SILVERMAN - PARK LIFE - MARTIN LAWRENCE - TRIPLE BASE

REVOLUTION CAFE - FABRIC8 - HIJINKS

FIFTY24SF - MEDICINE AGENCY - GRANT'S TOMB

07.23.10

(with assistance from Kathryn Arnold , Clare Coppel and RWM)

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Silverman Gallery : Food For Thought. Curated by Sabrina Buell.

Artists: Nobuyoshi Araki, Joseph Beuys, Nayland Blake, Leidy Churchman, R. Crumb, Peter Fischli & David Weiss, Daphne Fitzpatrick, Corin Hewitt, Deva Graf, Dr. Lakra, Ed Ruscha and Jen Susman.

Comment by AB: Pretty plucky roster populates this disquisition on the sustenance we shove down our gullets.

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Park Life : Strange and Constant - New works by Evan Nesbit & Marissa Textor.

Review by RWM: Odd environments recounted in accurate black and white graphite drawings by Marissa Textor plus a psychedelic history of art by Evan Nesbit that is hard to resist, and other colorific offerings by him as well.

Review by Clare Coppel: Strange and Constant features various landscapes by Evan Nesbit and Marissa Textor both abstract and realistic with trees, lawns, patterns, Victorian windows and an Art History family tree.

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Triple Base Gallery : Now, It's About What You Can't See.

Artists: Chechu Alava, Mara Baldwin, Rachel E. Foster, Eleanor Kent.

Review by Kathryn Arnold: Four artists exhibit a nice selection of poetic works in Now, It's About What You Can't See. A small group of painterly figural works by Eleanor Kent, the figures with missing faces, are arrayed in a cluster, like family portraits. Looking like little jewels, these creations mirror a sense of universal belonging or loss, depending on your side of the coin. Lovely. So it is about what you cannot see-- therefore the faceless individuals. Reminiscent of Joan Brown or perhaps Baselitz.

Skillfully executed graphite drawings by Mara Baldwin, also small, show quiet interior spaces, and feel like Edward Hopper in a way, except without the people. Creations of emptiness. Also by Baldwin, a good sized work that appears to be wallpaper embedded with two rectangular sections that are admirably hand painted to mimic the wallpaper pattern. Cool-- this illusion vs illusion optical effect.

Chechu Alava's larger vertical painting on the back wall is a haunting image. A solitary figure is placed within a sparse space, with a door leading into another room in the background. Misty hues beckon with meaning. What is unseen here? The viewer is left to imagine.

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Revolution Cafe : Arboreal Portraiture - Sevilla Granger.

Review by RWM, image c/o Sevilla Granger: Trees are portrayed here immersed in brilliant pyrotechnics, silhouetted against skies that might possibly remind of Global Warming. One can also experience the beauty in Nature, but the disconcerting element remains evident in the altered colored skies. Odd yet thought provoking as we consider the impact we have on the larger scheme of things.

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Fabric8 Gallery : Audio-Visual.

Artists: Alice Koswara, Andy Stattmiller, Christopher de Leon, ganYan, Grant Gilliland, Ninjagrl, Phoneticontrol, Scuba.

Review and images by Kathryn Arnold: This is my first visit to Fabric8, a nice gallery space in the Mission. Great hospitality, food, cooking outside-- and what I came for-- a nice collection of small works just to the left of the front door. Small but mighty, these works reference music culture with visual means, hence the title of the exhibition Audio-Visual. Clever compositions are aligned across the wall in assorted fashion... and the artists' personalities shine. I note the integration of audio devices into our culture (as portrayed by many of these images).

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Fifty24SF Gallery : Henceforth and Whatnot.

Review and images by Clare Coppel: Henceforth and Whatnot features animations and short films by Rinee Shah and Jim Dirshberger of Eighty Four Films. Also works by Skinner, Jay Howell, and Ferris Plock. Also a closing show for Porous Walker because art can be fun. Also on the docket is a very important list on the wall of very important people at the moment. And a shark with forks for teeth.

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Gallery Hijinks : Free Life Center - Mark Warren Jacques and Seth Neefus; Jerking Off In Bunkbeds - Taylor Brubaker and Jason Levins.

Comment by AB: Portland, Oregon artists and musicians Mark Warren Jacques and Seth Neefus construct an entire gallery within the front room of Gallery Hijinks, complete with roof, windows, doors and floor-- a mobile art center which they intend to continually assemble and dissemble along their nomadic journey to somewhere and everywhere. In the rear space, see slice-of-life photographs by Taylor Brubaker and Jason Levins. New gallery space worth checking out.

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Medicine Agency : Marcus Burrowes - The Great Insurrection.

Comment by AB: Jamaica-born artist and designer Marcus Burrowes is "the founder of and creative force behind Rockers NYC, and has since done merchandise design for Mad Cobra, Santogold, The Roots, and Blood Brothers, and collaborations with photographer Shawn Mortensen, SPIN, Vibe, Cassette Playa, Swagger, Maharishi, and Vanguard." There you have it.

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Grant's Tomb Art Gallery : A Midsummer Night's Scream - Winston Smith.

Comment by AB: Your basic subterranean hepcat art party.

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Addendum:

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