Bars, Women and Fast Food

Exhibition Review
Raúl Guerrero at The Eric Phleger Gallery / August 8 – September 12, 2009

I like bars just after they open for the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and everything is shiny and barkeep is giving himself that last look in the mirror to see if his tie is straight and his hair is smooth. I like the neat bottles on the on the bar back and the lovely shining glasses and the anticipation. I like to watch the man mix the first one of the evening and put it down on a crisp mat and put the little folded napkin beside it. I like to taste is slowly. The first quiet drink of the evening in a quiet bar – that’s wonderful. – Raymond Chandler

For almost a decade artist Raúl Guerrero has been creating a body of work that examines the culture of California. This latest manifestation of the project juxtaposes, in the context of the Eric Phleger Gallery, three of the salient visual and metaphorical icons that constitute a portrait of California society in general.

Fast foods. These food items being ubiquitous in the urban landscape are representative of its’ citizens, in the sense that we are what we eat. Here the main focus has been placed on the most common of these foods. Hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries and assorted Mexican dishes one might find in the corner fast food establishment.

Bars. The temples of contemporary Californian society where the bar becomes the third space if not the church where one goes to meditate be anointed with holy water and served the holy host. The collection of bar paintings represents bars stretching from Tijuana to San Francisco.

The Nude. As previously mentioned paintings of classical nudes were common throughout the 19th century in the west. As a visual image meant to intrigue and keep customers entertained, how many did not fall in love with a copy of a Francois Boucher painting while they drank there beer and whiskey, the nude was eventually replaced by the television which has become the common form of visual entertainment.

Bars, Women and Fast Food, is a 21st century body of work inspired by California culture. The project, by reflecting on the past and present, bridges time in an attempt to create poetic metaphors of our world.