Portraits of real life

Angelique Flores

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- A yellow tin man made of car parts, an aspiring

boxer who sells mattresses and a pit bull on the losing end of a dog

fight are all scenes from Camilo Jose Vergara’s photo documentary in the

Fine Arts Gallery at Golden West College.

“El Nuevo Mundo: The Landscapes of Latino Los Angeles” includes more

than 100 photographs depicting a new world in Los Angeles as noted by

Vergara, a photographer and sociologist.

The pictures display Vergara’s account of the evolution of physical

character and social texture of southeast Los Angeles County since 1992,

as its Latino population increased. Instead of gradually assimilating

into American culture, the immigrants have held a tight grip on their

culture, making over their towns into “little Mexicos.”

“The real artists are the people who put the stuff up,” Vergara said.

His work explores how Latinos, mostly Mexican, are building and

decorating their homes and workplaces, landscaping their yards, and

creating neighborhoods that resemble those in Mexico and Central America.

“It’s the largest documentary exhibit we’ve had at Golden West

College,” said Donna Sandrock, gallery curator.

The pieces have no titles, but they each have a brief description and,

for some, comments by the photograph’s subjects or viewers of the scenes

depicted.

“It’s a story about poor immigrants who came with nothing but their

culture and their feelings,” the photographer said.

Through Vergara’s lens the viewer can peek into a world where car

shops, grocery stores and hair salons are imaginatively painted and

decorated with vibrant pictures, signs and sculptures. Modest homes are

simple, but the owners are still house-proud. Religion, especially the

Virgin of Guadalupe, is highly respected and honored. Graffiti artists

cover walls with murals. Signs are mostly in Spanish. Cars are souped up

with airbrush pictures. And the hard-working people have dreams, but

survival is what’s on their minds.

Vergara, originally from Chile, now lives in New York and was

fascinated with what he saw around Los Angeles, which is why he started

the series.

“You get this idea of Los Angeles where everybody is presenting

appearances, trying to look young and beautiful, but half of Los Angeles

is not like that,” he said.

The city is full of poor folks not putting up appearances. They live

according to old traditions; they just make a living and go from day to

day, he said.

“The exhibit strikes a chord in me, reminding me of past experiences,

growing up and places I’ve been,” student Edgar Plascencia said.

The gallery has attracted students from Golden West, as well as other

colleges, to tour the exhibit.

“It’s good for the students to see a large body of work in the context

of a theme,” she said.

Though the artistic nature of the urban landscapes are evident, so is

the sociologist’s pictorial documentary.

The interdisciplinary exhibition can be an educational tool that

crosses over to other departments, such as English, photography, history

and sociology.

“It’s a good springboard for others who can use it as a segue into

whatever they’re studying,” Sandrock said.

Plascencia is writing a paper on one of the photographs from the

exhibit for his English class as part of a project that delves into

Mexican American culture.

Vergara’s show has been featured at the National Building Museum in

Washington, D.C., the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum at the

Smithsonian Institution in New York and The Natural History Museum of Los

Angeles.

Besides a camera, Vergara also used his pen to illustrate pockets of

big cities all over the country. He has written books, essays and

numerous articles. Among his books are “American Ruins” (1999) and “The

New American Ghetto” (1995).

FYI

“El Nuevo Mundo: The Landscapes of Latino Los Angeles” will be on

display until Oct. 6 in the Fine Arts Gallery at Golden West College,

15744 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 2

p.m. Monday through Friday, and 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

Information: (714) 892-7711, Ext. 51032.