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Paul Botello's "Adam and Eve,” which depicts the indigenous Mexican people right before the Spanis

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"J.Lo." is on display at Self Help. "I got into graffiti and then my art just grew", said the artist

Thirty years of Chicanos/as working together to create art and educate others about cultural history will be exhibited in a series titled “Revolution/Evolution” at Self Help Graphics & Art located in East Los Angeles.

“We have been regaining our roots through the evolution of our self-preservation. As a person and culture we are changing to accommodate our culture from one generation to the next,” said artist Chuy c/s, who grew up on the east side of Filmore in Ventura County. “C/s” is a Chicano term that stands for con safos (literally meaning “with respect”). Chuy c/s adopted the phrase as a form of respecting the art work of the artist.

Recycling and reinventing images and words historically associated with the Mexican and Chicano/a people’s experience is one of the main themes the artists – Chuy c/s, Paul Botello, Man One, Ernesto de la Loza and Reyes Rodriguez – explore in the exhibition series.

Paul Botello and Chuy c/s were inspired to become artists by their families. Chuy c/s’ older sister was majoring in Chicano studies at Cal State Northridge while he was still in elementary school. His uncle was part of the UCSB Teatro de la Esperanza. Chuy c/s’ family members taught him a historical perspective of Chicano culture and indigenous figures.

“(Art) is my voice. I use it to create that awareness of many things I have in my head,” said Chuy c/s.

“I’m still very proud to say I’m a Chicano artist. That shouldn’t limit my audience to just Chicanos. My collectors are about 5 percent Chicanos and the rest are all other ethnicities,” said Chuy c/s.

Chuy c/s will exhibit 15 of 54 paintings of loteria cards (a traditional Mexican card game) in which he has changed the traditional images and included words and numbers. The collection of images represent vital people and events of indigenous, colonial and Chicano history in Mexico and the United States.

One of the images, “La Familia,” is written in Old English font and shows a “caution” sign with a black silhouette of a man, woman and boy with a bandana running together.

“The caution sign says we’re illegal here and that to belong we have to be hidden,” Chuy c/s said. “The bosses don’t want to know if you are illegal. They just want your cheap labor.”

By adding the Spanish word “familia” (family) and the number 187 on the piece’s label card (the number of the proposition passed in California prohibiting health and education access to undocumented residents), Chuy c/s appropriates this negative connotation associated with recent Latino immigrants and turns the image into a positive one.

“We are contemporary Chicanos presenting ourselves in the U.S. but we still have our Mexican roots,” said Chuy c/s.

Paul Botello, who considers himself a “narrative artist,” makes both commissioned and private art for his community. He has also worked on a number of international projects, including a mural in Germany on which he collaborated with artists from around the world.

“My art is very musical,” Botello said. “My lines are sometimes short like staccato notes or they can be (like) waves or zig-zag.”

Botello will be exhibiting his “Adam & Eve” painting at Self Help. In the foreground, the Mesoamerican man and woman transform into spirits. The large pyramids in the middle hide the looming conquistador, cross and sun in the background.

Man One, the youngest artist in the group, said he started doing graffitti on the street in 1987 since he did not have after-school programs to attend. Man One is known for his commercial aerosol art with Coke, Nike, Adidas and other companies, but also owns a private gallery called CrewWest. According to the artist, his biggest goal with his art is to have youth be able to see and experience art.

“Graffitti is the biggest ‘F-you’ to society but at the same time you’re creating art work,” he said. “Graffitti and hip-hop are cultures, not just these ethnic kids. It’s a culture with (its own) artists which I’m a part of.”

The opening reception for Revolution/Evolution I is from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 in the Galeria Otra Vez at Self Help Graphics & Art, located at 3802 Cesar E. Chavez Ave. The exhibit will run through March 9. For more info, call (323) 881-6444.