RENA BRANSTEN - MODERNISM - GEORGE LAWSON

ARTHAUS - RAYKO - UNSPEAKABLE PROJECTS

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

01.17.13

(with assistance from Brandi Lee and RWM)



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Rena Bransten Gallery: Bovey Lee - Conundrums; Sam Perry - Knots and Tangles.

Review by RWM: Incredible knots and tangles sculpted in wood by Sam Perry, defying the belief that they're carved from single pieces. These sculptures suggest other origins, but such bendings would not be possible in nature.

"Conundrums" by Bovey Lee have one guessing whether they are looking at shadows or realities. What one sees are duplicate images under the glass. Closer observation is rewarded in these fascinating designs.

Comment by AB: Awesome paper cutting by Bovey Lee and exceptionally twisty carved wood sculptures by Sam Perry. A winner on both counts; go see.

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Modernism Gallery: Mel Ramos - New Paintings; Elena Dorfman - Empire Falling.

Review by RWM: Mouth-watering beautiful sweeties on display here from Mel Ramos. Not quite food objects, but they may affect your appetite anyway.

Comment by AB: Mel Ramos has been at it for fifty years now and hasn't missed a beat. So let's say you happen upon the recipe for success. Do you go with it? Or do you say, "Been there, done that?" Ramos says, "Been there, done that, doing that and will continue to do it." Paintings priced $100K-$500K. Opening night and the show's sold out. Hey, "true artists"-- is that good? Is that bad? Would you if you could you? I think yes. Worth a visit.

In the side gallery, Elena Dorfman's atmospheric digital riffs on abandoned Midwest rock quarries allude to that which has been spent and left for dead. Also worth a visit.

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George Lawson Gallery: Inaugural Show - Gallery Selections.

Comment by AB: Alan Ebnother is supposed to debut George Lawson's triumphant return to Ess Eff, but his paintings got held up in customs. So let's go with gallery selections. It's still good. Check out the intimate diminutive new exhibition space.

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ArtHaus Gallery: California Impressions - A Group Show.

Artists: Carolyn Meyer, Matthew Frederick, Brian Blood, Gioi Tran, Deborah Brown, Eric Engstrom, Franc D'Ambrosio, Michal Venera, Daniel Berman.

Review by RWM: Beautiful images of the outdoors and cityscapes are captured here even if they have been abstracted. Not quite the experience of solitude, but wondrous nonetheless with individual styles on display.

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Rayko Photo Center: San Francisco Days.

Photographers: Janet Delaney, Lou Dematteis, John Harding, Gabriela Hasbun, Andre Hermann, Michael Jang, Mimi Plumb, Andrei Riskin.

Review by RWM: The raw and wild city on The Barbary Coast. Things were awfully quirky back then, leaving us with a legacy of freedoms and humor. Great show about the power of the past and choices for the future. Oddness abounds.

Comment by AB: Various documentary perspectives on life in San Francisco over the past 40 years.

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Unspeakable Projects: In the Event of My Death - A Group Show about Fantasies of Death and Mortality.

Artists: AMTK, Elizabeth Dorbad, Justine Frischmann, Jason Fritz, Justin Kerr, Justin Limoges, Andrew Witrak.

Comment by AB: When young people essay on death, it's always kinda lighthearted and kicky because the event is so far off, abstract and irrelevant... but it'll be relevant soon enough. Just you wait and see.

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California Academy of Sciences - : Gallery Crawl Nightlife.

Artists: Tiffany Bozic, Warholian, Spoke Art, Hugh Leeman, Ever Gold Gallery, artists from the Academy of Sciences. All Draw event organized by Adam Rozan, scientific illustrators at The Academy, installation by CCA Grad Students.

Review and images by Brandi Lee: If you haven't been to the Academy of Science's Nightlife Gallery Crawl, it's worth a visit. Lively music, dim lighting, bars, and energetic crowds transform the museum from family-friendly into adults-only. Galleries, artists, demos and art are scattered throughout the venue, in addition to art from the artists and illustrators who work there daily.

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