SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION - 155 GROVE STREET - 1AM

YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS - RATIO 3

ELECTRIC WORKS - ENGINE WORKS

(with assistance from RWM)

02.15.13



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San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery : Conversation 6 - Jason Hanasik and Berndnaut Smilde.

Comment by AB: Two takes on structure. Berndnaut Smilde creates clouds in interior settings; Jason Hanasik has had the family home foreclosed on. How do the two intersect? One artist creates the "smoke" while the other artist's family lives the experience of having their home ownership go up in smoke. And where does all that equity go? Up up and up until it eventually lands in the laps and bank balances of the fabled 1%. Will they ever have enough money as they leave the rest of us to feast on their dust? I doubt it.

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San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery 155 Grove Street Gallery: Engulfing the Elusory - Rachel Mica Weiss.

Comment by AB: Installation by Rachel Mica Weiss embodies the sea, climate change, and-- catastrophically coincidental with her conception for the event-- Hurricane Sandy. Is it too late to reverse the trends we've already set into motion or is there still time to make amends? We'll answer that question soon enough.

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Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: Without Reality There is No Utopia.

Artists: Alfredo Jaar, Artur Zmijewski, Carlos Motta, Chto Delat? (Nikolay Oleynikov), Ciprian Muresan, Daniel García Andujar, Dora García, Ed Hall, El Roto, Federico Guzmán, Fernando Bryce, Ignasi Aballí, Jan Peter Hammer, Judi Werthein, Katya Sander, Lene Berg, Manolo Quejido, Oliver Ressler, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Superflex, Zeina Maasri, Zhou Xiaohu.

Comment by AB: You oldsters may recall the mantra, "Is it real or is it Memorex?" These days it's more like, "Is it real or is it the Internet?" Ponder that quandary here. As an inveterate researcher, I can state for a fact that the Internet is realler than real and far superior to any public or institutional or government library, archives or repository anywhere on the planet. The secret lies in knowing how to interpret the data.

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1AM Gallery: Sweet Dreams - Christopher De Leon and Eric "Emagn1" Nodora.

Comment by AB: Two artists take a good hard look at the homeless and down-and-outers on the street. Of particular note, Christopher de Leon's prodigious pyrography is worth some serious attention. Wood-burning is a notoriously unforgiving medium yet you won't find an iota of slip up here. This dude is talented. But we're not comfortable around his excruciating portrayals, are we? Because they remind us too much of reality, don't they? Well, that's precisely what makes them so good... and worth an acquisition. Stop on by.

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Electric Works Gallery: Ann Diener - Tapestries.

Review by RWM: Cool drawn tapestries which take it all in. Beautiful birds are reflected in the connections of this artistic thread. Nice attention to detail and interesting movements underway. The tapestry of the subconscious is also on display with our associations added to the mix. Beautiful and transforming.

Comment by AB: Elaborate works on paper by Ann Diener are architectural in inspiration, but go well beyond the physical characteristics of urban environments, venturing into the diverse cultures and orientations that coalesce there.

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Ratio 3 Gallery: Noam Rappaport.

Review by RWM: Wild abstract designs on the wall which are not quite post-canvas, but the shapes are odd and abstract. Interesting compositions and welcoming colors. Cool show for those seeking the quirky and the odd. Also opens your mind to artistic possibilities and of their framing.

Comment by AB: Precocious Noam Rappaport combines painting, sculpture, the past, the present and the future in really tasty ways-- technically as well as conceptually-- the only way to do it right. At his best, he elegantly embeds a sculpture within a painting. Definitely worth a visit.

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Engine Works, 190 Capp Street, San Francisco, CA 94110: If You Need Me I'll Be in Space - Kelly Maree Hyatt Benefit / Art Show.

Artists: Aaron Rodriguez, Andrew Schrock, Angela DeCenzo, Ben Speckmann, Brett Walker, Brieann Tracey, Carola Di Poi, CCOOLL (Lynda Lucas & Cortney Cassidy), Craig Doty, Damian King, David Wajsfelner, Dayman Torelli, Dennis Kernohan, Dominique Lewis, Erica Fiero, Francisco Aguda, Jason Avery, Jedediah C Voltz, Jeremy Fish, Justin Flowers, Kelly Malone, LEAF Collective, Martin Cacic, Matt Irie, Matthew MacDonald, Matthew Reamer, Matthew Waldbillig, Monica Semergiu, Nick Rouley, Nicole Dreyfuss, Nikolaus Jung, Patt Perry, Rob Williamson, Ryan De La Hoz, Ryan Dugan, Sean Newport, Sharon Moon, Sylvia Pines, Thomas Erst, Travis Deuel, Trevor Goosen, Ursula Xanthe Young, Yuka Ezoe, Zac Amendolia, more.

Comment by AB: Kelly Maree Hyatt passed on way too early from a brain aneurysm. Tonight's fundraiser is all about where to place her remains. She had an affinity for outer space, so we gather here tonight to help make that happen, to raise enough money to rocket her remains into space.

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