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JACK HANLEY - BELLJAR - CAIN SCHULTE - CENTER FOR THE BOOK

PING PONG - AMPERSAND - LOWER DECK - SOMARTS - SFMOMA

FIVEPOINTS ARTHOUSE - VARNISH

01.15.10

(with assistance from Pilar Vree, RWM and Dormain Geyer)

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Jack Hanley Gallery: Andy Coolquitt - bOnniE i LovE (can) YOu, cAn i sEE yOu saT oR SuN LovE jiM. Review by Pilar Vree: Trash never looked so good. Andy Coolquitt's show successfully translates everyday discarded objects into spare, poignant objets d'art. At times witty and at other times somber, his pieces are visually gripping and delightful to experience.

Comment by RWM: Nice use here of recycled materials taking on all sorts of odd and unpredictable forms. Hardly drab, instead coloful.

Comment by AB: Jack Hanley tells me, confirmed by Andy Coolquitt, that Coolquitt's elemental leaning and hanging sculptures are composed of "urban debris" collected at the most abject of locations including homeless encampments, housing projects and the like. The best part? They'll look subtly sensational in the most tony of contemporary environments, so sensational in fact, that the lucky owners might perchance be reminded of all those people they dedicatedly devote themselves to never having to think about.

Art by Andy Coolquitt.

Right foreground sculpture in above image closer by Andy Coolquitt.

Andy Coolquitt art.

Art in above image by Andy Coolquitt closer (image c/o Pilar Vree).

Andy Coolquitt and his art.

Art by Andy Coolquitt.

Andy Coolquitt art.

Art by Andy Coolquitt + artsters (image c/o Pilar Vree).

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BellJar: Shook Ones - Jason Vivona.

Review and images by Pilar Vree: Jason Vivona's bright, blossoming pieces stare out from their frames like beautiful mutants. With expressive shapes and textural stitching, Jason Vivona succeeds in creating living breathing pieces that seem eager to tell strange tales of fantasy and horror.

Art by Jason Vivona.

Jason Vivona art.

Jason Vivona art.

Art by Jason Vivona.

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San Francisco Center for the Book: Restless Dust, A ghost walk with Darwin - Gail Wight.

Comment and images by Dormain Geyer: A couple of photos from Gail Wight's show set-up. She's San Francisco Center for the Book's current resident artist.

Book arts by Gail Wight.

Gail Wight book arts.

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Ping Pong Gallery: Lucy Pullen - The Effect Effect.

Comment by AB: New York City and Victoria B.C. Canada artist Lucy Pullen burnishes up a set of slick aluminum "space-filling polyhedra" sculptures which she positions somewhat precariously around the gallery floor, and complements them with small monotone oil-on-aluminum landscape studies that change complexion depending on where you stand and how they reflect the light. Nice work. Worth a look.

Paintings on aluminum panel - art by Lucy Pullen.

Aluminum sculptures - art by Lucy Pullen.

Lucy Pullen and her art.

Aluminum panel painting from the side - art by Lucy Pullen.

Aluminum panel painting closer - art by Lucy Pullen.

Aluminum sculpture - art by Lucy Pullen.

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Ampersand International Arts: Kevin P. Clarke - Against Parallel; David Fought - Back At The Beginning. Co-curated by Lori Gordon.

Comment by RWM: Amazing art with wire installations hanging from the walls by David Fought. The art changes as one walks around to see the various shadows on the walls from different perspectives.

Comment by AB: Kevin P. Clarke continues his approximately outside-the-artosphere adventure (never wandering too far from the nexus, but just far enough to make it interesting), here presenting paintings, sculpture and some twisty graphite drawings. I'd keep an eye this dude (founder of The Small Gallery, for you historians in the crowd). Priced pretty reasonable too, as I recall. In the front gallery, David Faught skillfully embeds sections of 12 gauge (I think) bent wire into the walls, and then paints corresponding shadows as if single light sources were shining down on them (which they're not, but maybe other lights are), and in so doing actualizes tantalizingly entertaining illusions. Like 'em.

Art by David Fought (trying to figure out what's paint & what's shadow).

Sculpture - art by David Fought.

Art by David Fought.

Sculptural art by David Fought. Is the bottom line paint or shadow?

Co-curator Lori Gordon and David Fought.

Kevin Clarke and his art.

Wood sculpture - art by Kevin P. Clarke.

Art by Kevin P. Clarke.

Art by Kevin Clarke closer.

Pinkie cam detail of by Kevin P. Clarke.

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Lower Deck Gallery: Victorious New Year Group Show.

Artists: Jill Cordner, Vero D'Orozco, Chris Gould, Pat Gould, Jet Martinez, John McGuinness, Kelly Ording, Will Prouty, Ben Stonberg Kevin Williams.

Review by RWM: Nice show with many environmental and natural subjects shown. Also some pop art here with surprisingly beatiful pieces made from beverage bottle caps. Wild creatures are also celebrated.

Bottle cap art.

Belt buckle art (same artist as bottle cap art).

Art.

Art.

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SOMArts Gallery: The Into The Ring, Sumo-Style.

Artists: Kiyoshi Nakazawa, Bill Dunlap, Gabrielle Gamboa, Fredrick Noland, Andy Ristaino, Doctor Popular, Jan Wurm, Jesse Harold, Ray Craig, Scott Werner, Sabrina Hager, Shelley Trask, Steven Russell Black, Taiko Fujimura, Thien Pham, Xiang Gao. Curated by MariNaomi.

Comment by AB: One of the wiggier creative klatches I've had the good fortune to be bewildered by-- art about Sumo wrestling.

Art about Sumo wrestling.

Sumo wrestling art.

Here's something you don't see everyday.

Art about Sumo wrestling.

Pretty healthy turnout for this Sumo wrestling art exhibition.

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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: 75th Anniversary Celebration.

Comment by AB: This exclusive "members only" event turns out to be the mother of all cattle calls. I arrive to find the museum lobby bloated with celebrants. Out front, a line of unwitting potential claustrophobes stretches around the building, clear down the entire block of Minna, and snaking onto New Montgomery. But wait; there's more. In order to stand in that line, you have to enter a lottery; in order to enter the lottery, you have to take a number; and in order to take a number, have to pass a brief written entrance exam. "I wonder if he went in?" you're probably wondering. Well, dig this...

Uh oh. This doesn't look good.

Woah! See y'all later. Have a good time.

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Fivepoints Arthouse: Down.

Artists: Frank Agrama, Natasha Agrama, Alex Heilbron, Homero Hidalgo, Peter Hurley, Chris Lux, Mark McKnight, Shemoel Recalde, Zach Skipko, Calvin Trezise, Matt Weikel, Eric Wilson, and Kurtis Wilson.

Comment by AB: Group show curated by Natasha Agrama and Alex Heilbron.

Art.

Art.

Here's something you don't see everyday.

Art.

Art.

The basic idea.

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Varnish Fine Art: Closing Celebration.

Comment by AB: Bye bye Varnish. We love you. See you soon incarnate, I'm sure.

Varnish Fine Art from the balcony.

Sculptural wrecking ball hangs ominously overhead.

Varnish Fine Art co-owners, Kerri Stephens & Jennifer Rogers.

Bye by Varnish Fine Art. It was sure nice while it lasted.

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Addendum:

Four-artist portrait show at Cain Schulte Gallery.

Daniel Ochoa, Kirstine Reiner, Michael McConnell, and Lars Theuerkauff at
Cain Schulte Gallery.

One more group portrait show at Cain Schulte Gallery.

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