ART / SNEAK PEEK : SIMILAR VISIONS FROM WORLDS APART.

Two exhibitions, two continents, two distinct artistic traditions.

Superficially, there's little in common between the pair of shows opening Sunday at California State University, Northridge.

Then it hits you: Like the weavings and carvings of rural Zimbabwe, the mixed-media work of African-American artists Lavialle Campbell and Lava Thomas testifies to creativity under duress.

In Zimbabwe's scattered villages, duress takes the form of poverty coupled with an unforgiving climate, which often forces men to leave their families and seek jobs in distant cities. Left to fend for themselves, the women learn to be ultra-resourceful and to serve as guardians of the culture's collective values.

What's that got to do with art? A lot, judging by ``2 Contemporary Art Forms From Zimbabwe.''

In the village of Weya, for a decade, the women have been weaving their impressions into richly patterned cotton fabric made of sadza, a dietary staple akin to corn meal mush. Similar to batik, this uncanny art form has bloomed into a cottage industry, giving women greater independence and clout in the economic and cultural life of the former Rhodesia.

While women have devised this new mode of expression, Zimbabwean men continue to practice centuries-old stone-carving methods that are steeped in the folklore and religious mysticism of the Bantu-speaking Shona people. CSUN's exhibition shows how these twin labors - one male, the other female - complement and comment on each other.

They also show how tradition has weathered the profound social changes sweeping Zimbabwe since it shook off colonial rule in 1980. Out of historical turmoil has come inspiration.

The same could be said of the works of Campbell and Thomas. Well-known in Southern California, where they've been widely shown, Campbell and Thomas expose both the obvious and hidden connections between racism, family relationships and women's health issues. ``Intersecting Parallels: Lavialle Campbell and Lava Thomas'' conveys the women's simpatico spirits.

Both exhibitions are presented in the Art Dome, 18111 Nordhoff St. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Monday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Admission is free. For information, call [phone].

Surreality check: The most unreal city in North America can't get enough of surrealism.

Need proof? Aside, that is, from the Magritte retrospective at the UCLA Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center, and the Man Ray exhibition at Santa Monica's Bergamot Station.

Now the Museum of Contemporary Art has inherited 21 works by self-taught surrealist Joseph Cornell, in one of the largest gifts ever made to a private museum by the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

Dating from the latter phase of Cornell's career, the gift of six three-dimensional boxes and 15 collages employs favorite Cornell objects (toys, books, maps and game pieces) and subjects (astrology, the infinite, historical figures). The late artist (1903-72) has been featured in several major exhibitions at MOCA, including last spring's ``Hall of Mirrors: Art and Film Since 1945.''

Only one catch: You'll have to wait until early next year to see the new works. Meanwhile, you have three more weeks to see the found photography and text installations of Brazilian artist Rosangela Renno, the provocative ``Friendly Fire'' display of mock bulletproof vests and MOCA's massive Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz retrospective.

MOCA at California Plaza, 250 S. Grand Ave., is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The museum stays open until 8 p.m. Thursday. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for students and seniors, and free for MOCA members and children under 12. For information, call [phone].

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Photo: This untitled Joseph Cornell assemblage from 1959 is among the 21 works recently given to the Museum of Contemporary Art - one of the largest gifts ever made to a private museum.