{"id":255624,"date":"2025-10-28T01:06:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T01:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/255624\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T01:06:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T01:06:20","slug":"moments-of-riotous-unrest-converge-in-elmer-guevaras-dramatic-paintings-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/255624\/","title":{"rendered":"Moments of Riotous Unrest Converge in Elmer Guevara’s Dramatic Paintings \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

How do we live when crises compound? Yesterday like today \/ Ayer c\u00f3mo hoy is a poignant solo exhibition by Elmer Guevara<\/a> that collapses time and space into dramatic paintings of unrest and upheaval. Layered with raging fires and warm California light, each work captures a tension between danger and mundanity, peering into the ways people cope amid chaos.<\/p>\n

Guevara was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, the neighborhood where his parents settled after fleeing civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s. When the police officers<\/a> who beat Rodney King were acquitted in 1992, people took to the streets, and riots spurred looting and arson. These tumultuous and violent events backdropped much of Guevara\u2019s childhood, and in this body of work, they converge into scenes of destruction and quietude.<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cGhetto Bird View\u201d (2025), oil on linen, 32 x 60 x 1.25 inches<\/p>\n

\u201cCouple Hours after 3:15pm\u201d references the time the officers\u2019 acquittal was announced and depicts a man seated in front of a vintage, white Volkswagen Beetle while a fire rips through the neighborhood. With a pointed finger and relaxed pose, the figure mimics the theatrical subject of Domenico Fetti\u2019s \u201cPortrait of a Man with a Sheet of Music<\/a>\u201d (1620), a vanitas piece that speaks to the vacuousness of material possessions. Guevara\u2019s re-interpretation includes his signature newsprint, this issue featuring King\u2019s harrowing experience front and center.<\/p>\n

As the artist reflects on the relationship between personal story and collective trauma, he incorporates many of his family members in the series. His mother, for example, appears at her kitchen table with a bottle of Coca-Cola and a newspaper spread out in front of her as she points to the main story of rioters taking over the city. Like others in his paintings, she is both deeply aware of the turmoil that surrounds her and calm in disposition, exemplifying the all-too-relatable need to soldier on amid anxiety and heartbreak.<\/p>\n

Yesterday like today \/ Ayer c\u00f3mo hoy is on view through December 6 at Charlie James Gallery<\/a> in Los Angeles. Find more from Guevara on his website and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cUpdates and Relief\u201d (2025), oil and gel transfer on linen, 42 x 36 x 1.25 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cClapper 2\u201d (2025), oil on linen, 10 x 8 x 1.5 inches<\/p>\n

\"aDetail of \u201cCouple Hours after 3:15pm\u201d (2025), oil and gel transfer on linen, 84 x 72 x 1.25 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cPlaying With Fire\u201d (2025), oil on linen, 72 x 60 x 1.25 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cClapper 3\u201d (2025), oil on linen, 11 x 8 x 1.5 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cCasualty\u201d (2025), oil on linen, 24 x 19 x 1.25 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cClapper 1\u201d (2025), oil on linen, 11 x 9 x 1.5 inches<\/p>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n

Hide advertising<\/p>\n

Save your favorite articles<\/p>\n

Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop<\/a><\/p>\n

Receive members-only newsletter<\/p>\n

Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/p>\n

\t