SAN FRANCISCO ART GALLERIES OPENINGS

FIRST THURSDAY - 02.02.12 - Part I

(with assistance from Anneliese Vobis, Neal Strickberger and RWM)



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Thacher Gallery at University of San Francisco: Richard Kamler - A Retrospective.

Review and images by Anneliese Vobis: Richard Kamler's powerful work spans forty years of recording personal experiences including a residency at San Quentin prison and collaborations with various other social and political groups and activists from interfaith communities to the United Nations. His symbol-rich and deep conceptual work encompasses multiple media from sketchbooks and drawings to installation and photographic documentation. The art on exhibit highlights Kamler's magnificent drawing talent and craftsmanship and enables the audience to become part of his inner worlds.

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World Affairs Council of Northern California: Edite Haberman - Where Is My Babushka?

Comment by AB: Photographer Edite Haberman documents the vanishing "Romanian Babushkas," peasant women of Maramures whose traditional ways of life are gradually becoming extinct, casualties of modernization and the new European Union.

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John Berggruen Gallery: Christopher Brown - Recent Paintings.

Comment by AB: Christopher Brown's paintings, alive with action, straddle the line between abstraction and representation. You think you're looking at specific scenes but if you wander around each canvas, particularly toward the edges, those contexts evaporate right before your eyes, rendering the totalities almost like moments of clarity that materialize from deep within a dream. Worth a visit.

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Dolby Chadwick Gallery: Louise LeBourgeois - Light Through Water.

Comment by AB: Having a rough day? All tense and irritable? Spend a few minutes looking one of these Louise LeBourgeois paintings and every last vestige of unpleasantness will evaporate right before your eyes. For those of you keeping score at home, the water is Lake Michigan and Louise LeBourgeois is a dedicated swimmer.

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Scott Richards Contemporary Art: David Michael Smith - Elegy.

Review by RWM: An elegy is appropriate given that we should not be enjoying the warm weather fully. It is almost as if we have not had a winter yet this year. As shown here, other parts of the world may be noticing. Especially noteworthy are polar climes depicted with the sad polar bears and contrasting reds. The poles are shrinking while we walk around in summer wear. Other things are also being lost. There are the wounded deer. The bees are not populous enough to pollinate in certain areas. Melancholy is appropriate and green.

Comment by AB: Good art. Sidle on by.

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K. Imperial Fine Art: Mila Libman - New Waters.

Comment by AB: Halcyon charcoal, graphite and ink renditions of open water.

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Toomey Tourell Gallery: Brian Dettmer - Textonomy.

Comment by AB: Brian Dettmer transforms useless old books into fascinating labyrinthine sculptures. He does it so convincingly, it's hard to believe his art used to be books. How he figures his compositions out is impressive enough. The finished products are even more astounding. Definitely recommended.

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Addendum (images c/o Neal Strickberger):

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Here's a thought.... support the cause.

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First Thursday - January 5, 2012

First Thursday - December 1, 2011

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