The LAB : Jesse Houlding - Telluric Currents; Daniel J. Glendening - Let's Talk About War, Baby; Wago Kreider - Marvelous Creatures.

Comment: Unquestionably one of the more underwhelming shows I've seen at The LAB. Once you're up the stairs, the first thing you see is TV monitor playing Wago Kreider's flish-flash video of rapidly alternating still images like Marilyn Monroe and then a bear and then Marilyn Monroe and then a bear ad infinitum. Just beyond that, in the entrance to the main space, Daniel J. Glendening's chaotic corrugated board and masking tape jet fighter is strung from the ceiling; brightly colored paints are splattered over the walls. In the main space, Jesse Houlding's walk-in "light sculpture" looks promising from a distance, but amounts to little more than sheets of vinyl or plastic stretched over a frame to form inner and outer walls, between which, lights on armatures repetitively rotate. Next.

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Eleanor Harwood Gallery : Veronica De Jesus - Access Excess.

Comment: A not uninteresting omnibus of work by Veronica De Jesus, commendable in effort, detail, and meticulousness, perhaps though, manifesting undue influence by Simon Evans. It's OK to borrow-- everybody does-- but be careful how much you take. For those of you scoring at home, nobody's at the show yet because I'm there early because I wanna get in and out before the popular Day of the Dead parade overtakes the neighborhood.

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Bucheon Gallery : Stephen Tompkins & Bill Dunlap - Futurology.

Comment: Bill Dunlap and Stephen Tompkins transform the gallery into a freewheeling unabashed carnival of art. Some of the best work I've seen from Dunlap to date.

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San Francisco Center for the Book : San Francisco Center for the Book 4th Annual Gala Dinner and Auction.

Comment: The San Francisco Center for the Book's annual fundraiser features a live auction, silent auction, live music, live dancing, a delectable beverage selection, and a super-sumptuous grand buffet dinner courtesy of the budding young talent at the California Culinary Academy. For you printmakers, zinesters, and fans of artist books in the audience, you really have to get your butts down to the SFCB at some point because until you do, you won't know what you're missing. They've got all kinds of printing and book-making equipment, classes, seminars, exhibitions, specialized knowledge out the wazoo, and much much more. And guess what? They're looking for new blood. Tell 'em Big Al sent you.

Oh... almost forgot. Here's how badly they need new blood-- at one point in the live auction, auctioneer George Fox asks for a show of hands on how many people know what a zine is. Two people raise their hands, one of which is me.

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Park Life : First Anniversary/Benefit Group Show.

Artists: Alex Lukas, Andrew Jeffery Wright, Andrew Schoultz, Brion Nuda Rosch, Chris Ballantyne, Daniel St. George, David Benzler, Dennis Mcnulty, Deth P.?Sun Evah Fan, Ferris Plock, Holly Williams-Brock, Ian Johnson, Jason Jagel, Jen Porreca, Jim Jocoy, Kelly Lynn Jones, Kelly Tunstall, Kyle Mock, Lily Lin, Marci Washington, Marina Luz, Matthew Palladino, Maxwell Holyoke Hirsch, Michelle Blade, Paul Madonna, Paul Wackers, Rebecca Miller, Rhea Fontaine, Ryan Shaffer, Sean McFarland, Sham Saenz, Steve Sueoka, Tucker Nichols, Zach Rossman.

Comment: Park Life celebrates one year in business with a tasty array of small works by a covey of quality artists. A portion of the show proceeds will be donated to the SF Coalition on Homelessness. Park Life is one of the more gratifying establishments of its ilk... in my humble opinion, that is. Check it out.

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Contraband Gallery, 360 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA 94107; 415.577.8990: Scott Greenwalt - Recent Work.

Comment: I'm kinda liking Contraband Gallery, about as close to the bone as it gets here in unbridled Ess Eff. Tonight's exciting episode presents Scott Greenwalt's paintings and drawings of toupees, hair extensions, a belly button, and some other stuff, the outcomes ranging from amusingly peculiar to affably berserk.

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