The gallery is pleased to present three solo exhibitions, each one a unique interpretation of portraiture. There will be a gallery talk with the artists at 3pm on March 22, with an opening reception to follow from 4-6pm. Costa Rican artist Matías Sauter Morera uses A.I. tools and fictional narratives to create a vivid vision of the gay community in Costa Rica during the socially conservative 1970s and 80s. In this context, A.I. is not only a means for reconstructing a legendary moment, but also a way for the artist to tell stories without compromising individual privacy. In the 60s, Roberto Chavez exhibited at the seminal Ceeje Gallery—one of the first in Los Angeles to represent a diverse range of artists, including Latino, Black, Asian, male, female, gay, straight, young, and old. This exhibition highlights Chavez’s emphasis on connection—on attention to the individual as a way of honoring universal human experience—and embodies the artist’s highest goal: to “make paintings that came alive.” Accomplished painter and printmaker José Lozano packs a full house in every image: his subjects are often crowds and ensembles, and he pushes people into the frame, where they confront each other in throngs of humanity evoking Reginald Marsh, Paul Cadmus, and James Ensor. Lozano’s work is subtly and sometimes strangely sarcastic, his humor elevated by the tight contrast of his scenes: families and friends appear on the beach, at parties, and enjoying picnics while immigration officers lurk on the periphery; couples embrace, but seem to scowl at the viewer.