At the age of five, Héctor “Tetris” Arias crossed the border by sea and land when his family was undocumented. “That experience marked me; it scared me a lot. Without a doubt, that defined my art,” says the artist known as ‘Tetris,’ founder of the SELA Art Center located in the city of Bell.
This Mexican, born in Michoacán, Mexico, but raised in Southeast Los Angeles, assimilated the ‘street’ art of California by going to school every day. “I was drawn to the design of letters, the shapes of images, and the colors. I was educated by my mom, who is a muralist, but I learned from the streets. Art changes lives,” says ‘Tetris.’
However, there’s one thing that worries him: the survival of the SELA Art Center. “I don’t know how much longer we can last; we don’t have the funds. I contribute the money from the funds I earn by painting murals on the walls in our communities, but I don’t know for how long,” he adds.
Tetris, now a prominent and recognized artist, has always been concerned about the community. “Our children, our families are hardworking; they are dealing with many problems, distractions. Art is a way to keep them from going down the wrong paths,” he said.
Tetris himself experienced it; for three years, he struggled, searching for paid jobs unsuccessfully, being part of gangs with not-so-pleasant stories. “I was in a survival state, felt very lonely, and doing conflicting things. But I never gave up art; it saved me,” he adds.
For him, connecting people, offering classes and workshops for children is a way to give back for what he has achieved. “Our community doesn’t have access to places where they can learn art. Many find it easy to say they can go to other cities, but it’s not that simple. We want a center where our community connects, where our art is connected. We have a group of artists helping us at the center; seeing the change in the eyes of our children and young people is a great satisfaction. I lived it,” he mentions.
A proposal by Assemblyman Anthony Rendon seeks to build one of the best cultural centers in Southeast LA, but it is awaiting approval.
SIGN PETITION: SELA Cultural Arts Center is a GAME changer!
“Funds and assistance are not coming; we don’t want to open this to other communities. We want our people to be represented, to show that we can, but we need these funds,” said this artist.
In one of his experiences, Tetris experienced how a company paid low wages to its workers for being undocumented, including himself, earning the minimum. “I couldn’t stand it, how they exploit our people. We deserve a first-class center that respects our people and provides them with an education.
“The cities of Southeast LA — Bell, Huntington Park, South Gate, Lynwood, Downey, Vernon, and Commerce, to name a few — are also called the Gateway Cities, extending south from just below Downtown LA to the port of Long Beach and from the South Bay cities of Inglewood and Torrance in the west to the border of Orange County. Although the region is now overwhelmingly Latino, it was developed a century ago as a ‘whites only’ industrial and manufacturing hub, with redlining and racist housing covenants in place to keep it that way. Beginning in the 1960s, however, the area hit an economic downturn, as factories shut down or moved away, leaving behind unemployment and contaminated land. ‘White flight’ opened the door to Latino families and workers who had been excluded for decades,” published the Hyperallergic site.
“Little by little, I came out, building my business; it cost me a lot, but it’s the opportunity we must give to our community,” added Tetris. “This center is the first time they have had access to art; it would be lamentable to close it. We have to be united, I insist; I don’t want people from other communities to come,” he says.
Tetris, where his art can be seen practically all over Los Angeles, says that, for him, the neighborhoods are represented there. “When I see a wall, I talk about the history of the neighborhood, chat with people, try to represent them. I let things happen; I really like the motifs of nature,” he concludes.
