Courtesy Mike Suarez's ‘Porn Paintings: The Allure of Color' showcase focuses on race.

WHO: Mike Suarez

EXHIBIT: “Porn Paintings: The Allure of Color”

WHEN: Through Tuesday, July 31

WHERE: Gas Gallery, 2222 N. St. Mary's St. at Josephine

INFO: (210) 452-0386 or contemporaryartsa.com

THE RUNDOWN: As the title of this exhibit suggests, those who prefer their art a bit more subtle and PG-rated might want to steer clear of Suarez's showcase. Suarez utilizes paintings of nude lovers and other sexually explicit visualizations to communicate his belief that races as we view them have no scientific basis. Suarez does so by illustrating interracial relationships; the differences between the two lovers is so subtle that it's almost impossible to tell which lover is of which race. In fact, Suarez — who used models for this particular showcase — often changed the race of the model to a different race in his work simply by making minor alterations to physical characteristics.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: “Most work starts with whatever I'm thinking about, whatever is gnawing at my brain. For instance, with this show, it began with the whole notion of race. I'm in an interracial relationship. My mate is white, but what is white? It's not really a race. Ask a brown person in San Antonio what race they belong to, and they'll say Hispanic, but that's a very recent term. (The word Hispanic) sort of bestows a pedigree of sorts, and it feels a little more important than the word Mexican, which seems to be used in a more derogatory sense. ..... I think society has grown more tolerant than we're willing to admit. Fifty percent of the people that saw (the exhibit) might act as if it's too much, but it appeals to everybody and portrays something (sex) that we all participate in and all fantasize about. It's not like something that's off the wall. .....”

CLINT HALE | 210SA