JACK HANLEY - 440 BRANNAN - DISTRICT WINE BAR
CELLSPACE - LAKE
07.30.09

Jack Hanley Gallery: Alex Schweder - Ours.

Comment by AB: Alex Schweder, currently based in Berlin, explores aspects of dependence, interdepence, interrelatedness, and how we interact to objects within our environment as well as to each other. His three participatory installations include a pair of conjoined shared male and female urinals, a mock-up TV room with inflatable sofas that only work properly when all seats are almost all occupied, and scratch-and-sniff wallpaper fragranced with essence of donut.

But what's really interesting (while also pointing up a major difference between European and American attitudes and support for the arts) is that Schweder submits a proposal to the Kohler Company, manufacturers of commercial bathroom fixtures among other products, requesting to use their equipment to design and produce the urinals for this installation. And Kohler says YES. Try pulling that one off in America.

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440 Brannan: The Art of Eddie.

Comment by AB: I'm mixed on this. The stenciling's pretty prime from a technical perspective, but as for the essence, I'm thinkin' Banksy lite... or maybe mainstream (not necessarily a negative). You know, it won't be long before we see stencil-style graphics being used to market everything from breakfast cereal to toothpaste.

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District Wine Bar: Brian Barneclo.

Comment by AB: Brian Barneclo enhances the atmospherics of the spacious District Wine Bar with a slick set of combination paint/stain compositions on wood that meld exceptionally well with the brick walls-- cooperating rather than competing. Not all artists can do that.

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CELLspace Gallery: Stories of Light and Darkness - Photographs by Portuguese Artist Francisca Ribeiro.

Comment by AB: Francisca Ribeiro's moody indeterminate images invite interpretation. Certain aspects of her presentation, however, could use an upgrade-- the "framing" for example. You don't want viewers to be destracted by workmanship to the point where rather than appreciate the art, they're thinking stuff like, "The artist could have done that better."

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Lake Gallery: Chris Corales - No Time For Western Lesson.

Comment by AB: Chris Corales continues to develop and advance his collage... and I'm liking what I see. Direct, determined, confident and to the point.

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