by Maria Rios

Despite the exclusionary social-academic reference in its name, this year's Young Latino Artists Exhibition, which closed July 18th at Mexic-Arte, reveals the strength of discovery and experimentation of the young artist as just an artist rather than a figure limited by the perceptions of a licensed few creators of genres based on unfamiliar or fashionable cultural perspectives. Curator Herlinda Zamora effectively captures the aggressive spirit of these twelve artists, who seek visual vocabularies through aesthetic resolution and process, by selecting those specifically producing work in a series. Emphasis, then, falls on the nuts and bolts of visual creativity in which the medium (acrylic, ink, video, dirt), together with references to how the work itself was put together are important in understanding many of the pieces. Her inclusion of performance and video art, moreover, calls attention to the expanding definition of art and how this issue is manifested by the local and regional artistic community.

Although at times their work teeters awkwardly in the face of their intent, these 12 artists should be commended for their ability to share the subtle humility found in the action of learning, giving their art a golden foundation of integrity that marks their progression toward artistic maturity.

Most exemplary of the spirit of the show is work produced by video artists Ana Saldana and Delia Avila, painter Bill Maceyra, and sculptor Aldo Valdes Bohm. Upon entering the gallery, we find ourselves in the presence of a television featuring the work of Delia Avila and Ana Saldana. These two University of Texas students engage the spectator through the same medium, but in vastly distinctive ways. In Disassociations of a Cyborg, Saldana, using a split screen, simultaneously presents two scenes representative of thematically bipolar situations that involve both wanting familial acceptance and the desire to live out one's true personal identity. Her work is an intimate confession, its energy derived through the frankness and sincerity of her inner struggles. Delia Avila, on the other hand, creates short, poetic vignettes of juxtaposed sounds and images that lean heavily toward abstraction. Avila's Untitled #1 (media eye), video footage of an eye amidst the products of its own observation, literally records the act of multisensory seeing through image and sound overlaps. Not only does the work examine the effects of technology on western culture, this stimulating piece introduces a plethora of related themes in the little over seven minutes of its duration.

The paintings displayed by Bill Maceyra reveal an exploration of major trends in art such as figuration and abstraction. He juxtaposes an outlined figure reminiscent of Rodin's The Thinker over a mostly white background painted gesturally with geometric shapes and lines. His depiction of the act of thinking in what appears to be an ocean of abstracted space challenges the viewer to confront the work on its own terms, rather than as just a vehicle of representation. Finally, the majestic, large-scale sculptures of Aldo Valdes Bohm call to mind the infrastructure of a boat that cleverly refers to Welsh mythology in which matriarchy and inspiration complement intellect and progress.

The 1998 Young Latino Artists Exhibition is a proud example of the the talent and labor of artists whose inspiration transcends a genre which sometimes collapses itself into stereotype. Their push toward concept and universality is their strength, and Mexic-Arte should be congratulated for the thoughtful curation of this year's show. Unfortunately, this exhibition has come and gone, but don't hesitate to catch the serigraphs, paintings and other works by Chicano artist/activist Malaquias Montoya and the exquisite photography of Mexican photographer Nicolas Triedo, both on view until August 29. For more information call (512) 480-9373.