LIMN - PUSH - SOUTHERN EXPOSURE - SOAP
CHANDLER - 2ND FLOOR PROJECTS - VISUAL AID
ARTCLUBSF - BACKYARD GALLERY
06.06.09
(with assistance from RWM)

Limn Gallery: Jil Weinstock - Wear and Worn; Debra Greene - New Work.

Comment by AB: In the left gallery, Jil Weinstock's adventures in rubber continue as she casts it over, around, and in combination with vintage clothing items like children's shirts and dresses, as a row of neatly folded men's shirts, and as a wall of empty picture frames. The presentation references concepts of memory, identity, beauty and the like, with the constraining permanence of the rubbery enclosures inducing somewhat of a sobering moment, kinda like looking at specimens perserved in jars of formaldehyde.

In the right gallery, Debra Greene grids herself up a series of diagrammatic expositories, the most engaging consisting of myriad multi-color droplets of dried paint impaled with straight pins and mounted in rows against plain white backgrounds, mimicking the appearance of an insect collection. In related news, hundreds and hundreds of paint dabs are applied to paper in rows, each one numbered directly beneath, the upshot perhaps resembling a dental chart for a great white.

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Push Stuido in collaboration with Interdimensional Art Movement Unified: Robert Venosa - Paintings, Sculptures & Prints.

Review by RWM: Beautiful and fascinating images depicting the spiritual and magical. All sorts of archetypes light up and enlighten the canvas. Angels, gods, and New Age spirits are to be found here. The art succeeds in capturing the immortals in psychedelic glory. Though charged with energy the art also soothes in a way.

Comment by AB: Another mindbending visionary extravaganza comes to Push Studio, this time at the hands of veteran artist Robert Venosa. But I gotta tell you, the price structure for this show (and the last one too, for that matter) careens in at me from outta nowhere, decisively boggling my art appraiser brain, with paintings priced well into the tens of thousands of dollars (topping at $225K) and digital prints on canvas at times exceeding $10K. Woah! I mean the art's notably well done and all-- no argument there-- but in artland, quality must be considered hand in hand with credentials.

You see, the way the art business works is that an artist establishes a consistent track record of sales over an extended period of time at a variety of venues (along with awards, distinctions, honors, etc.), and a documentable history of that progression ensues. No matter how inscrutible art prices may seem at times, they're not simply pulled out of thin air. And for those who price their art at "whatever they think it's worth," that explanation scores zero points with seasoned dealers and collectors.

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Southern Exposure at Electric Works: POP NOIR - Annual Fundraiser and Art Auction.

Artists: Lauren Anderson, Mike Arcega, Edgar Arceneaux, Brett Armory, Seth Armstrong, Ellen Babcock, Michael Bartalos, David Becker, Chris Bell, Bert Bergen, Libby Black, Michelle Blade, Lisa Blatt, Jaren Bonillo, Todd Bura, Charlie Callahan, Jeff Canham, Monica Canilao, Castaneda/Reiman, Ajit Chauhan, Youmna Chlala, Sydney Cohen, Adriane Colburn, Randy Colosky, Lisa Congdon, Alika Cooper, Reed Danziger, Lauren Davies, Veronica De Jesus, Chris Duncan, Steven Elliott, Kate Eric, Lukas Felzmann, Marcela Florez, Rhea Fontaine, Dustin Fosnot, David Fought, Adam Friedman, Stephen Galloway, Benicia Gantner, Renée Gertler, Maize Gilbert, Tanya Gill, Bryson Gill, Alexander Kori Girard, Jim Goldberg, Rebecca Goldfarb, Lori Gordon, Nick Graham, Tibora Bea Girczyc-Blum, Robert Gutierrez, Michael Hall, Oliver Halsman Rosenberg, Angela Hennessy, Jonn Herschend, Todd Hido, Terry Hoff, Amanda Hughen, Misa Inaoka, Colter Jacobsen, Jason Jagel, Xylor Jane, Packard Jennings, Johanna! Jackson and Chris Johanson, Kerri Johnson, Forest Kelley, Mary Anne Kluth, Jamie Knight, Christina La Sala, Mike Lai, Ken Lo, Jake Longstreth, Jessamyn Lovell, Marina Luz, Whitney Lynn, Alexis MacKenzie, Vanessa Marsh, Christina Mazza, Sean McFarland, Barry McGee, Dennis McNulty, Jen Merrill, Mike Monteiro, Julio Morales, Jeff Morris, Carson Murdach, Jay Nelson, Daniel Nevers, Kelsey Nicholson, Abner Nolan, Brion Nuda Rosch, Billy O'Callaghan, Jennie Ottinger, Erik Parra, Kamau Patton, Allison Pebworth, Hilary Pecis, Sasha Petrenko, Suzy Poling, Mel Prest, Emily Prince, Genevieve Quick, Basil Racuk, Kyle Ranson, Amy Rathbone, Laurie Reid, Lisa Ricci, Lordy Rodriguez, Thorina Rose, Kirstyn Russell, Nathaniel Russell, Sham Saenz, Jovi Schnell, Andrew Schoultz, Emily Sevier, Ryan Scott Shaffer, Orion Shepherd, Sarah Smith, Tracey Snelling, Lisa Solomon, Johanna St. Clair, Jennifer Starkweather, Stephanie Syjuco, The Thing Quarterly, Jessica Trippe, Weston Teruya, Kathryn VanDyke, Jamie Vasta, Jamie Venci, Andy Vogt, Paul Wackers, Catherine Wagn er, Anne Walsh, Tyson Washburn, Marci Washington, Lindsey White, Jenifer Wofford, Lena Wolff, Sandra Wong, Christine Wong Yap, Kelli Yon.

