Portraits of What Could Be

Finding silver linings in something so punch-to-the-gut-awful as Proposition 8 isn't hard: At the very least, a new generation of activists woke up the morning after to realize that rights can and will be taken away if you fail to participate in the political process — especially one as schizophrenic as California's.

But the ballot measure also galvanized an artist movement, spearheaded perhaps by the "Love Unites" poster designed by Obey artist Shepard Fairey that became a common sight in protests throughout L.A., from downtown to Westwood.

Yosi Sergant, the man who worked with Fairey for the iconic Obama Hope portrait, recently teamed up with Jennifer Gross of Evolutionary Media to create MANIFESTEQUALITY, a pop-up art exhibit in Hollywood that runs through Sunday, March 7. Fairey is the headliner, but other artists, including Gary Baseman, APAK and Alix Smith create a world where all loving relationships that fall outside the boundaries of "normal" are treated with due respect.

"It's our wish to keep the momentum of our evolving society moving forward so that all people will soon have the right to marry, regardless of the color of their skin or their gender," says Kiino Villand, a Manifest Equality artist and contributor to Style Section L.A. "In recent American history it was illegal in many parts of the country for white people to marry people of African descent. Several states also had laws specifically prohibiting intermarriage of whites with Asians or Native Americans. While our society and laws have evolved considerably since then, we still have work to do."

MANIFEST EQUALITY is located at 1341 Vine St. between Hollywood Blvd. and Fountain Ave. in Hollywood. Exhibit hours: Thurs, March 4, 10am-6pm; Fri, March 5, 11am-10pm; Sat, March 6, 10am-6pm; and Sunday, March 7, 10am-5pm. For more information, visit www.manifestequality.com.