It had been anticipated. The SELA Art Center will have to close its doors facing an undefined future.
What was supposed to be an interview to discuss its two year anniversary turned into a wake.
“There’s no choice. The owner hasn’t given us an option, and I can’t sustain this project any longer,” says Hector “Tetris” Arias.
This place, which has become a meeting point for artists from Southeast Los Angeles, will have to find a new home.
“Many children and young people come to the center; we have made a change in their lives,” says Tetris, as he prefers to be called.
The imminent closure of the center is somewhat ironic. A proposal by Assemblyman Anthony Rendon and supported by Supervisor Janice Hahn has given life to the possible construction of a first-class cultural center in South Gate, to serve the majority Latino community of the Southeast.
Tetris laughs.
This artist has funded the Art Center from his own pocket, and simply the idea of a project that will cost more than 800 million dollars does not solve the problem he faces.
“There’s a lot of noise, but people come and go. What matters is the present. How are we going to provide services and attention to the community?” says this artist.
Tetris is no stranger to adversity.
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, in a previous interview.
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 taught by my mom, who is a muralist, but I learned from the streets. Art changes lives,” says ‘Tetris.’
Tetris doesn’t ask for help; he seeks to solve the problem he faces on his own.
I mention that his dedication to the Art Center could complicate his life, but he is clear about that. He could very well live off the countless projects he works on every day, but his life and love for the community moves him to share his art.
“I don’t know what will happen. The proposed Cultural Center is important, but for now, this Art Center is important too. These two years since its creation have been difficult,” he says.
Tetris is one of my favorite artists; his talent as a graffiti artist is unparalleled. However, he always embarks on a quest for perfection. His classes shared on his social networks are a motivation.
“I try to be a complete artist, and I try to share it with the community. The community has to embrace the center. Yes, this proposed cultural center is very important, but we need politicians not just to come for a photo op,” he says.
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