SAN FRANCISCO ART GALLERIES OPENINGS

FIRST THURSDAY - 12.06.12

(with assistance from RWM)



The fundamentals of art speculation & price inflation. Click Here.

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Dolby Chadwick Gallery: Ann Gale.

Comment by AB: Muted impressionistic sitters contemplate indeterminate quandaries, gaze off wistfully into space or look at you askance with uneasy unsettling expressions. This one's just a wee bit creepy.

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Robert Tat Gallery: Pictorialism - The Photogrpah Becomes Art.

Photographers: Alfred Stieglitz, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Karl Struss, Imogen Cunningham, Annie Brigman, William E. Dassonville, Frantisek Drtikol, Baron Adolph de Meyer, George Henry Seeley, Ernest M. Pratt, Francis Bruguiere, William Rabe, Leopold Hugo, more.

Comment by AB: Pictorialism in photography, popular in the early decades of the 20th century, is the approximate equivalent of impressionism in painting. See what that's all about here.

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ModernBook Gallery: Brigitte Carnochan - Book Signing, The Floating World.

Comment by AB: Brigitte Carnochan puts images to verses of haiku and tanka written by Japanese women from the 7th through the 20th centuries (as translated by Kenneth Rexroth and Ikuko Atsumi in 1977).

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The McLoughlin Gallery: Eterno - Doug Thielscher and Silvia Poloto.

Review by RWM: Great to see the emotion pulled out of the stones by Doug Thielscher. There is pain here and the desire to escape it. Fists are clenched in agony and maybe also ecstasy. The stone takes on its own life in these sculptures which communicate the passion of existence.

Comment by AB: People often ask me whether self-taught artists can make it in today's art world. My answer's always been, "Yes," and just to prove it, here are two examples of those who can. Polished composite abstractions by Silvia Poloti contrast with surreally believable stone and metal sculptures by Doug Thielscher.

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Meridian Gallery: Dark Nights, Bright Lights - A Celebration of Ritual Performance for Winter.

Artists: Dohee Lee, Jewlia Eisenberg of Charming Hostess, Amy Berk, Najat El-Taji El-Khairy, Fariba Bogzaran.

Comment by AB: Art and installations treatise on winter, the Winter Solstice, and 7,000 years of traditions including those evolving out of "the Jewish Diaspora, Korean Shamanism, ancient Persian culture and philosophies, Sufism, Palestinian art, and contemporary personal religion."

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Hang Art Gallery: Same, Same, but Different - A Group Exhibition.

Artists: Peter Andrea, Jenny E. Balisle, Kelly DeFayette, David Defelice, David King, Chris Elhers, Fain Hancock, Lisa Kairos, Corbett Leith, Anthony May, Tjasa Owen, Catherine Palmer, Gail Ragains, Piero Spadaro, Ann West.

Comment by AB: Festive Holiday group show affair.

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Spoke Art: The Moleskin Project II.

Artists: Akira Beard, Allison Sommers, Andrew Hem, Barron Storey, Bec Winnel, Brett Amory, C3, Carl Dobsky, Casey Weldon, Charles Santoso, Chris B Murray, Christian Macnevin, Christine Wu, Cody Miles, Craww, Dave Correia, Erik Siador, Henrik Uldalen, Hsiao Ron Cheng, Jason Hernandez, Jason Hong, Jenn Porecca, Jeremy Enecio, Jeremy Hush, Jeremy Mann, Jessica Hess, Justin "Coro" Kaufman, Karla Ortiz, Keita Morimoto, Kemp Remillard, Ken Garduno, Kikyz1313, Laura Bifano, Luke Hollis, Marco Mazzoni, Mike Dringenberg, New Shade of Black, Nicomi Nix Turner, Nimit Malavia, PJ Matthews, Rafael Sarmento, Rich Pellegrino, Robert Bowen, Rod Luff, Ryan Lee, Sam Wolfe Connelly, Serge Gay Jr., Sergio Lopez, So Youn Lee, Tatiana Suarez, Tran Nguyen, Ville Ericsson, Wesley Burt, Xiau-Fong Wee, Zach Oldenkamp.

Comment by AB: Sketchbook pages on display courtesy of an international array of artists.

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Needles & Pens: Friendship Between Artists is an Equation of Love and Survival - Xara Thustra.

Comment by AB: The phrase "true artist" is often bandied about artland, particularly by those who attempt to lay claim to that territory. Well to me, the term refers to those rare artists whose sole mission is to create and disseminate art, regardless of outcome-- no clawing for fame and fortune, no playing the gallery game, no calculated agendas, no working the crowds, no kiss-ass, no investment in critical opinion, no impenetrable cabals or elitist cliques, just plain adherence to their principles and dedicating their lives to making art... kinda like Xara Thustra. Plus he cooks and provides a free meal for all who attend his openings, offers his work on a sliding scale, and makes sure that if you really love it and you really want it that somehow you're gonna get it regardless of your circumstances or means.

Tonight's event headliner is the release of Thustra's latest and most extensive book to date, Friendship Between Artists is an Equation of Love and Survival. Truer words have never been spoken. Plus special added bonus-- it's available on a sliding scale from $5 to $34.95. Pay what you can... but in keeping with the artist's ideals, be honest about it. Think you can do that? Most people can't (or won't, given the opportunity to take as much as they can while giving as little as possible in return). Here's a thought-- every once in a while just for the hell of it, give more than you take. Try it; you'll like it.

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You know how difficult it is covering all these shows, don't you? And you know how much money I make doing it, don't you? Hint: $0. What I'm driving at here is that your donations are really really appreciated. Really. So perhaps in a fit of inexplicable magnanimousness, give yourself permission to support the cause.

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First Thursday - November 1, 2012

First Thursday - October 4, 2012

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