Time to talk straight to the white folks behind the once-a-month Downtown Art Walk. Allow a bit of room for the term "white folks," which I'll use to describe the relatively small world populated by the organizers, visitors, and gallery owners around 5th & Main, the heart of the Art Walk. There is some ethnic diversity in the mix at 5th & Main, but the general feel amounts to a narrow slice of European/American culture — those white folks I mentioned. And it seems that the Emperor has no clothes when it comes to their art — or maybe it's just that he won't wear any that haven't been featured in some reality TV show...
MIRED IN MEDIOCRITY: One exhibit at the June 11 Art Walk featured a photo of a lonely teddy bear on a fence post. Does it strike you, too, that variations of the familiar-item-out-of-context shot have been done countless times? There were some exceptions, including "Home" at the Deborah Martin Gallery at 209 W. 5th, where gorgeous paintings of worn houses by Martin accompanied a compelling video installation by Mia Babalis. Still too many teddy bear-type pieces around 5th & Main, though — splashes of color without any purpose, and various other self indulgences...
ARABIC COUNTERPOINT: A clear contrast to mediocrity came on 600 block of S. Spring Street, off the main path of the Art Walk. That's where the American Friends Service Committee, also known as the Quakers, hosted "Colors of the Arab World." It's a thought-provoking exhibit that features Ancient Arabesque embossments, abstract pieces paired with elegiac poetry, brain-tickling photography, and more. No point in over-explaining — read the poem written by Paul Batou (see The Painter-Poet-Pharmacist below) to accompany one of his pieces and see if that interests you. If so, the exhibit remains on display during weekdays at the Quakers' third-floor offices at 634 S. Spring, and will also be open between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. for the next Downtown Art Walk on July 9. (Full Disclosure: Works by Sam Hassan, who is a correspondent for Labeez.org, are part of the exhibit)...
LATINO HIGHLIGHT: The New LATC at 514 S. Spring also exceeded Art Walk standards with an exhibit that featured a distinct Latino/American flair — enough to recall that influences of what became the vibrant New Deal Art of the 1930s in the U.S. flowed in part from Mexico. A piece called "Catching the Liberty" by Mariecruz Magana stirred the conscience while prompting wonderment over the just how pretty purple can be...
GIVE THE WHITE FOLKS THEIR DUE: The exhibits at both the Quakers' offices and the New LATC were, indeed, part of the Downtown Art Walk. It's also worth noting that the organizers of the event have done a wonderful job of drawing crowds to the area, enlivening an otherwise spotty streetscape for a night...
BACK TO BASICS: At this point, though, the Art Walk is a triumph of marketing. Too much of the actual art is lagging. The white folks at 5th & Main ought to take a look around — if they're up to a challenge.
The Painter-Poet-Pharmacist
This poem is by Paul Batou and accompanies his paintings currently on display at the American Friends Service Committee offices at 634 S. Spring Street as part of the "Colors of the Arab World" exhibit. Batou is a native of Iraq who saw his village destroyed in the name of "ethnic cleansing" in 1961. He later witnessed the 911 terrorist attacks in New York City. Batou holds a degree in pharmacy from University of Baghdad, and is the author of "My Last Thoughts About Iraq," published by Xlibris.
Baghdad Morning in New York
At eyeshot
Such threads of gloomy fog
in a coal black sky
They claim to be God's knights
And universe's earthquake
They claim to be...the message's protector
At eyeshot
A blast echoes
Holes scorched in the sky
At eyeshot
There was silence
And waiting
Towers fell down from the clouds
The ground collected
The scattered bodies
There was...a storm of crying
And screaming
All were hugging the air
Drizzles of smoke drop
Fall like a rain shower
Over the heaps
I looked at my face in the mirror!
When evening came along
City lights shined
On remains and corpses
Is this another Baghdad?
One that collects its dead!
And sings a song at the Euphrates
Blue was the sky, silent was the ocean
While embracing the city
And the Statue of Liberty
Oh...New York
Do they come from there?
Chasing us?
Let them come
My heart is full of snow
from winter and wintertime
My heart is full of anger
from fighting and killing
My heart is full of sadness
from weeping and mourning
A wound has opened
A tower has fallen!
My dear
They do not love flowers
Or jasmine
They do not like farmers' songs
Nor do they like the rain
They do not like fall whistling
Or the summer sun rising
They do not like winter nights
At eyeshot
Wherever I looked
I saw light
I saw old people and children
I saw orphans and heroes.
All are lifting
A tower
To the sky
Oh...New York
Oh...Baghdad
Cowards are they
Who kill from behind
— Paul Batou
Jerry Sullivan is editor of the L.A. Garment & Citizen.
Photos by L.A. Garment & Citizen
It's so good to see your article focus on the work of Paul Batou. His work is incredible. He brings such lovely pieces into the art world. I hope his work will get into much larger focus through eyes ..then..word of mouth.