MERIDIAN - SHOOTING GALLERY - WHITE WALLS - CANESSA
INTERSECTION FOR THE ARTS - ROOT DIVISION - CALIFORNIA MODERN
06.13.09
(with assistance from RWM, Kathryn Arnold), and Marian Ferrara

Meridian Gallery: Double Vision Happiness - New Paintings by Jianwei Fong and Ruth Eckland.

Comment by AB: Major exhibition of paintings on billboard vinyl by Shanghai, China artist Jianwei Fong fills all three floors of Meridian Gallery on the occasion of the gallery's 20th Anniversary. For those of you scoring at home, Shanghai is San Francisco's sister city. Anyway, Fong gets the billboard vinyl from billboards which formerly lined Shanghai streets. He then cuts them into "canvases" and selectively refurbishes them with blends of abstract imagery and traditional Chinese painting. On the third floor, Fong collaborates with Bay Area video artist Ruth Eckland to produce a combination painting and video installation.

But wait. My antiquarian muse wonders whether those billboard inks are permanent and colorfast. Hmmmm. Stay tuned...

***

Canessa Gallery: PHYLUM - Below Kingdom Above Class.

Artists: Colby Claycomb, Dori Latman, Jaivset1, Jamie Banes, Ethan Jamison, Semar Prom, Julia Haft-Candell, Brendan Pattengale, Michael Fairchild.

Comment by AB, images c/o Marian Ferrara: According to the fact sheet, this urban-esque melange is "the inaugural group art exhibition of PHYLUM, a San Francisco based artist collective comprised of dedicated emerging artists."

***

The Shooting Gallery: AJ Fosik - There's Aliens in Our Midst.

Review by RWM: Our animal neighbors are depicted as combinations of wit and monstrosity. But these are not just images of our four-legged relatives; they are intricate and carefully designed wooden structures with marvelous humorous elements. Why bother looking to outer space for extraterrestrials when we have alien animal creatures and cultures right here? They do not seem particularly happy to make our acquaintance either, so play nice.

Comment by AB: Like it.

***

White Walls Gallery: Greg Gossel - Happy Endings.

Review by RWM: Fascinating work combines the print techniques of Andy Warhol and new image collages. Famous personages depicted here in compositions rich with references and addenda. The work is iconographic, interactive, and concerned with social relevance, yet terrific.

Comment by AB: Nicely done.

***

Intersection for the Arts: 2009 Benefit Art Auction.

Artists: Kathy Aoki, April Banks, Claudia Bernardi, Evan Bissell, Michele Carlson, Victor Cartagena, Adam Chin, C. Ryder Cooley, Wendy Anne Crittenden, Binh Danh, Lauren Davies, Sergio de la Torre, Lauren DiCioccio, Ala Ebtekar, Ana Teresa Fernandez, Tara Foley, Adam Friedman, Ariel Goldberg, Matt Gonzalez, Mayumi Hamanaka, Taro Hattori, Taraneh Hemami, Queena Hernandez, Jonn Herschend, Jason Jägel, Ian Johnson, Jane Kim, Carrie Lederer, Leslie Linnebur, Frederick Loomis, Michelle Mansour, Kara Maria, Stephani Martinez, Christina Mazza, Chris McCaw, Sean McFarland, John Patrick McKenzie courtesy of Creativity Explored, Brendan Monroe, Julio Cesar Morales, Aaron Noble, Abner Nolan, billy o'callaghan, Deborah Oropallo, Kari Orvik, Erik Otto, Hillary Pecis, Moshe Quinn, Ricardo Richey, Rigo 23, Favianna Rodriguez, Lordy Rodriguez, Andrew Schoultz, Jennie Smith, Winston Smith, Tracey Snelling, Lisa Solomon, Deth P. Sun, Stephanie Syjuco, Seiko Tachibana, Weston Teruya, Sara Thustra, Truong Tran, Migdalia Valdes, Amanda Williams, Imin Yeh, Shadi Yousefian.

Comment by AB: I arrive at this annual Intersection for the Arts fundraising event right in the middle of the lively live auction happening in the theater, and showcasing the auction skills of Intersection's Program Director, Kevin Chen. It's standing room only, and the art sells well. Plenty of additional works are available at the silent auction upstairs.

***

Root Division: Leave the Capital. Curated by Deric Carner and Jessica Tully.

Artists: David Buuck (BARGE), Zoe Crosher, Jetske de Boer (S.T.O.P.), Edmundo de Marchena, Scott Kiernan, Fang Lu, Dominic Nguyen, Jennifer O'Keeffe, Kamau Amu Patton, Nancy Popp, Sam Snowden, Kevin E. Taylor, Chris Treggiari.

Review Kathryn Arnold: According to the fact sheet, "The exhibition presents artists negotiating between the demands of the centers of power and the possibilities presented by secondary zones and identities in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Stanislaus, Amsterdam and elsewhere." I additionally appreciate the statement, "This is a timely investigation in the face of current economic restructuring. Re-considerations of the role of the public sphere and the individual within larger machines of production are more relevant than ever."  

A nicely blended assortment of works are included within this exhibition, from a hanging installation (mobile-like) to several videos-- one displayed via a television viewing box and three presented sequentially on a large wall. I spend a lot of time with the street pole performance video work by Nancy Popp, titled "Untitled (Street Performance)." Here we see the performance artist sitting (after climbing up) on street poles in San Francisco, Los Angeles and elsewhere. These areas have either identifiable landmarks or are marked by the street signs below. Also on display is a large float that will be part of a performance artwork on June 20 (Chris Treggiari artist). Also on exhibit are photographs, several paintings, and a floor piece with one white circle surrounded by concentric ring of text. And more...

Worth a visit!

California Modern Gallery: My Black Rock Heart - A Desert Inspired Art Exhibition.

Artists: Nome Edonna, Justin Kohn, David Kudzma, Joshua Margolis, Jim Ardis, Barb Traub, Rob Corwin, Charlie Gadeken, Medium Reality, Native Intelligence, Caroluna, Ivan Bajinov, Kirill Krylov, Edward Kotovsky, Gelareh, KAYO, Chrystie Cappelli, Norman Carley, Julie Baron, more.

Comment by AB: Burning Man has truly spawned its own style of art (I should probably broaden that out to its own lifestyle... period). A healthy selection of creatibles are on display here. Highlights include artful documentary photographs by Barb Traub taken in the good old days predating digital cameras, whimsical fashion and headgear by Julie of Julie's Coffee & Tea Garden in Alameda, and some exemplary armature art creatures and objects by Justin Kohn. Kohn tells me he manufactures each individual piece of every work of art entirely by himself-- no cheap pre-fab crap for him. And it shows. Plenty to see here. Check it out.