They're All Winners

I've always loved Mexican loteria cards. There's something about the way folksy, artistic kitsch and cultural iconography come together in a simple bingo game that just makes me happy. Benito Huerta, an award-winning artist, associate art professor at the University of Texas at Arlington and director of the school's art gallery, manages to place such traditional images into contemporary-styled canvasses, which is nice if you want to hang your Frida/Virgen/Loteria based kitsch piece in a room of clean lines and modern furniture. In his series of paintings called The Flying Chalupa Loteria (dare you to beat that name), Huerta depicts the bingo deck's best offerings, from El Corazon (the heart) to La Bomba Atomica (the Atomic Bomb). His exhibit, Grand Illusion, is on display at William Campbell Contemporary Art through February 7. The mixed media collection, including acrylic on canvas, screen prints and contemporary-styled layered materials, touches on issues such as the war and the economy while incorporating traditional Mexican images. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment. Call 817-737-9566 or visit williamcampbellcontemporaryart.com for more information.
Sat., Jan. 10, 6-8 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts: Jan. 10. Continues through Feb. 7, 2009