Today I'm straying briefly from my primary mission of chronicling yard art in the Heights to highlight "Salon of Beauty," an installation on view at the Rice Gallery until December 11.
I love the Rice Gallery, which is dedicated to "site-specific installation art." I appreciate how featured artists transform the space, creating an entirely new environment. Visitors experience these installations and interact with them in a way unique from paintings, drawings, or even three-dimensional sculpture. The best installations (and yard art creations!) absorb you into the artwork; they surround you on all sides. And that's exactly what Ana Serrano has done with Salon of Beauty.
Serrano's installation celebrates the spirit that animates her native East L.A. neighborhoods. She has taken her memories of those familiar surroundings - hair salons, discount stores, concrete cinderblocks - and created an imaginary city block, lovingly fashioned from cardboard and paper, down to the last airconditioning unit and potted plant. Serrano doesn't omit the less desirable features of her neighborhood, like barbed wire and burglar bars, but her brightly colorful composition is bursting with such optimism and vitality that even these elements seem elevated, enshrined. The burglar bars and cinder blocks also allow Serrano to introduce a geometric motif that provides visual consistency, knitting the whole block together.
What's beautiful on your block?
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