SF CITY HALL - ANDREA SCHWARTZ - BABYLON FALLING - 560 GALLERY - ADOBE BACKROOM - FLY BAR - 01.13-14.09 (with assistance from R. W. Miller)

San Francisco City Hall: The Art of Change - The Influence of Rock Music and Art on Social Change.

Review by R. W. Miller: The abundant brownies and the Kool-Aid are surprisingly safe, as are the iconic photographs from Wolfgang's Vault at this exhibit of somewhat recent musical trends and personages as agents of social change. The photographs capture the musical stars and movements of the past, mostly from the sixties, but also newer musicians and trends are colorfully presented, converging to the present. The captions are fascinating and tell the longer historical story of musicians attempting to improve the world. The images are psychedelic and inspiring, casting the musicians as icons. Those seeking inspiration from the musical world may want to stop by to see the images on the lower level at City Hall which are on display until April 3rd.

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Andrea Schwartz Gallery: Robin Kandel.

Comment by AB: According to the deposition, Robin Kandel's paintings reference childhood memories. Composed of separately painted striated layers, they exemplify the tendency for memories to overlap, blend together, and reconfigure themselves over time.

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Babylon Falling: D. Young V (David Young) - Live Forever.

Comment by AB: I happen to be sauntering by Babylon Falling as D. Young V is painting a mural on the wall in preparation for his opening tomorrow night (the show's already hung). He tells me his black and white works on paper revolve around the impending apocalypse as he sees it, this series of images depicting the calamity itself-- specifically here in San Francisco-- and perhaps events shortly after. This is just the beginning, he continues. His renditions of post-apocalyptic visions are yet to come, and I'm kinda curious to see how the storyline plays out. The art looks like stencils, but it's actually entirely hand drawn. Nicely done, plenty to choose from, and reasonably priced too-- around $250 each (except for the large ones) if my memory serves me correctly.

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560 Gallery: Salon.

Artists: Laila Carlsen, Trevor Southey, Cheryl Kline, Carolyn Cole, Yuri Shiller, Jules Eve Barkeley, Karl Jhanke, Stephanie Schmitt, Georgy Kurasov, Jorege Zabala, Svetlana Trumm, Ernesto Evangelista, Kelley Defayette, more.

Comment by AB: It's your classic art salon with art, music, performance, spoken word, kicky creative peeps, exchanging of ideas, and all kinds of other wonderful ways to culture yourself up for a night.

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Adobe Books Backroom Gallery: Ex Libris. Contributors: Courtney Fink, Vincent Fecteau, Colter Jacobsen, Julian Myers, Emily Prince, Jeannene Przyblyski, Kyle Ranson, Evan Rehill, Brion Nuda Rosch, Michael Swaine, Margaret Tedesco, Meredith Tromble.

Review by R. W. Miller: The exhibitors here, each contributing favorite books from Adobe's shelves to comprise this impromptu Backroom "library," remind us how interesting it is to just look at books on the shelves with all their associations and artistic achievements. The arrangements and placements can say a lot, but just looking at books brings back memories and evokes our desire to know more about the world. Books can provide escapism, but one can also argue that those who do not read books are escaping from reality too. One gains a better understanding of the world by seeing it through eyes of another or by reading writings of the experts. Adobe Bookstore is itself an evolving piece of art with the Backroom Gallery now formalizing their offerings. But things have changed. Self-publishing now gives artists more freedom, signaling a break from tradition and the past. Bookstores like Adobe offer grounding in literary and scholastic history.

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Fly Bar: Jason Arnold - 23 Paintings.

Comment by AB: Jason Arnold peppers up a classic Renaissance religious motif with contemporary urban commentary and related overtones, plus he throws in a satanic pentagram just to make sure you're paying attention. It's pretty dark in here, so this is the best I can do.

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