Extra: Lexus' "Sabor de Lujo" Los Angeles 2013

Lexus sponsored a great Latino cultural event at Lure which featured works from several Self Help Graphics artists along with great food from Gigi's, Diablo, Ushuaia and more restaurants. The works were displayed above the booths where attendees enjoyed their food and behind some of the restaurants' stands. It was kind of awkward to truly admire the works because of this. Nevertheless, Artrunner took some photos of some of these which were exceptional enough for Artrunner to post here.

Artrunner's favorite work was William Acedo's 2009 Serigraph "On Route To County". This view of Boyle Heights from DTLA is stunning. It's a starry night scene with a full moon, which makes us wonder what kind of birds are flying in the top center of the piece. Three birds are in the sky. There are concentric circles around each bird and the moon which seems to have a rabbit in it. There is a lone person, in the lower left hand corner, crossing the bridge - going from LA City towards the direction of LA County. Boyle Heights is still part of LA City so the traveler has a long way to go. Is the person traveling to LA County or to County Hospital?

Our next favorite is Mac El's 2010 Serigraph "Ixtaccihuatl". It makes use of a fiery red color that makes it very sensual which in some ways is a contrast to the snow capped volcano with the same name. Still, it is appropriate because of the relationship between said volcano and the neighboring volcano known as Popocatepetl. The work alludes to Prehispanic folklore which tells the tale of the male Popocatepetl and the female Ixtaccihuatl. It is interesting to note that Popocatepetl's face is cut off. The quality of this serigraph and the subject matter make it smack of displaying iconic stature.

Another fiery piece was Marisela Norte's 2009 Serigraph "Peeping Tom Tom Girl". Use is made of a pun for the title of this work. A tom tom is a Native American drums which is beaten with hands as well as slang for a vagina. We only see the bottom halves of two in this piece. There is a relationship between the woman's dress and the fire hydrant as both are hued with fiery colors. Perhaps the other woman is not colored in since she is wearing pants.

Last but not least is Sam Coronado's 1988 Serigraph "Pan Dulce", which is a nice composition highlighted by a pretty symphony of colors.

It is interesting to note that all of the works above are dated. In a way this is fitting since Self Help Graphics has a lot of history in the Mexican American community.