PAUL MAHDER - GENSLER

SOMARTS - EVER GOLD

01.16.14

(with assistance from Anna Rotty)



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Paul Mahder Gallery: Riddles, Mysteries and Visions, Painting from the Material World - Richard Bolingbroke.

Comment by AB: Lush vibrant color-rich watercolors, florals for the most part, are enhanced with symbols, patterns, motifs and occasional animal skulls which give some a bit of a Southwest feel. Several chair still-lifes round out the program. Nicely done; stop on by.

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Gensler: FISSION - Sid Garrison and Bernadette Jiyong Frank.

Review by Anna Rotty: Fission is the act of dividing or splitting something into two or more parts. What a great name for this two-person exhibit at Gensler Gallery. Work by Sid Garrison and Bernadette Jiyong Frank hangs beautifully on Gensler's bold colored wall spaces. Garrison's abstract colorful drawings draw me in to look closer at the use of material (colored pencil on paper), and the detailed drawing. At arm's length, the drawing is reminiscent of an aerial view, or our overlooked microscopic world. Taking a closer look, the images appear as if they've been raked over with a fine-tooth comb, and take on the look of printed textiles. They remind me of how we divide and break up spaces in maps. To me, the art is about perspective, whether from a bird's-eye view or under a microscope.

Comment by AB: Bernadette Jiyong Frank's precise hi-gloss geometries bring to mind prismatic refractions of light. Good show on both counts. We like Gensler, by the way-- one of THE FEW San Francisco corporations that regularly supports area visual artists. Let's see if we can't lengthen that list. I know there's not much money in it, bottom liners, but there's all kinds of goodwill and appreciation. Think about it.

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SOMArts Gallery: All Possible Futures.

Artists: Åbäke, Appetite Engineers, Bob Aufuldish, Ludovic Balland, Rachel Berger, Peter Bil'ak, Catalogtree, Daniel Eatock, Jaan Evart & Julian Hagen & Daniël Maarleveld, Experimental Jetset, Ed Fella, General Working Group, David Karwan, Mr. Keedy, Hansje van Halem, Na Kim, Jürg Lehni, Willem Henri Lucas, LUST, MacFadden and Thorpe, Karel Martens, Jeremy Mende and Bill Hsu, Metahaven, Mevis van Deursen, MONIKER, Lesley Moore, Karl Nawrot & Walter Warton, Radim Pesko, Practise, Project Projects, PSY/OPS, ResearchCenteredDesign, Dexter Sinister, Joel Stillman, Sulki and Min, Volume Inc., Zak Group.

Comment by AB: Bay Area and international graphic designers and design firms go beyond the normal requirements and bailiwick of the profession in order to consider potentially new and beneficial applications of their talents. And so they do. Go see.

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Ever Gold Gallery: 5 Year Anniversary Group Show.

Artists: Aaron Terry, Adam Parker Smith, Alex Braubach, Angie Crabtree, Austin McManus, Barry McGee, Ben Venom, Casey Gray, Charles Linder, Chris Blackstock, Chris Duncan, Chris Corrente, Chris Sollars, Christian Ebert, Christine Ancalmo, David Bayus, David Jones, David Marc Grant, Dean Dempsey, Dennis Kernohan, Don Ed Hardy, Emily Gorman, Emily Chaves, Erik Foss, Facundo Arganaraz, Ferris Plock, Francesco Deiana, Gina M. Contreras, Gregory Ito, Guy Overfelt, Heather Sparks, Henry Gunderson, Hilary Pecis, Jedd Hart, Jeremiah Jenkins, Jessica Flemming, Jessie Rose Vala, Jim Damron, Jocko Weyland, Joey Enos, Josh Short, John Held, Jr., Julio Cesar Morales, Kate Bonner, Keith Boadwee, Kelly Tunstall, Kent Long, Kent Roberts, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Leigh Cooper, Leigha Mason, Lisa K. Blatt, Lowell Darling, Lucien Shapiro, Lucy Kasofsky, Mario Ayala, Mark Benson, Mark Mulroney, Mark Van Proyen, Mary Joy Scott, Mary Ijichi, Mauricio Ancalmo, Meryl Pataky, Michelle Blade, Mike Paré, Mitsu Okubo, Molly Soda, Monica Canilao, Nina Dolores, Owen Takabayashi, Paul Kos, PEZ, Ray Potes, Rebecca Goldfarb, Robin Juan, Ryan Beavers, Ryan Coffey, Ryan De La Hoz, Ryan Malley, Sadie Barnette, Sandy Kim, Sarah Hotchkiss, Sean McFarland, Shalo P, Shelter Serra, Silver Warner, Tamra Seal, Steve MacDonald, Tara Lisa Foley, Tahitti Pehrson, Tim Sullivan, Tom Marioni, Tom Sachs, Tony Labat, Travis Collinson, Tyson Vogel, Wally Hedrick, Whitney Lynn, Yokonori Stone.

Review by Anna Rotty: Ever Gold Gallery seems to be the place to be tonight. It's packed with a mostly younger crowd admiring many artists' works displayed floor to ceiling for their Five-Year Anniversary Group Show, a refreshing presentation and a fun atmosphere. One viewer I speak with, a student at San Francisco Art Institute, tells me the gallery is a usual go-to for art students to both gain inspiration and hopefully exhibit among fellow students and big names, such as Barry McGee.

Don't miss the back room. My favorite piece is a webcam video by Molly Soda called "An Exercise in Closure," where she reads an email to an "ex". I love the way it's presented with headphones for only one viewer, creating a space for an intimate confessional. Or perhaps the viewer is a voyeur, getting a glimpse of the artist's personal life. Her subtle references to social media and her rational for our human tendency to magnify minutiae are on point. This is especially true for our social media-entangled generation who can relate to the feeling of anxiety after a lover "de-friends" you on Facebook. After typing Molly's name into a Google search, I find that she's an Internet sensation. Her piece is only strengthened by the fact that her intended virtual and faceless audience enthusiastically embraces her.

Comment by AB: Your basic mega mungo blow-it-out-your-ass art party. Head on over to check out the art; no matter what your propensities, predilections or inclinations, you'll satisfy them here.

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