An artistic exploration of Los Angeles lies in the layers of wheat paste, photography, graffiti, paint and LED light pieces now on display at Flatline Gallery.
‘Uncovered’—showing till Dec. 12—was inspired by experiences and observations made throughout LA by artists Melinda Sanchez and Eduardo Viramontes.
“We wanted to recreate that feeling of finding these little like, hidden gems or like just cool little things that you see walking around the city,” Viramontes said of the exhibition.
For both artists, the graffiti and layers of texture in the artworks are meant to evoke the warmth that comes from the familiarity of their hometown.
One of the most striking pieces, “Life Keeps Going,” is a mixed-media candid portrait of a presumed city worker taken by Sanchez near Olvera Street.
An older woman’s framed stare is fixed to the right, her auburn hair coiffed neatly and her red lips pursed. In a gloved hand sits a broom. Looming in the distance is L.A.’s iconic city hall building, but it’s the blue and yellow graffiti dancing around the woman that commands attention.
The contrasts in the photo are further accentuated by Viramontes’ signature lettering, calligraphy in blue, adorning the right corner.
“I get very emotional when I look at that piece,” Sanchez said. “She’s just so beautiful. And when I saw her, I was so mesmerized by the fact she took such pride in her looks.”
For Sanchez, the woman represented her mom, her grandmother and all the women in her family who have worked hard to support their families.
“It makes me so emotional to think that people are out there working so hard after 60 plus [years old] and have to still make their ends [meet] for their family, for themselves,” Sanchez said. “It just speaks volumes for me.”
For Sanchez, the artwork is deeply personal. Since the death of her father in 2012 and her mother in 2014, photography has been therapeutic.
The “silver lining” perspective that propelled her to take photography seriously after the loss of her parents is often seen in the contrasts of ‘Uncovered.’
“When I take a photo of something it’s not just like, ‘Oh, it’s really dark or grim’ I want to see something beautiful out of something that may be out of darkness,” Sanchez said of her work.
Those contrasts can be seen again in “Untitled,” a mixed media distressed piece illuminated by LED lighting.
The piece is encased by a window frame and shows a young girl suspended in dance near Olvera Street.
“She just stood out, she was dancing by herself [with Aztec dancers], having fun and I just captured her joy,” Sanchez said.
Viramontes distressed the glass and the graffiti that accompanies the piece blurs the identity of the girl, but her expression of joy shines through.
“I’ve always been connected with that, just letting go and thinking about childhood and how there was no worries or stress back then,” Sanchez said.
The photographer envisions the piece as a window to the past, a look at one’s own childhood, a memory that is fading, but still present.
“It strings up emotions,” the photographer said, noting that both artists became emotional upon installing the piece at the gallery.
Tapping further into childhood memories is the centerpiece “On Sacred Ground,” an altar installation that stands majestic upon entering the gallery.
Viramontes’ black calligraphy enshrines the altar as rusted barbed wire hangs like a garland. A string of lights adorns the wooden frame that encases a canvas print of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The photo was taken at an altar in revered Boyle Heights taco restaurant “El Tepeyac,” a place Viramontes and his family have frequented since childhood.
“It’s kind of getting back the layers of the Virgen de Guadalupe itself,” Viramontes said of the piece, which is an exploration of the origins of the virgin and other deities who were worshipped on the hill of El Tepeyac in Mexico City.
Layered on the piece is also a small image of Indigenous mother goddess Tonantzin, who is depicted in a yellow and pink gradient outline. Large red and white roses and sunflowers rest in a vase at the center of the image giving reverence to the deities.
Viramontes’ green and yellow gradient of calligraphy adorns the top half of the photo, almost mirroring the shape of the gothic window-like frame.
Viramontes referred to the piece as full circle, bringing in his own family history into the artwork.
“It brings [it] back to L.A., where it’s kind of an L.A. thing where you see these altars at restaurants and houses,” Viramontes said.
And an authentic L.A. experience is what Sanchez and Viramontes bring to North Long Beach through ‘Uncovered.’
“The idea of adding layers, just of our personal selves, our personal history and the city’s history, putting it all together—[I’m] trying to show this work in the hopes of having somebody see things in the city that excite us and maybe will start to excite somebody else,” Viramontes said.
View ‘Uncovered’ at Flatline Gallery located at 6023 Atlantic Ave. through Dec. 12, available for viewing on Wednesday through Friday by appointment and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
To stay up to date with Eduardo Viramontes’ work visit his website here. Follow Melinda Sanchez on Instagram @mellymel_allday.To keep up with Flatline Gallery follow them on Instagram @flatlinegallery
