear somehow tribal, expanding awareness of one’s own roots. Angela Sohn-Lee’s “Infant Joy” shows an airborne bundle of joy and mischief, and Mahara T. Sinclaire’s “Sisters” shows smiling faces rendered electric by brilliant-hued patches.

In June Edmonds’ “Know What I’m Sayin? #4,” an African American woman appears to be in mid-sentence in an impassioned speech. All about her, intense colors and flecks of decorative squiggles and flourishes swim. Miguel Angel Reyes’ “Liquido” focuses on an earnest face behind fish, as if seen from behind an aquarium.

Amid this celebration of vibrant color and references at once primitive and modernist, the most stark piece in the gallery is Dean Samshina’s simple, silhouetted image of a policeman with a sharply downcast gaze. Is he in prayer or mourning, looking at a corpse or consoling a child? The answer is unclear, but the question compels.

Back on thematic turf, Ruben Esparza’s “New Identity of Los Angeles” offers a pattern of vertical bands of color, blended with an almost airbrushed look, giving the impression of a new, cross-cultural flag. This image touches on the show’s purpose: a hopeful celebration of individuals within the multicultural tapestry of a sprawling city. Maybe a new flag is in order.

BE THERE

“Visions of L.A.,” through July 11 at Century Gallery, 13000 Sayre St., Sylmar. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday; noon-4 p.m., Saturday; (818) 362-3220.