SFMOMA ARTISTS GALLERY - VORRES - MERIDIAN

BASH - ROOT DIVISION - WHITE WALLS / SHOOTING GALLERY

01.11.14



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Comment by AB: Well dear artsters, I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. Somehow I lost practically all the photographs I took tonight. And I had some good ones too. But never fear... I fully intend to say a few words about every show I attended and borrow an image or two off of the respective gallery websites as needed.

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SFMOMA Artists Gallery: Edith Hillinger, Sharon Shepherd, Elena Zolotnitsky.

Comment by AB: Abstractions by Edith Hillinger hark back to Aboriginal, Native American and African art. Elena Zolotnitsky shows primarily portrait and figure paintings, often accented with abstract flourishes. Sharon Shepherd's colorful upbeat abstractions will assuredly enhance any interior.

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Vorres Gallery: Rodney Ewing and Ronn Harsh.

Comment by AB, images c/o Vorres Gallery: Color splash abstractions by Ronn Harsh are complemented by Rodney Ewing's sedate yet painterly works on paper, primarily in black and white.

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Meridian Gallery: Abby Leigh - Works 2011/2013. Curated by Jarrett Earnest.

Comment by AB, images c/o Meridian Gallery: Extensive exhibition of paintings by Abby Leigh, the compositions typically comprised of numerous vertical and horizontal bands of color.

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Bash Contemporary: Black & White in Color Group Show.

Artists: Bob Dob, Caitlin Hackett, Pee Monster, Len Davis, Lee Harvey Roswell, David Fenton, Adrienne Simms.

Comment by AB, images c/o Bash Contemporary: Entertaining group show of graphite drawings, watercolors, and pen and ink works on paper.

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Root Division: The Tools. Curated by Nora Rodriguez.

Artists: Evan Barbour, Josh Blackwell, Brad Brown, Anna Craycroft, Marshall Elliot, Ruben Gutierrez, Phyllis Ma, Rachel McFarlane, Mie Horlyck Mogenson, Michael and Rosie O'Gorman, Jeana Poindexter, Zin Taylor.

Comment by AB, image c/o Root Division: This is the one show that I didn't really mind losing the photographs of. A rambling directionless mess that supposedly "contains tools artists have constructed in view of executing their work, along with work that itself functions as a tool," whatever that means. Last time I checked, at least some level of technical proficiency is required for making art, a quantity that is sadly, though not totally, lacking here. The vision may be brilliant, but if you can't execute, the exercise is all for naught.

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White Walls / Shooting Gallery: I Was Just Thinking - Amanda Marie; The Guerneville Goose - Paul Chatem; Apexer Studio Projects; Wandering Bonanza - X-O (aka Hyland Mather).

Comment by AB: In the main gallery, a paint, spray and stencil fest by Amanda Marie encompasses nostalgic as well as contemporary elements. In the right front project space, Paul Chatem's crankable gear and cog paintings are as kicky and accomplished as ever. Art you can play with. In the right rear project space, Apex departs from his traditional geometric fare to show a series of painted torn paper works alongside some freewheeling spray can antics. In the left rear project space, X-O (aka Hyland Mather) cuts, paints, strings, draws, hammers and collages wood scraps into colorful geometric assemblages. Worth a visit.

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