CATHARINE CLARK - DON SOKER - VARNISH

SOMARTS - LUNA RIENNE - GAUNTLET - THE DROP

03.02.13

(with assistance from RWM)



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Catharine Clark Gallery : Travis Somerville - A Great Cloud of Witnesses; Question Bridge - Black Males (in the Media Room) by Chris Johnson, Hank Willis Thomas, Bayete Ross Smith, and Kamal Sinclair.

Comment by AB: Travis Somerville bridges the ghosts of the past with their residuals in the present, specifically America's racist past and present, by combining contemporary with historic events, ideas and imagery in his bold confrontational works. The art and installations' larger intent has to do with calling our attention discrimination and oppression everywhere, but by zeroing in the way that Somerville does, the message becomes far more poignant. Definitely worth seeing... and then reflecting on.

In the Media Room, four artists present a split screened video comprised of snippets of over 1,500 interviews by Black men of diverse demographics and backgrounds, the point being to help "overcome exclusion and estrangement" in communities.

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Don Soker Gallery : Victoria May - Maintenance and Operations.

Review by RWM: Great space to explore the art which blends with the unusual setting of a building with its inner workings on display. Fun to be with others who are also there for the experience and encounter with the abstract and creative endeavors of an artistic mind.

Comment by AB: Victoria May uses fabrics in fascinating and unexpected ways, mimicking everything from geological rock formations to the machinery and mechanics typical of industry. Her materials are often stained in earth and rust tones, reminding us that no matter how technologically advanced a product may be, it still starts out as raw natural resources. I happen to think she's among the area's more underrated and under-recognized artists. Hopefully we'll be seeing more exhibitions of her work in the near future. Check it out.

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Varnish Fine Art : Mike Davis and Henry Lewis - Contemporary Surrealists.

Review by RWM: Great to get caught up in the amazing fables of Mike Davis and Henry Lewis. Davis's paintings share fantastic allegories which leave one to fill in the blanks. Not clear what the stories are, but they may be different for different people. Nice representations for an out of control imagination. Fun to enter these stories even if only as an observer.

Comment by AB: Also on the docket, marvel at the deep dark symbol-rich creatures and characters of Henry Lewis.

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SOMArts Gallery : BarBot - Automatic.

Artists: Liz Mamorsky, Alice Koswara, Johnny Botts, and numerous wizards of robotics.

Comment by AB: The stars of this off-the-wall extravaganza are robots and associated mechanical contraptions that have only one purpose in life-- to serve you drinks. Making a special guest appearance is the famed Star Wars bot, R2-D2. A smattering of local artists are also on hand with selections of their robot-related wares.

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Luna Rienne Gallery : Love In Absentia - Jenn Porreca; Large-scale commission by Doze Green.

Review by RWM: Fun and emotional. Stylish and even judgmental. The figures in Jenn Porreca's paintings look back. Not clear who is the subject here.

Comment by AB: Luna Rienne Gallery, the brand new transformation of the former Fabric8 space, debuts as a fulltime art gallery with a show of recent paintings by Los Angeles artist, Jenn Porreca. In the front gallery is major new work by Doze Green.

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Gauntlet Gallery : Mega Man Boss Battle.

Artists: Tracy Piper, David Alegre, Vaughn Pinpin, Tavish, Ray Jones, Amanda Fox, Jason Williams, Andrew Wilson, Wilbur Liang, Mary Butterworth, Joseph Kim, Tracy Piper, Noreen Rana, Greg Peltz, OMOCAT, Frank Harmon, Alon Marquez, Pat Henzy, Mitchel P. Kennedy, Mr. Dicks, Andrew Dickman, Dan Howard, Grant Alexander, Christy Bontrager, Ammathorn, Glenn Kim, Andy Pitts, J.H., Mary Shu, Kent Mudle, Mackenzie B, Monica Chen, Brian Luong, Ashley Davis, Mikey Turvey, Zach Ethier, Daniel Wilson, Dennie Bright, Ubin Li, Ceaser Lara Jason Warnke, Jeremy Natividad, Maximo Lorenzo, Beto Garza, Orioto, Mike Luckas, Jorge Marquez, Greig Rapson, pui leung, Sam Iturralde, Emily Barrera, Jolie Menzel, Marc Aure, Chris Stringer, Tim Sparvero, Renee Carty, Carly Matlack, Robert Iz, Chris Niosi, Melinda Rainsberger, Joe Wierenga, Dan Schoening, Alfred Manzano, Josh Shivers, Rolando Ortiz, Jonathan Griffiths, Liam Robinson, Zachary Present, Rolando Ortiz, Brian Lee, William Ray, Nick Acosta, Alex Ahad, Francisco Perez, James Larson, Graham Ross, Shawn Witt, Kim Herbst, Andy Helms, Trung Lac, yin ke, John DeLucca, Megan Lawton, Jorge Marquez, Nicc Balce, Sherwin Viray, Helbetico, Paul Veer, Ben Seto, Ray Chan, Chris Carman, Chris Carman, Allison Thomas, Patricio Betteo, Duncan Barton, Bennett, Josh Grilli, Shannon Meissner, Liam Robinson, Joe Ryan, Robert Iza, Keith Erickson, Steve Steinaway, Diego Garcia, Graham Ross, Zack Turner, Matt Cummings, Hanna Abi-Hanna, Cory Holmes, Sabrina Cecchini, Ralph Caston II, Matt Bixler, Andrew Butterworth, Jamie Borja, Will Arvin, Scott Listfield, Ruben Ireland, Vasco Vicente, Andrew Dickman.

Comment by AB: Art show pays tribute to the 25th anniversary of the video game, Mega Man.

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The Drop Gallery : Clique - Imprints and Impressions.

Artists: Brandi Lee, Holly Mathews, Jennifer Hansen, Olivia Chen, JinHee Lee.

Comment by AB: Show by members of Clique, a group of area emerging female artists. For the main attraction, artist/teacher Kevin Moore randomly mails each Clique artist five images with instructions to reproduce them as 12 by 12 inch panel paintings. The twenty-five resulting pieces are then assembled by Moore to form a single large composite painting.

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