CIIS - AMPERSAND - 31 RAUSCH - PIER 5 LAW OFFICES

YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS

DRIFTWOOD SALON - -FIVEPOINTS ARTHOUSE

10.14.11

(with assistance from Mairead O'Connor and Clare Coppel)



Artist pay-to-play list updated & reorganized. Click Here.

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California Institute of Integral Studies: Lyssa Palu-ay - Places Left Unfinished.

Comment by AB: According to the handout, these mysterious moody abstractions are actually close-in landscape photographs... composed with intent to convey spiritual underpinnings. As for what they might be photographs of, your guess is as good as mine, but they were taken in locations as varied as Tibet, Maine and Boston.

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Ampersand International Arts: Miguel Arzabe - falling in; Leigh Wells - Deception.

Comment by AB: Capable collages and sculptures by Leigh Wells blend amoebic and geometric elements in attempts, according to her, to demonstrate that "some degree of reconciliation between the known and the unknown." Fair enough. As for Miguel Arzabe's adventures in landscape, I'm doing my best to get over on the expository, but it just ain't happening. Mommy... I want my bottle!

The moral of the story? People without MFA-grade art educations, like for instance moi, occasionally visit galleries like this-- and here's the surprise part-- actually enjoy the art. So how about throwin' us a bone every now and again? There's nothing I like better than having art explained or described in terms I can understand (well, almost nothing). And don't give me this tripe about dumbing down. Standard English vs artspeak is all that's necessary; you can even use big words if you want. In support of balderdash, however, I can certainly see your point that if you spend $100K learning it, you might as well use it.

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31 Rausch St. Gallery: Encountering - A Photo Based Group Exhibition.

Artists: Madika Bryant, Carola Di Poi, Hayes Firestein, Yoni Klein, Whitney Legge, Dane Pollok, Colin Smith, Sarah Symmonds.

Comment by AB: Group photo show; area talent. Here's what owner Chris McCaw has to say about what he's up to-- "Nothing is priced over $200 and the artists take 100% of any sales. This makes the art financially accessible to the artists' peers, encouraging them to start collecting real works of art. The pricing also motivates the artists to make new, usually experimental work." Certainly worth the wager, wouldn't you say?

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Pier 5 Law Offices: 12th Annual Prison Art Show.

Comment by AB: One of my favorite San Francisco art shows, and in a sense, what art is really about-- thought, reflection, introspection, direct uncompromising self-expression. Each group of artworks is accompanied by a statement from the artist, sometimes typed, other times handwritten, always worth reading. Plenty to contemplate here. An art experience that goes well beyond art.

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Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: The Matter Within - New Contemporary Art of India. Curated by Betti-Sue Hertz.

Artists: Tejal Shah, Sunil Gupta, Anup Matthew Thomas, Pushpamala N., Nikhil Chopra, Dhruv Malhotra, Bharat Sikka, Gauri Gill, Thukral & Tagra, Sudarshan Shetty, Shilpa Gupta, Anita Dube, Rina Banerjee, Srestha Premnath, Siddhartha Kararwal, Ayisha Abraham, Raqs Media Collective, CAMP, The Otolith Group.

Comment by AB: Enlightening survey of contemporary art of India-- mainly photography, sculpture and video. Not what you might expect if your exposure to Indian art has to this point been mainly classic and traditional. Upon experiencing the works of India's artists today, you quickly realize that though we may be geographically distant, we're not so far apart in terms of how we experience and respond to reality. Good show; definitely worth a visit.

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Driftwood Salon: T.W. Chui - A 35 Yr Restrospective.

Review and images by Mairead O'Connor: This 35 year retrospective of paintings by TW Chui is a truly enjoyable evening. I'm struck by the variation in Chui's work over the years. Drastic changes are apparent in both technique and subject matter.

Review by Clare Coppel: T.W. Chui a retrospective of 35 years work. Big dramatic pieces in different styles which trace the artists evolution. I particularly like the paintings in which the paint is literally carved in to tiny lines which combine to form giant pictures of women.

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Addendum:

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