Six Friends Complete a Creative Circle

A substantial group of works by six artists who happen to be friends makes for a rich, inventive exhibition at Hunsaker/Schlesinger Fine Art. Titled “Bastards” and conceived by sculptor John Frame, this remarkable show brings together paintings, drawings and objects that have been made individually and by two-, three- and four-artist combinations of Frame, Steve Galloway, F. Scott Hess, Michael C. McMillen, Jon Swihart and Peter Zokosky, as well as by them all.

A conventional group exhibition that included these artists would treat viewers to six distinct bodies of work. It would be clear which concerns they shared and what distinguished each from the others.

For example, a keen interest in the human figure would link all six. Each artist’s treatment, however, would be so unlike the others that it would be obvious who made what.

But things are more complicated in this provocative show. After you’ve sorted out which individual artists made which works, the real pleasure begins. “Bastards” is as much a genealogical puzzle as an exploration of stylistic affinities and differences.

It’s a bit more difficult to determine which combination of artists collaborated on a particular piece. Most of the 33 figurative works are so captivating or curious that they engage your eyes for a long-enough time for your mind to be able to figure out not only who teamed up to make what, but to identify exactly which elements each collaborator contributed.

One of the best things about this multilayered show is that its works behave as friends do. Influencing each other by challenging, complementing and contending with one another’s strengths, weaknesses and peculiarities, they form a whole that is greater than the sum of their parts.

Like an extended family formed by choice and by chance, these artists pay homage to one another by letting one another’s styles mix into their own. If that’s a bastardization of originality or autonomy, it’s a good one.

* Hunsaker/Schlesinger Fine Art, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 828-1133, through Oct. 25. Closed Sundays and Mondays.