WHITTIER – Featuring works by Luis G. Hernández, Margaret Griffith, Maria Rendón, Albert Lopez Jr., Ruben Millares, and Lino Martinez, the 2017 SUR:biennial exhibit will run from Sept. 7 to Oct. 13 at the Rio Hondo College Gallery, with a reception on Sept. 12.

SUR:biennial is a multi-venue exhibition presented in conjunction with Pacific Standard Time: Latin American & Latino Art in LA. Showcases include Cerritos College Art Gallery and Torrance Art Museum. Focusing on artists influenced and/or impacted by cultures from south of the U.S. border, SUR aims to expand Los Angeles’ importance as a critical epicenter in today’s decentralized art scene.

“Events such as the SUR:biennial exhibit open a window into possibilities for our students, showcasing what can be accomplished and underscoring the need for the diverse members of our community to assert their voices,” Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss said.

The three venues in the predominantly Latino communities on the east side of Los Angeles were chosen because they are often overshadowed by art venues farther west.

The artists’ videos, paintings, installations and performances declare the limitations of the physical and constructed spaces of home, text, barrio, body and art gallery. The works explore the possibilities of invisibility, flexible boundaries, open constructions and imagined spaces.

Through a series of thematically linked exhibitions, Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA will present many works new to Southern California audiences. Most exhibitions will emphasize modern and contemporary art; some will highlight the ancient world and pre-modern era.

With topics such as luxury objects in the pre-Columbian Americas, 20th century Afro-Brazilian art, alternative spaces in Mexico City, and boundary-crossing practices of Latino artists, exhibitions range from monographic studies of individual artists to broad surveys that cut across many countries.