2K PAGE 2 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2010SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Terry Scott Bertling, Features/Niche Products Editor (210) 250-3112

Karen Haram, Food Editor (210) 250-3441

Jim Kiest, Arts & Entertainment Editor (210) 250-3415

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Lisa Suarez debuts her first full-length theatrical piece, “I’llRemember for You,” next weekend. The work is deeplypersonal: It’s an account of her experiences caring for hermother, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Laurie Dietrichdirected the piece, in which Suarez plays her mother.Friday-Sept. 26, Sterling Houston Theater at Jump-Start,Building B, Blue Star Arts Complex, Alamo at Probandt.$12-$15. (210) 227-5867; jump-start.org.

— Deborah Martin

TheaterBOB OWEN/rowen@express-news.net

Fotoseptiembre USA is nearing the halfway mark, but themonth-long photo fest still has a handful of new shows onthe horizon. Friday’s openings include: Roy Pittman’s“Between the Leaves,” 5:30 p.m. at Bihl Haus Arts, 2803Fredericksburg Road; and Joan Frederick and Mario Perez’s“Love Letters to San Anto,” 6:30 p.m. at Saluté InternationalBar, 2801 N. St. Mary’s St.

— Elda Silva

Photography

A pioneer in the field ofcultural history whoselandmark book “From Dawnto Decadence” is beloved byscholars and laymen alike, anexpert on the music of HectorBerlioz, a disciple of baseballand a lover of detective fiction,Jacques Barzun (right) has afar-ranging, omnivorous mind.Approaching his 103rdbirthday in November, Barzun has slowed down butreported a few months back that he’s working on a newcollection of essays. Barzun makes a rare public appearancetonight when he joins a conversation on writing and othermatters with writer Jack Jackson at 6 p.m. at UniversityPresbyterian Church, 300 Bushnell. The event is part of“Writers on Writing,” an educational series sponsored bythe church’s SoL Center. Call (210) 732-9927 or visitwww.upcsa.org/sol_center for reservations.

— Steve Bennett

Books

FILE PHOTO

Just as everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone’s a jazzfan during Jazz’SAlive. The 27th annual edition of the freefestival will take over downtown on Saturday and Sept. 19with full days of jazz from local, area and touring acts.Headliners this year are Justio Almario & the Latin All-Starsand Kevin Eubanks (above) on Saturday, Joseph Vincelliand the Aaron Neville Quintet featuring Charles Neville onSept. 19. Travis Park, 300 E. Travis St., noon Saturday andSept. 19, www.saparksfoundation.org

— Jim Beal Jr.

JazzGETTY IMAGES

The San Antonio Opera launches its 15th season this weekwith a double bill: “Pagliacci,” Leoncavallo’s tale of thetragic clown, and “Suor Angelica,” Puccini’s tragic taleabout a nun tortured by the death of her son. 8 p.m.Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Municipal Auditorium,100 Auditorium Circle. $30-$135, Ticketmaster.

— Deborah Martin

Opera

Here’s a quick guide to this week’s new movies,DVDs, CDs and books:

Movies“Alpha and Omega”“Devil”“Easy A”: Emma Stone, who was fab in “Super-

bad,” goes back to high school, this time playing agood girl who pretends to be bad and has to contendwith the fallout. Here’s hoping “Easy A,” which isloosely based on “The Scarlett Letter,” does forStone what those other literary adaptations, “Clue-less” and “10 Things I Hate About You,” did for AliciaSilverstone and Julia Stiles.

“The Town”“The Virginity Hit”

Movies open on Friday

DVDs“Glee: The Complete First Season”: In the end,

“Glee” may be more a triumph of marketing than anartistic success, with a half-season DVD and fiveCDs preceding this. But Fox had to start with some-thing engaging to sell, and Lea Michele’s showstop-

pers and Jane Lynch’s earth-scorching, Emmy win-ning performance as Sue Sylvester are consistentlyentertaining, even when the plot wobbles. And, yes,I’ll be tuning in for the start of Season 2 on Sept. 21.

