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New gallery shows boast bold approach

Some images are just too big to ignore.

The art is large, about 4 feet by 5 feet, and demands to be gazed upon.

Blue Picasso is a strong, graphic mix of paint and photography, one of several pieces that are now being shown in the exhibition Conatus at Lisa Sette Gallery in Scottsdale.

The series of large-scale color photographic works by Res (in collaboration with Constanza Piaggio), appears at the gallery in tandem with Illegal Aliens' Guide to Greater America by Enrique Chagoya.

Res, a native of Argentina, attempts to re-present the history of painting as color photographic images while commenting on photography's role in conditioning the way the public perceives images.

Conatus appears to espouse a simpler approach compared to Chagoya's, which uses a variety of pictorial traditions - everything from prints and drawings to paintings and books - to suggest a kind of "reverse anthropology" that explores and questions immigrant ideologies.

Chagoya's codex books, in his words, afford him an opportunity to show "political collisions of universal consequences." The works also challenge the authority of those who govern immigrants and the legality of physical borders. The well-regarded Mexican-born artist currently teaches at Stanford University.

Lisa Sette Gallery, 4142 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, is open for viewing 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 7 - 9 p.m. Thursday, and noon - 5 p.m. Saturday. For information, visit Lisasettegallery.com or call (480) 990-7342.