PACIFIC HERITAGE MUSEUM - ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE
HACKETT-FREEDMAN - MODERNISM - DAVID CUNNINGHAM LAKE - PARK LIFE - SF ART INSTITUTE 03.12.09 (with Assistance from R.W. Miller)

Pacific Heritage Museum: New Trends - Fifteen Contemporary Chinese Artists.

Artists: Geng Xue, Guo Hongwei, Han Lei, Huang Wanling, Kevin Fung, Kong Weimeng, Li Jikai, Liange Yaunwei, Man Tao, Meng Jin, Song Yonghong, Wang Jinsong, Xie Qi, Yang Dazhi, Zhang Wei. Curated by Tsungwoo Han.

Comment by AB: Impressive group show of fifteen artists-- thirteen from Beijing, one from Taiwan and one from Hong Kong-- highlights contemporary trends in China as well as the considerable Western influences that continue to impact the evolution and direction of traditional Chinese art.

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Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco: Enzo Mari Design Retrospective.

Comment by AB: Industrial designer Enzo Mari has been active in Italian and international design for half a century as this retrospective survey of his considerable ouevre illustrates. He's designed pretty much everything including furniture, shelving, lighting, eating utensils, kitchen knives, vases, bowls, puzzles, calendars, games, graphics, and much more. If you're a fan of modern decorative arts and functional design, you'll love this show.

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Hackett-Freedman Gallery: Raimonds Staprans; Mark Trujillo - Drive-Thru.

Comment by AB: In the main gallery, Raimonds Staprans serene agreeable planar abstractions and semi-representations effect a soft silent calm, trending almost meditative in nature. In the rear gallery, Los Angeles artist Mark Trujillo gives a glimpse of how humdrum the world can sometimes look from the window of a car in his finely devised series of paintings of Drive-Thru windows. Outstanding work and recommended viewing.

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Modernism Gallery: Naomie Kremer - Paintings & Hybrids.

Comment by AB: Vibrant action-infused paintings by Naomie Kremer thrill in the way they keep your eyes moving-- almost like rollercoaster rollicks on canvas. That's the "Paintings" part of the show. The "Hybrids" part is in the darkened rear gallery where Kremer literally projects moving "paintings" onto static paintings, resulting in a rather spellbinding mesmeric dimensional experience. Good stuff; go see.

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David Cunningham Projects: Simon Reilly - DUALITY .

Review by R.W. Miller: Fascinating juxtapositions of the outdoor and the interfaced natural world give one reason to pause and introspect. It is not clear how to proceed as the paired images challenge one to decide what manner of response is appropriate. For example, it is not clear if the St. Bernard depicted always wants to be your friend or not. One can also focus on the shifting colors in a pond of water in search of a meaning. The exhibit is amazing and keeps your attention, yet puzzles nonetheless.

Comment by AB: My favorite-- an eerily wistful fogscape live-action diorama built into the gallery's rear wall. It's so good, you kinda wanna shrink yourself down, go inside and take a walk around. Runnerup-- an acutely intimidating German Shepherd multi-screen video altarpiece in the theater. Worth a visit.

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Lake Gallery: Treasure Frey - Will Find.

Comment by AB: Satisfying painting collage combombinations in the Mission School tradition by Treasure Frey... or is it Will Find? Right you are! It's Treasure Frey. Special musical guests remind us venerable types of DEVO with respect to their fashion statement, but tune-wise, it's a whole different deal.

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Park Life: Brendan Monroe - Book Release and Show.

Review by R.W. Miller: Wonders abound in the art of Brendan Monroe where the cosmic and biological meet the comic-o-graphical. Monroe's colorful bubbles defy gravity. A prose poem alludes to the orgasmic oyster, deep space worm holes, and bacteriological speciation. A comic book man is on fire, Pop Art Constituent Man looks on, Gas Man is busy thinking, and the Hairy Heads are on the move. Add to that a vibrating balloon orgy, growing pod parties, and his newly released book. Congratulations.

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Diego Rivera Gallery at the San Francisco Art Institute: Balance.

Artists: Scott Polach, Kit Rosenberg, Michael Ten Pas, JJ Miyaoka Pakola.

Review by R.W. Miller: Fascinating and controversial explorations of our relationship with the natural world abound, giving the viewer reason to examine our connections and impact on that world. Here you'll find suburban images as well as odd juxtopositions and interfaces. The artists seek to examine our relationship with the outdoor green world, many opting to assert varying degrees of control. In other cases we are also at its mercy. By balance, actions are taken in the natural world's favor as well.