RAYKO PHOTO CENTER - FECAL FACE DOT 02.26.09
(with assistance from R.W. Miller and Lynnore Goldfarb, and Amy Cancelmo)

RayKo Photo Center: 2nd Annual Juried Plastic Camera Show.

Artists: Roy Berkowitz, Michael Emery, Aline Smithson, many many more

Comment by AB: Over 400 photographers from around the world submitted entries for this competition. The selection was narrowed down 150 with special focus (pun intended) on three Bay Area photographers Roy Berkowitz, Michael Emery, Aline Smithson. The only criteria for the competition is that all photographs must be taken with cheap plastic cameras-- namely the Diana (manufactured on Hong Kong) and the Holga (made in Russia). When you look at the work, you begin to appreciate how many photographers have mastered the inadequacies of these dimestore devices to their aesthetic advantage.

***

Fecal Face Dot Gallery: Jeremy Fish - The Ambush.

Review by R.W. Miller: Jeremy Fish seems to proceed with caution and weapons to defend himself on his way to stardom in this new installation at Fecal Face. There are angry elves and rodents following his trail in a revisionist Father Christmas or post-Narnia fantasy land. Skeletons and lions can be found along the trail. Viewers can't help but be impressed by the craftsmanship of these fabulous images. The video accompanying the work is also neat. Fish put much of his work on the gallery walls and it is worth a visit because it will not be there forever. The throngs who turn out for the opening make the small gallery difficult. One wishes Fish success; he's certainly mastered the challenges of art pieces that come out of the walls.

Review by Amy Cancelmo: Stepping into the gallery is like entering your favorite childhood storybook, except upon further investigation you realize the story has become scarier in adult life and has anarchist overtones. Pat the Bunny spent the night on the street last night and he looks a little hardened, but still so damn cute.

The tale of "The Ambush," according to Fish and the Fecal Face dot Gallery website goes like this:

"'There once was a gladiator, who once was a hero and became a real tyrant; drunk on greed and power,' says Fish. 'His path of destruction became so vast that eventually his prey began to organize an uprising. It is this sense of strength in numbers to avenge an evil dictator that becomes the central theme of the show.' Using a system of cut and painted wood panels integrated with, and extending from the mural, The Ambush serves a visual reminder of the consequences of unconditional power, and the strength that all us 'little people' have to organize a beatdown of grand proportions. The moral lesson being that as power and ego begin to run your life, never forget the little people who got you to where you are. If you do, they just may get organized, plan an ambush, and hand you your ass."

The installation is well rendered and exhibits Fish's skills in ways that his limited edition print does not. The depth of field, both painted and constructed, creates a more visually interesting image and pushes his work to another level. A video accompanies the exhibition documenting the five-day installation process. Limited edition prints, the wood figurative constructs, and books of Fish's work are for sale online and in the gallery, but the experience of stepping into the scene merits a visit.

Review by Lynnore Goldfarb: This exhibit consists of three pieces--four if you include the video of the artist making the other three pieces--in the gallery. I can't tell whether there are only a few pieces, because the gallery is the size of a medium sized bedroom, or if this was his plan all along. There are only two and a half walls to hang art. On the left hand wall, hangs a large framed print I have trouble seeing because the sizable crowd blocks it from view. The other pieces are painted wood cutouts mounted several inches out from the surface of the wall, and over a mural that covers the entire right and rear walls. My first impression is that it would be great in a child's bedroom. It has that fantasy feel similar to The Hobbit or Harry Potter. However, upon closer inspection I notice that the Owl in "The Secret Weapon" is a hand grenade with wings. OK, Maybe it is not totally appropriate for a child's room. If I bought either "Path of Destruction" for $5,800.00 or "The Secret Weapon" for $3,100 does that include Jeremy Fish coming to my house to paint the mural?

Comment by AB: Like it!

***