Hotel Des Arts: New Art '08.

Artists: John Stephenson, Ruby Roth, Julie Oppermann, R. Yauger Williams, Erik Rieth, Iggy Medeiros, Samala, Sugarluxe, Tricia Choi, Terrence Hughes, Christian Wiseman, Clynton Lowry, Jean-Benoit Levy, Artist portraits by W, Peep Show Mini Golf Peformance Troupe, Mr.23, Ruby Ray, Douglass Malone-O'Meally, Graham Nelson, James Fernella, Josh Feldman, Kelty Luber, Chase Tafoya, GOLDI GOLD, Seher Sikandar, Ciaran Doyle, Zoey Stevens, Cate Corbitt, Anthony Grant, Tony Hong, Disposable Hero, Steve Javiel, d. dasari, Mark Damrel, Mark Wasyl, Max Ehrman, Ian Ross, Casey O'Connell, Ed Roth / Stencil1, San Franpsycho, Annie Galvin, Marco Zamora, Max Ehrman / Eon75, Conor Burns, Daniel J. Valadez, Plasticgod, The Postcard Machine (Possibly from the Future), Elaine E. Barr for Stencil 1, Stencil 1 Non-Aerosol Spray Paint, Ryan Stubblefield, Ben Collison aka OB1. Jason Smith, Mish Heinemann, Clay Chollar, Chor Boogie, Vulcan, Keegan Roberson, Jenny Hagen, Quyen Dinh, Tanith Connolly, Mojhgan Mohtashimi.

Review by Jennifer Jeffrey: START SOMA opens a new show at Hotel Des Arts with all four floors featuring new works from emerging artists. There's a wide variety of art on view, from documentary-style photography to oil paintings to digital prints. The opening also features a few on-the-fly endeavors, with artists painting live on canvases, t-shirts, and scraps of paper, plus other kooky hijinks involving photo booths and feathers. The crowd dresses for the occasion in animal prints, plaid, and patent leather shoes.

Among my favorite works of art are pieces by Quyen Dinh, who's painting live throughout the evening, and Chase Tafoya, whose emotive urban portraits are rich with symbols and portents. By 9:00, DJ Samalašs beats are thumping through the narrow space and the crowd's starting to get thick, so I make my escape, but as I'm leaving I think: this is so San Francisco.