“Letters to Juliet”“The Prince of Persia”

DVDs in stores Tuesday

CDsBrandon Flowers, “Flamingo”: A couple of song ti-

tles tell the tale on the solo debut from the Killers’front man: “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” and“Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts.” It’s Springsteen inSin City, full of melodrama, glitz and a little WayneNewton schmaltz. More than “Born to Run,” it recallsDavid & David’s ’80s one-shot “Boomtown.” Whoknows if this will make fashion-plate Flowers a rockstar for the ’00s, but is anybody else even trying?

Jamey Johnson, “The Guitar Song”Linkin Park, “A Thousand Sons”Robert Plant, “Band of Joy”Weezer, “Hurley”

CDs in stores Tuesday

Books“Room,” Emma Donoghue: Jack, who has just turn-

ed 5, has led a sheltered life by necessity. He wasborn in — and has never left — the 12-by-12 shedwhere his mom is being held captive (think the Jay-cee Dugard case). Jack’s mom has protected him bypretending their existence is normal; what’s in theroom is reality, everything else is a TV fantasy. AsJack gets older, that illusion becomes impossible tosustain, and the outside world starts to leak in, to hisastonishment and terror. (In stores Monday)

“Wicked Appetite,” Janet Evanovich“Fallout,” Ellen Hopkins“Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the

Age of Obama,” Bill O’Reilly“Safe Haven,” Nicholas Sparks

Books in stores Tuesday unless otherwise noted— Jim Kiest

NEW MEDIA

Emma Stone is Olive Penderghast in “EasyA,” loosely based on “The Scarlett Letter.”

SCREEN GEMS

HTTP://BIT.LY/9YNG47

Even ifyou don’tunderstandthe lan-guage, youhave to feelfor this poorTV reporterwho chose avery unfortu-nate spotfrom which

to do her live stand-up. Although if you look carefully,it’s a set-up.

Waste even more time on the Favorite Office TimeWasters blog at www.mySA.com. Keyword: Timewasters.

— Richard A. Marini

OFFICE TIME WASTER

Today LOS INOCENTES Mission San Jose,

6701 San Jose Drive, (210) 922-0543.Acoustic group performs “Songs ofIndependence,” a program celebrat-ing the bicentennial of Mexican In-dependence. 3 p.m. Free.

ALZAFAR SHRINE CIRCUS FreemanColiseum, 3201 E. Houston St., (210)496-1625. Performers from morethan 15 countries put on a show withanimal acts, clowns, acrobats, stuntsand music, all led by ring mistressMichelle Audrey. Final performancesare at 10 a.m., 3 and 7:30 p.m. $12-$24 at www.sanantoniocircus.com.

EQUESTFEST 2010 Rio Cibolo Ranch,1101 Ulrich Road, Marion, (210) 651-9574. Benefit for the Saddle LightCenter for Therapeutic Horseman-ship includes equestrian demonstra-tions, plus games, children’s activ-ities, food, a raffle, an auction andlive entertainment by The Good OleBoys. 2-7 p.m. $5-$10. Visit www.thesaddlelightcenter.com.

GRANDPARENTS’ DAY San AntonioChildren’s Museum, 305 E. HoustonSt., (210) 212-4453. Hands-on mu-seum houses more than 80 inter-active exhibits for ages 2-10, in-cluding the H-E-B Kids’ Market, abubble ranch, a kid-powered eleva-tor and PowerBALL HALL. Grandpar-ents and grandchildren receive freeadmission, noon-3 p.m.

JAZZ AT THE WITTE Witte Museum,3801 Broadway, (210) 357-1900. Jazzmusic series returns with the HardBop Project, 4-7 p.m. Sunday. Heldthe second Sunday of each monththrough November. Admission:$6-$8; 3 and younger, free.

WHAT’S UP

COURTESY FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA

“MY FOREVER IS ENDINGTODAY”

STELLAHAUS ARTSPACE106A BLUE STARTHROUGH SEPT. 26For his show of enamel

paintings on metal, Robert“Beto” Gonzales mixed Mex-ican retablos, cartoon imag-ery, sign painting history anda Catholic upbringing.

The imagery is recogniza-ble, especially in South Texas.For instance, “Based on aTrue Story (About the Devil)”depicts a falling figure witha chicken foot.

Much of the work is auto-biographical. In “Nobody toBlame But Myself (AndYOU!),” a four-figured handsquirts blood while the fifthdigit ascends to heaven.Gonzales said that in the sev-enth grade, he almost se-vered his pinky.

