ART/SNEAK PEEK : `REAR VIEW' REVEALS THE OTHER SIDE OF ART.

Photography, by its nature, typically faces the world head-on. But what's wrong with facing it from behind?

As its name indicates, ``Rear View,'' the new exhibition at California State University, Northridge's Art Galleries, looks at humanity's southward end, with interesting results. Spanning 80 years, the works capture the intimacy, playfulness and informality that are possible when subjects have their backs turned to the photographer.

The show's list of contributors reads like a Who's Who of 20th-century darkroom masters: Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Bruce Davidson, Marc Riboud, Graciela Iturbide, Wegee. Watch for Amy Arbus' ``Mingles Picnic'' (1991), a group portrait of a nude feast that Yoko Ono would adore.

Art Dome hours are noon to 4 p.m. Monday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Admission is free. The galleries are located at 18111 Nordhoff St. For information, call [phone].

Living traditions: Not so long ago, most museums treated American Indian art as the curious remnants of a bygone people.

In fact, American Indian arts and craftwork are alive and flourishing, as three new shows at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage bear witness.

``Indian Humor'' features works by 38 contemporary artists who use irony and humor to explore their cultural heritage. Developed by American Indian Contemporary Arts in San Francisco, the exhibition deflates the pop mythology of American Indians as unsmiling stoics. It runs through May 11.

The two other exhibitions, both running through June 1, reveal how contemporary American Indian artists have adapted traditional forms to the late 20th century. ``The Fine Art of California Indian Basketry'' traces the evolution of this decorative art from 1766 to the present. Far from being anonymous artifacts, a number of these works are hand signed by their makers, who represent a cross section of the state's native cultures - Pomo, Yurok, Miwuk and Cahuilla, among others.

Also running through June 1 is ``Glass Tapestry: Plateau Beaded Bags From the Elaine Horwitch Collection.'' You'll find cowboys, wildlife, even a portrait of Mickey Mouse among the motifs in this collection assembled by the late Santa Fe, N.M., resident.

Located in Griffith Park at 4700 Western Heritage Way, the museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $5 seniors and students with valid ID, $3 for children ages 2-12. For information, call [phone].

Poetry in motion: Call it ``three-dimensional haiku.'' Or think of it as ``a whole new language.''

Those effusive descriptions of the work of Elijah David Herschler come from sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury and sculpture authority Joseph Hirshhorn, respectively.

But don't take their word. Through April 20, Pasadena's Pacific Asian Musuem is hosting a retrospective of Herschler's elegantly fluid, stainless steel kinetic sculpture.

``Ribbons in Space'' is on view 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, in the Foyer Gallery of the museum at 46 N. Los Robles Ave. General admission is $4; $2 for seniors and students with ID. For information, call [phone].

Catch all: The title, ``Disparate Visions,'' says everything. What else would you call a exhibition that unites Stephan Allesandri's lonely desertscapes with Hadia Finley's bodyscapes and Brian Spellman's use of unconventional materials to reveal gestalt images?

Logically enough, ``Disparate Visions'' is on view at the eclectic Artspace Gallery at 21800 Oxnard St. in Woodland Hills. Situated in the main plaza, suite 250, the city-sponsored gallery is open noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission, as ever, is free.

Closing date is March 29. Call [phone] for information.

CAPTION(S):

Photo: American Indian artist Sharon Dry Flower's ceramic ``KoshariBoy'' is part of the ``Indian Humor'' exhibit at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage.