“The Enchanted Worlds of Patssi Valdez and Magú” at Carlotta’s Passion Fine Art, July 1st -, July 30th

Carlotta’s Passion Fine Art is pleased to present “The Enchanted Worlds of Patssi Valdez and Magú.”, from Saturday, July 1st until Sunday, July 30th. The artist’s reception is Saturday, July 1st, from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm.

Both Patssi Valdez and Gilbert “Magú” Luján enjoy international renown for their intermedia artwork. In this exhibit, Ms. Valdez presents works on paper (numerous gouaches, lithographs, and serigraphs) that depict spellbinding domestic interiors and gardens. Her subject matter includes animated objects engaged in energetic whirling, implying a recognition of multiple planes of reality and consciousness. This symbology further reflects Valdez’s private history and long journey towards self- realization. Valdez is well known for her highly charged, emotional color schemes. Each still life reflects the passage of daily life and memory and one wonders at who might have inhabited the environments laid to view.

Mr. Luján offers sculptures and works on paper. Luján’s color usage reflects the bold primary hues of Mexican art. His themes focus on iconic cultural and political references, the latter more coaxing than vexing in nature. The elements of barrio life, including low-rider cars and graffiti, anthropomorphic characters, puns and other forms of humor, are at the core of “Magulandia.”

About Patssi Valdez

Since her participation in the founding of the Chicano conceptual performance-group ASCO, Ms. Valdez has repeatedly defined and redefined her artwork. While she references her cultural heritage, Valdez ultimately eclipses categorization strictly as a member of the Chicano art movement. Valdez has been the recipient of numerous awards from distinguished organizations, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Public Broadcasting Service (KCET).

Valdez's work has been included in numerous exhibitions at national and international museums, including the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; the Smithsonian American Art Museum; San Jose Museum of Art; Pasadena Museum of California Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Mexican Museum, San Francisco, CA; Laguna Art Museum; San Antonio Museum of Art; National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM; El Paso Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla, CA; Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MI; Mexican Fine Arts Museum, Houston, TX; De Young Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco, CA; and the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art. Her artwork was also included in the “Les Demon de Anges” exhibition that traveled to Stockholm, Lyon, Barcelona, and Nantes. Museum, San Francisco, CA; Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA; National Hispanic Cultural Center of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM; El Paso Museum of Art; and the San Jose Museum of Art.

About Magú

Gilbert “Magú” Luján is the founder of the famous Chicano Art collective Los Four, which did much to define the themes and esthetics of what has come to be known as Chicano visual art. He is a sculptor, muralist, and painter.

Mr. Luján’s artwork has been in innumerable exhibitions, most notably at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the University of California at Irvine; the Brooklyn Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Guadalupe Center for the Arts; and the El Paso Art Museum. Magu’s work was also included in the Les Demon de Anges traveling exhibition. His work was also featured in HBO’s "Caliente y Picante".

Of his influences and motivations, Magú says, “My goal has always been to celebrate Chicano culture and to create new mythologies. I have learned much about my rich Tolteca cultural heritage from Carlos Castaneda’s teachings. I am inspired to sustain the colorful, distinct ethnic characteristics of this heritage.

During my youth, being outside mainstream American culture was a clear reality. I was ostracized due to my ethnicity like so many other Chicanos. As a student, I sought to integrate cultural references in my works. I began combining automobile motifs and elements of the Chicano low rider sub-culture into an art form in my carrito sculptures. With my invented ‘Chicanese’ flames, I emulate and utilize playful feathered serpent dragons. The Chinese dragon and Quetzalcoatl icons from Mesoamerica share common symbolism in my art. Both symbolize the shared roots of local indigenous and Asian cultures.”

Carlotta’s Passion Fine Art is located at 2012 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles (Eagle Rock), CA, 90041. The cross street is Maywood.

Bob Squires, Owner/Director

Carlotta's Passion Fine Art

2012 Colorado Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90041

Tel: 323.259.1563

Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 12:00 - 9:00 p.m. Open by appointment only on Monday and Tuesday. Artists Represented on an Ongoing Basis: Alfredo de Batuc, Diane Gamboa, Margaret Garcia, Sergio Hernandez, Leo Limon, Gilbert "Magu" Lujan, James Osorio, Hector Silva, J. Dudley Slay III, and Patssi Valdez