By Megan Sullivan
Staff Writer
Viewers get a glimpse into Spanish culture from around the world in Manhattan Beach Art Center’s newest exhibit, “SUR: Biennial.”
“SUR: Biennial” has a large variety of different artworks and uses a wide range of colors to make it intiguing and open to interpretation. The exhibit provides interesting cultural background from both local and international artists that have all been inspired by Mexican and Southern American culture. With different sized posters and varied subject matters, this exhibit has a great diversity of pieces, ultimately making each piece is unique.
The exhibit hosts a collection of different artists, such as Ismael de Anda III, Juliane Backmann, that use similar colors but overall varies in style by featuring nature, people, shapes, and even collages. This is the third “SUR: Biennial,” and curators hope to further integrate spanish culture into the South Bay. There are several locations around the South Bay including Torrance Art Museum and Cerritos College Art Gallery, which all host various concerts and artist panels so that viewers can have a more personal interaction with the artists and their cultures.
The first wall that one sees when they enter the gallery is covered with different sized posters that all use different mediums, which added texture and diversity. Some of the pieces were black and white while others had vibrant colors. Some were drawn from charcoal and pastels while others were made from pen and pencil, making the exhibit interesting with a varied use of techniques.
Further into the exhibit, there are large pieces that are attached to the walls with magnets and use bright greens and pinks to make the art stand out and grab the viewer’s attention at first glance. There are faces hidden amongst the nature scenes that these artworks depict. These abstract pieces are the main focus of the exhibit and they are beautifully executed and are fun to look at and try to understand.
The exhibit also has modern art that complements these paintings stationed all around the gallery. The usage of bright colors such as greens, pinks, and yellows made each piece fascinating and unique. The bright colors also contribute to the spanish culture the artists derived their inspiration from.
Since the exhibit was based off of Spanish culture, the majority of the artwork is a combination of nature and either human features or geometric shapes that are characteristic of spanish countries. This combination of subject matter is unique and lets the viewer interpret the pieces as they wish. At the front desk, there are a pile of pamphlets that give the viewer the opportunity to write about one of the pieces in the gallery.
Despite the fascinating artwork, the gallery layout was somewhat awkward since the MBAC did not have ample space to display all the works. Many pieces were hidden behind walls, making it more difficult view every piece. The layout made it nearly impossible to take the whole exhibit in as one, which diminished the intensity of the pieces.
Overall, the “SUR: Biennial,” art exhibit is colorful, diverse, objective, and fascinating to observe. The displays of various artists inspired by spanish culture, make the exhibit unique and a cultural experience as well as an intellectual one.
“SUR: Biennial,” will be at the Manhattan Beach Art Center through October 21st and it will also be at the Torrance Art Museum, Rio Hondo College Art Gallery, and Cerritos College Art Gallery.
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