Brittany Verga, Staff writer

It was an evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and culture. On Saturday, March 1, art enthusiasts from around San Diego County gathered as California Center for the Arts, Escondido presented its newest exhibition, “Innocence is Questionable.”

Recipients of the 2006 – 2007 San Diego Art Prize, Jean Lowe, Ernest Silva, Raul Guererro, Iana Quesnell, May-Ling Martinez and Yvonne Venegas comprise the exhibition’s coalition of art.

The Center for the Arts strived to create an interactive social experience for those attending the affair. As guests ate, drank and listened to live music, the exhibiting artists’ distinct and politically driven work was the topic of conversation. To further interaction, museum staff members gathered visitors to discuss each facet of the showcased artwork.

While each artist executes his or her artwork in dramatically different ways, a common theme seems to be apparent. Most of the artwork is a political and/or social commentary about today’s society. Whether expressed obscurely or bluntly, each piece has its own voice.

The most noteworthy pieces of the evening were by Guererro and Lowe, showcases that generate both sides of this spectrum.

Guererro, a lecturer for the Department of Visual Arts at University of California, San Diego for the past nine years, focuses on cultural clashes, particularly in San Diego where Mexican and American traditions collide.

His latest work, “The Desert: A Cultural Primer for Undocumented Workers,” explores the fear and danger migrants face in America. From afar, the vast oil on linen painting is picturesque. With blue skies and golden mountains, the desert scene is a familiar one to all San Diegans.

A closer look reveals a much more disturbing view. In the center of the landscape appears a urinal. In the corner there is a hairy beast eating the flesh of a human. In the background people are seen walking across the open desert without any sign of food, water or civilization.

Guererro’s bold depiction of these images brings to light the struggle migrant workers endure. Lowe chooses to make her statement in a more ambiguous manner.

Lowe, also a lecturer at UCSD, has created a series of large-scale landscape paintings. However, these are not typical landscapes found in most museums. They are artificial, man-made environments, including supermarkets, casinos, airports and strip malls.

The collection comments on the replacement of nature by consumerism. The irony of painting landscapes of where people spend most of their time and money, instead of nature, is a criticism of capital America.

Her piece, “Empire Style,” embodies the entire collection. Its innovative and energetic approach drew the attention of observers.

“It’s a political piece but subtle enough to where you wouldn’t notice that right away,” Lowe said when speaking of her motivation in creating “Empire Style.”

She said she began its creation after the U.S. went into Iraq. Lowe was trying to discover what forces were driving the country there.

The strip mall landscape of “Empire Style” covers the walls of an entire room. Lowe recreates the typical American mall to look like living room wallpaper. Mainstream companies such as Target, Wal-Mart, Starbucks and Gap appear in the asphalt jungle.

The scene is nestled beneath a mountainous background. The mountain range changes climate, from snowy treetops to sunny palm trees, as it reaches around the room. Lowe stated that these climate changes are to represent the progression of time.

The empirical-style wallpaper surrounds a three-dimensional living room setting, similar to furniture found at Versailles Palace in France. This clash between old and new worlds is a fascinating addition to the entire exhibition.

Among art admirers, environmentalists, sociologists and human rights activists, the variety in this exhibition is for the masses. So, for anyone just interested in an evening of art, take a look at “Innocence is Questionable,” on display through May 31.