GENSLER - SAN FRANCISCO ART INSTITUTE - THE LAB
TRIPLE BASE - THE DUMP - 666 - BARREL HOUSE
POLARITY POST PRODUCTION
05.13-15.09
(with assistance from Dormain Geyer and RWM)

Polarity Post Production courtesy of McKinley Art Solutions: A Moment's Peace.

Artists: Maeve Croghan, Jacquelyn Paull, Katherine Kodama, Victoria Q. Legg, Jennifer Mack, Daniel Malone, Gupran Rau, Shawndeya, Anna Seven.

Review by RWM: Wonderful group show exploring the artist's search for peace, even if shown on the 13th. The 13th is not the 13th for everybody. Most of what was presented puts one at ease. There are dreamers, soothing colors and pastels, beautiful women, digital celebrations, seaside flowers, pets, colorful landscapes, psychedelic landscapes, and fantastical landscape devoid of dangers. There are also some hulking male figures depicted who seek peace as well. Much of the work inspires soothing emotions, but the process to attain inner peace is on display as well.

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Gensler: Re:

Artists: Dale Eastman, Jeff Hantman, Nanci Price Scoular, Philippe Jestin, Christine Lee.

Review and images by Dormain Geyer: On Thursday, Anthony and I make our way to the San Francisco offices of architecture and design firm, Gensler, for the opening of their latest staff-curated exhibit. The "Re:" show will be up through August 14 and focuses on works that use common or discarded materials. I find one of Dale Eastman's "One Moment at a Time" pieces in a conference room. Her "Re:" word is "Re:member," reflecting how her work is a recording of thoughts and feelings over time. Jeff Hantman chooses the word "Re:condition," reflecting his mixed media work with salvaged wood. Nanci Price Scoular shows several pieces from her new "Journeys" series, and I'm really happy to see that one of Philippe Jestin's mobiles is in the show. Looking up at Jestin's "Lips Mobile" gives a better sense of how light and movement interact with his colorful resin work. Christine Lee's window installation, called "Shims," is difficult to locate at first, but we confirm it with our map guide. Incidentally, if you are planning to visit the show during public viewing hours of 8:30am-5:30pm (M-F), be sure to stop by reception on the 4th floor to collect a map and get any special instructions, as some pieces are in conference rooms.

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San Francisco Art Institute at Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason Center: Vernissage - 2009 MFA Graduate Exhibition.

Comment by AB: Nearly 100 artists throw up their best stuff here at Herbst Pavilion tonight to celebrate their graduation as Masters of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute. A momentus occasion indeed. I lose myself in the oceans of art and throngs of artsters as I undertake to navigate the circumstance, and muse for an ephemeral instant at the thought of this-- Big Al Babycakes Bamberger, MFA. Has a profoundly dignified ring to it. Yes it does. But alas and alack, it ain't never gonna happen. We honor tomorrow's standard bearers tonight. They'll make the history; I'll be content to look on.

But my oh my, what a surprise! Ambling amongst the oeuvres, I'm stunned at the preponderance of practicality-- art that's actually relevant to a broader audience than just the cloistered theorists. But wait; there's more. A healthy percentage of this art is executed in time-tested mediums like painting and photography. Woah! And it's intended to mean something to someone other than the artist. Who would have ever believed that? And astonishment of astonishments-- much of it is art that galleries can actually sell! (I mean you gotta sell something if you're gonna survive as an artist, right?) And last but thankfully not least, the navel gazing screw-you-it's-all-about-me tripe is at a minimum. Perhaps the scenario echoes where we are as a nation-- that the days of doing what we want whenever we feel like it are over, and that we're suddenly required to demonstrate our worth and be productive in order to succeed. Whatever it is, it's about time, and I love it. So OK. Let's see us some art...

Wanna help caption the photos? Please email me.

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The LAB: Gold Rush - Artist as Prospector; Sherri Martin - Controlling the Sublime; Haden Nicholl and Alice Catteneo - Nature Always Wins.

Artists from Gold Rush: Patricia Diart, Felipe Dulzaides, Packard Jennings, Pang Hui Lim, Ben Needham, Kate Pocrass, Marija Mojca Pungercar, Alice Shaw, Lee Walton. Curated by Sonja Hinrichsen and Genevieve Quick.

Comment by AB: In the main event-- Gold Rush-- artists pan for nuggets in these times of stiff odds and significant challenges. Resourcefulness and resilience are more important now than ever. Speaking of challenges, Sherri Martin calls our attention to the impinging of humanity on our wilderness environments, the arctic in particular, and the consequences to come if we fail to clean up our act. And the moral of tonight's flash-frame ticket window video? Nature always wins.

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Triple Base Gallery: Hilary Pecis - Intricacies of Phantom Content; Trickle-down, Yours for the Mining - Elyse Mallouk.

Comment by AB: Hilary Pecis continues to refine her visionary planar domain, tricking it out in increasingly intricate detail, a progressive finesse of her hypothetical realities into tangible destinations. Like 'em. I find out too late that Elyse Mallouk has a video installation in the basement; nobody tells me while I'm there, so I miss it. Oh well. But they've got donuts seasoned with bacon bits which seals the deal for me.

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Art at The Dump: Bill Basquin - The Way of all Flesh; Jane Kim - Walls Inlaid; Diane Glazman - The Demise of Party Girl and Other Stories.

Comment by AB: Bill Basquin's photography calls our attention to rotting decomposing decaying food. It's something we don't often think about or even care to contemplate, but understanding what happens to stuff after we're done with it is becoming increasingly important for those of us who endeavor to perpetuate the planet. Jane Kim takes scraps and remnants of materials that are used to construct walls and reconstitutes them into appealing abstract compositions. In the adjunct gallery, student artist Diane Glazman arranges refuse in storytelling fashion.

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666 Gallery: The Future Is So Bright.

Artists: Mark Warren Jacques, Timothy Karpinski, Nas Chompas, Kyle Lee, Alexandra Steele. Curated by Jillian Mackintosh.

Comment by AB: According to the handout, 666 Gallery is an experimental space for emerging artists from around the country. Tonight is their inaugural event. It's located at 66 Sixth Street in the space formerly occupied by Gallery Three. Curator Jillian Mackintosh tells me the artists hale from Portland, Kansas City and San Francisco. Good crowd, good art, upbeat enthusiam.

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Barrel House: Art Party for Keep A Breast Foundation.

Comment by AB: Ferris Plock, Jay Howell and Cody Cochrane are in the process of creating a large mural for the Keep a Breast Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping eradicate breast cancer by increasing awareness, early detection, and support for the cause. Tonight's event supports not only the cause, but also the art. For those of you keeping score, the Barrel House, a former speakeasy, is the home of Pereira & O'Dell advertising agency-- and a bodacious location for a hoedown.

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