Others are more looselyrelated to the artist’s life. In“Tripa Guilt,” a golden neck-lace of hands in prayer floatover pastel-painted organsthat drip blood and goldpaint. “Worry and guilt anddoubt are all intestinal is-sues,” Gonzales said.

“LONG RANGE COLLABORA-TION”

UTSA SATELLITE SPACE112 BLUE STARTHROUGH SEPT. 19Artists Nate Larson and

Marni Shindelman run pho-tographic experiments to-gether. Their show “Witness”pulls imagery from paranor-mal conspiracy theory books,church pamphlets and hand-written logs of observed dai-ly events.

The main part of the ex-hibit includes poster-size stu-dio photos that are pairedtogether. The pile of magen-ta glitter goes with thehandful of cotton; the luckyrabbit’s foot with the dice;the bacon with the flame.

In the other room, dozensof cell phone images of twofaces make the exhibit“Mine & Yours.” Separately,each image is about the sizeof a postcard. They’re col-laged together in one longtapestry. These cell phoneself-portraits of Anne Leight-on Massoni and Chelsy Usherwere taken over a year. In-cluded are some larger imag-es and a video of their cellphone photos. The exhibitsare curated by Libby Rowe.

— Emily MesserSpecial to the Express-News

GALLERYSTROLL

“TripaGuilt” ispart ofRobert“Beto”Gon-zales’exhibi-tion.

STELLAHAUS ARTSPACE

Go-To Guy willreturn Sept. 19.

Denver Westword, February 2007

September 20, 2007

Gallery Stroll: Galeria Ortiz Contemporary

(Courtesy Galeria Ortiz Contemporary)Beto Gonzalez uses found photos, such as 'Mestizo Wedding,' in his exhibit 'Other People's Pictures.'

"Celestial Tablescapes" and "Other People's Pictures" Galeria Ortiz Contemporary 4026 McCullough (210) 826-8623 www.galeriaortiz.netThrough Oct. 13

Galeria Ortiz Contemporary offers a FOTOSEPTIEMBRE twofer with exhibits by Rolando Briseño and Beto Gonzales.

Briseño's "Celestial Tablescapes" is a visual feast of giclee prints featuring nudes on tables arrayed with vegetation, including fruits, vegetables and tropical flowers. In "Elemental Tablescape," two men lie in a ying-yang configuration, one holding a cell phone, the other a remote control. The perspective is from overhead, and they seem to float in space against a starry background. In "Celestial Goddess," a woman lies against a lace cloth in a Christ-like pose, severed heads of birds of paradise in her palms. A male figure with a cell phone in his hand is at her feet. The images have a fragile quality to them that convey the delicate nature of relationships. Even in these intimate moments, technology intrudes.

Gonzales, meanwhile, allows viewers to indulge their inner voyeurs with a collection of photographs found in thrift stores. There is something sad in the snapshots of birthday parties, vacations, proms, and weddings — moments which presumably meant something to someone at some time — now lost or discarded. Like Briseño’s work, the show seems like a thoughtful exploration of the ephemeral nature of relationships. But there is a cruel side to it as well. With some of the pieces, Gonzales appears to be tempting the viewer to give in to cattiness. Exhibit A: "An Ugly Couple." The piece is a 70's-era photo album of wedding proofs that show a mustachioed groom and a bride in a floppy hat. True, the couple is no Brangelina, but then who is?

— Elda Silva

"Spanglish"ARTPACE SAN ANTONIO445 North Main AvenueOctober 26–January 22

Gary Sweeney, Sin Cuenta (detail), 2005.