Comment by AB: Southern Exposure's annual fundraiser auction is packed with art donated by scads of our most talented artists. Yep. Loads of goodies on the block for both the silent and live auctions. Plus special added bonus-- you get free art. Plus special extra added bonus-- it's of your very most favorite subject matter-- YOU! That's right. As part of the festivities, Jennifer O'Keeffe, Bessma Khalaf, Forest Kelly and Sean McFarland will take a photographic portrait of your shadow from out of their mobile studio situated in the back of a rental truck parked in the alley behind the gallery. And inside the gallery Jen Merrill, Jennie Ottinger and Adriane Colburn will materialize various aspects of your visage in various incarnations. Sadly, I have to scoot and can't stay for the auction.

After-the-fact assessment: I run into SoEx Director Courtney Fink several days later and she reports the proceeds of the event exceeded her scaled-back expecations. Yes, even in lean times generous patrons acknowledge the importance of non-profits to Ess Eff's creative lifeblood.

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Soap Gallery: Karyn Yandow & Susan Scott - Transformations.

Comment by AB: Karyn Yandow's and Susan Scott's digitally altered and enhanced photographs metamorphose ordinary images into curiously delightful flights of fantasy. Yandow's work manifests as an array of vibrant floral abstractions while Scott tells me she augments her photographs cloudscapes, seascapes and images of the Irish countryside with figures, animals and objects, evolving them into mysterious transfixing vignettes.

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[ 2nd floor projects ]: Emily Wilson and Charlene Tan - andmoreagain; The Form of Things by Stephen Boyer (Edition 100, signed).

Comment by AB: Of note here, Charlene Tan crafts mylar emergency "blankets" into a honeycombed hanging ceiling treatment, imparting a bit of an extraterrestrial essence to the main hallway. Interesting mylar emergency blanket factoid-- they're only $1.50 each in lots of 50. In the main gallery, Emily Wilson's rudimentary gouache, marker and latex house paint abstractions on paper have a primordial evolutionary "wonder what's next?" quality about them. Good show; go see.

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Visual Aid: BEST of the WURST.

Comment by AB: Master connoisseur Dan Geiger flies in the finest bratwurst's in the land (according to Dan Geiger) direct from Sheboygan Wisconsin for this all-you-can-eat fundraiser affair to benefit Visual Aid. For you bratwurst virgins and vegans in the crowd, official bratwurst cooking protocol involves first a stint on the grill followed by simmering in either beer or water (with onions added). To properly prepare your brat (hip insider lingo for bratwurst, pronounced like "hot") for consumption, remove it from the simmering liquid of your choice (with onions), place it on a roll, butter it up, and garnish it with your favorite condiments. Then eat. Repeat until full.

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ArtClubSF: What is Art? Grand Opening Reception.

Review by RWM: All sorts of art is shown here in this aggregate display. Included on the wall are the ruminations of the artists gathered, but also quotes from many of the famous who have commented about what art is and should be. Experience a variety of styles and concerns, and a hodge podge of definitions presented. The assemblage challenges viewers to decide for themselves what their definition of art is. Art apparently can be whatever the individual thinks it is. Not all agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote "The creation of beauty is Art." Pain is also on display.

Sorry, no images.

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SF Backyard Gallery: SF Happenings.

Artists: Betsey Johnson, Leonardo Ibarra, Mike Cohen, Frank Harmon, Maggie Mae Percell, Kyle Lee, Evan Wilson, Drew Fehlman, Charlene Kelley.

Review by RWM: Nice show and space for art under the sky in the backyard. The artists focus on the natural world and the surroundings. There are depictions of our beautiful wild neighbors (frogs, butterflies, and fish), personal dramas, our urban environment, and outdoor experiences. A nice variety of art is available to ponder our connections. And nothing over $300.

Sorry, no images.

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Addendum:

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