Sculpturesite Gallery : Firings - Ceramic Sculpture.

Artists: Lu Bin, Susannah Israel, Alfred McCloud, Cybele Rowe, John Toki, Kathy Venter.

Comment: Group show ceramic mix and match-- representational and otherwise-- take your pick. I'm partial to Alfred McCloud's crisp white porcelain "constructions" that look like precariously unstable stacked piles of paper about to topple at any moment.

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San Francisco Art Exchange : The Long And Winding Road - The Life And Times Of John, Paul, George & Ringo.

Photographers: Pattie Boyd, Michael Cooper, Henry Diltz, Robert Freeman, Barry Feinstein, Bob Gruen, Eric Hayes, Paul Horn, David Hurn, Astrid Kircherr, Iain Macmillan, Gered Mankowitz, Jim Marshall, Terry O'Neill, May Pang, David Redfern, Ethan Russell, Paul Saltzman, Jerry Schatzberg, Jurgen Vollmer, Bill Wyman.

Comment: This is about as superior a distillation of seminal Beatles images as you'll see anywhere-- both in quantity and quality-- certainly here in Sucka Free. They're so remarkably fresh, they look like they were taken yesterday (the miracle of digital remastery, I suppose). Yes, they're contemporary prints of vintage images and no, San Francisco Art Exchange (SFAE) isn't giving 'em away, but if you gotta have it, this is the place to get it. Nobody shows the art of Rock 'n' Roll like SFAE. Don't believe me? Check it out.

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Axelle Fine Arts : Brian Keith Stephens.

Comment: Gratifying painterly representations of lone birds or animals, or of floral still-lifes set against abstract backgrounds of scraped layered textured paint by Lyme, Connecticut artist Brian Keith Stephens. Stephens tells me the compositions are largely symbolic (as the titles would seem to indicate-- "Say hello to my passing friends" or "Please let me know the truth," for example), referencing or intending to evoke thoughts, feelings, dreams, opinions, nostalgia, past and future, personal relationships, and the like. The concept is a bit of a stretch considering the rudimentary nature of the subject matters unless, that is, you either have Stephens standing there explaining what a particular painting represents, or have the equivalent in writing.

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The Luggage Store Annex (aka 509 Cultural Center): We All Live in a Paper Nest ? Paper Nest Project.

Artists: Cocoa Baker, Melanin Buford, Danny Cao, CUBA, Ali Dadgar, James Earle, Gene Jones, Targol Mesbah, giovanni singleton, Tan Khanh Cao, D. Scot Miller.

Comment: The Paper Nest Project features art and performances by younger visionary Bay Area artists, writers, and musicians, the concept of the "paper nest" here presented as a metaphor for security, sustenance, and growth. The show is anchored by a 7-foot diameter paper nest created by curators Tan Khanh Cao and D. Scot Miller.

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The Shooting Gallery : Whiskey Thieves - Paul Chatem, Amanda Visell, Mike Maxwell.

Comment: Paul Chatem's somber distressing paintings portend perilous outcomes as they recount the odious exploits of those who capture animals in the wild and cart 'em back to civilization to be sold as pets. Mike Maxwell, by painting portraits of military and political figures from the Civil War, invites us to revisit that horrific low point in American history, and perhaps also to explore its current incarnation, the red state / blue state macro-chasm (most priced $350-$400). He also shows a handful of figure paintings on dried gourds. Amanda Visell waxes vintage with Wild West subject matters and a style reminiscent of fifties/sixties animation art.

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Space Gallery : Sick & Loaded.

Artists: Tony Benna, Danilo Tividad, Mear One, Iceberg Slick, Caesar Garcia, Constanza Blondet, DR Photography, Jon Todd, Yem.

Comment: According to the briefing, "Sick & Loaded is a twelve month project to bring artists from around the world together, to connect one another, and to create community." Not clear on how that works or whether this is one of a series of shows here and abroad. Anyway, here's some art...

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Addendum:

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