Originating in South Texas, Spanglish is a hybrid dialect that provides the title and concept for an exhibition, deftly curated by Kate Green, that features eight San Antonio-based artists. The works onview address ways in which geographical barriers are regularly transgressed, not only by illegalimmigrants, but also by American culture's gradual infiltration of the rest of the world via mass mediaand consumerism. Sin Cuenta (all works 2005), one of the more arresting pieces, uses threefreestanding sections of chain-link fence. By inserting plastic cups into the fence holes, artist GarySweeney created designs that offer subtle commentary on border politics. The first segment, placed at Artpace's street entrance, depicts a large eye, while in the upstairs gallery the next two segments readin Spanish, consecutively, "How many undocumenteds are there?" and "Sin Cuenta," which roughlytranslates to "without number." Beto Gonzales's vinyl decals show a famous image of Calvin (of Calvinand Hobbes) wearing a sombrero, slyly hinting at how signifiers of cultural identity such as the iconic Mexican hat are repurposed for mass consumption. But the most powerful gesture comes in the form of twelve power horns installed in a grid on the wall that emit police radio transmissions recorded on the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo boundary by artist Luz María Sánchez. The persistent feedback is an appropriate simulacra of a tense, complex situation, and the noise is unpleasant and impossible to ignore.

—Claire Barliant

All material in the artforum.com archive is protected by copyright. Permission to reprint any article must be obtained from Artforum.

From www.mightbegood.net #49, July 22, 2005

http://www.fluentcollab.org/mbg/issue49.htm

III. ...might be good Celebrates CAM in San Antonio Contemporary Arts Month (CAM) runs through the month of July

Seis Who? at the Alameda TheaterOn view through July 29

San Antonio’s beautiful Alameda Theater was built in 1947 as a venue for Spanish language entertainment—vaudeville, dance, music, and film. Known for its rare, fluorescent murals that come alive as the stage lights go down, the Alameda is home to an Emerging Artists Series and occasionally hosts solo and group shows in its hauntingly vacant spaces. For CAM, artist Chuck Ramirez was given the run of the theater, where he curated a group show with five other (notably all male) artists of Latino descent.

Ramirez himself has two text installations in ¿Seis Who?, as well a silk-screened poster that he designed as the show’s announcement. The first text is applied directly in vinyl lettering to the storefront window of the Alameda’s corner gallery. In this work Ramirez excerpted quotations from speeches by President Bush. Ramirez “exposes” the already known fact that the President has difficulties speaking grammatically. The text sounds religious, self-righteous and politically misguided. Even though this is not new information, it’s welcoming to see an artist take on political issues so directly. In Ramirez’s Innovations for the Good Life we find the same vinyl lettering stuck to the surface of a mirror that reflects the viewer. The text includes phrases like “expect more pay less,” “the right insurance,” “designed with you in mind,” and “good taste is easy to recognize.” Sound bites and company slogans that are meant to give comfort to the consumer continue down the full length of the mirror. The manner in which Ramirez constructed this text piece fits with the concept: promises and comforting words are projected (and reflected) upon you the consumer, but in the end only the myth remains.

In the Alameda's foyer viewers will find an installation by Beto Gonzalez. Gonzalez stacked fourteen televisions of various brands and eras into a tall circle. Nine of the screens contain images derived from Atari classics like Space Invaders. Here, pixilated aliens merge with design patterns reminiscent of the Aztec and Olmec cultures of Mexico. Other screens show only static “snow” and one screen is tuned to the station Aztec America, but with the volume muted. Surrounding the television installation are large prints on wooden easels. Each print relates to the video image by way of color or design. Titles such as Aztec Invaders, No Breakout, and Textile Command connect the works both to video game imagery and to complicated cultural issues such as border control, immigration, and labor. Socio-political readings are tempting to extract, but the artist’s intentions remain unclear. If political commentary is Gonzalez’s intention, it would be more powerfully acheived with less ambiguous content.

In the central theater space surrounded by the Alameda’s famous black light paintings, three works by Jesse Amado lay on the floor where rows of theater seating once were. Composed largely of found objects and titled, Make Love not Art, they are refreshing examples of an established artist willing to take risks. The third in the series has two life-sized, stuffed toy dogs facing off on a wooden platform. One of the two is covered in political buttons that read, "make love not art" while the other has no such adornment. Both face each other as if reflecting on this emphatic proposition that seems to call into question art and art viewing. In Make love not art #1,another dog balances a wooden cross on its back while the four ends have wooden letters compressed face to face—signature Jesse Amado of the recent past—that make up the words of the title. While the four poles feel like points of a compass, there may be a Christian reference to the cross. Overall, the work lacks the conceptual focus and aesthetic rigor we have come to expect from Amado’s work. Yet, we remain hopeful that these new and unexpected installations point to new materials and methods in Amado's future.