Each year during the holiday season, I find myself surrounded by things I don't believe in: Santa Claus (I have yet to meet ANY fat person who has been jolly, let alone civil), elves (well, unless Keebler is actually baking them into my cookies), and the North Pole (why on earth would anyone choose to outsource their workforce there when labor is so cheap in Mexico?). I'm one of those gotta-see-it-with-my-own-eyes-to-believe-it type of people. But fear not: my faith isn't completely lost. I still believe in Jesus—Jesus Rafael Soto, that is.
The Venezuelan-born artist/creator of the kinetic sculpture movement, Soto took op art off the canvas and into the real world. His art is often displayed above its observers, forcing them to stand within the masterpiece in order to view it correctly. Many have said it's impossible to separate the viewer from Soto's artwork, that the illusion can only work through a viewer's active perception. And while some of it may only be an illusion, it's still the truest form of faith I've ever seen.
Currently, you can check out Jesus' work yourself at Long Beach's very own nativity scene, the Museum of Latin American Art. Infidels beware, for Jesus is coming to town, and he's more artsy-fartsier than ever!
Find out why Jesus is so square (Get it? Cubism joke? Huh? It's sorta hip to be square, right? Ah, you guys are hopeless) at the Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach, (562) 437-1689. Call for hours. Through March 19. $3-$5.
